There are so many methods of trying to get a baby to sleep. There’s the infamous cry-it-out method, the no-cry methods, the support methods and all kinds of sleep-training mutations and programs stemmed from these.

When a baby’s parents start to get desperate (usually that point when we can’t predict when we’ll get a solid 4 hours in) we try all kinds of methods, buy all kinds of books, programs, hire a night nurse, you name it. No expense is too large. Baby needs to sleep, and more so, so do we!

I struggled hard and fought against truly bad advice being hurled at me (sedating my baby with paracetamol, no thanks), until I stumbled upon some concepts which really worked and are not so difficult to understand. After knowing these simple things, my baby’s sleep was although not perfectly timed every day, far more predictable.

1) Understand Sleepiness CUES

2) SETTLE the baby to prepare them for sleep

Are you doing this? I wasn’t. In the beginning, I really thought the baby would just sleep when she got tired. Which was never. Settling the baby means to start a winding down, lights out, no noise kind of situation.

3) The 90 minute rule: GAME CHANGER

Babies tend to me on 90 minute wakefulness cycles. This means they’re awake in 90 minute blocks and then there’s a window of opportunity close to the end of those 90 minutes where they’re tired, and you can settle them and they will sleep. After that window, it becomes difficult because they will ramp up again with reserve energy and usually this means becoming extra fussy… for another 90 minutes until your next window.

I still follow this and my daughter is almost 2 years old. And it rings true. Her wakefulness cycles are always in 90 minute multiples. So 3hours, 4.5hours… you get the picture.

4) The 40 minute sleep cycle

Babies will tend to sleep in 40 minute cycles. If you’re watching your baby while he sleeps, if he looks like she’s waking before the end of a 40 minute cycle, don’t rush to pick him up. It’s possible he will self-settle and finish that 40 minute cycle. If he does wake up mid-sleep cycle, it’s possible he’ll be fussy. I’m not saying babies only sleep for 40 minutes, but in multiples of 40 minutes (1hr 20 minutes, 2 hours, 2hrs 40 minutes). So you can time your tasks or what you want to do in about 30 minute chunks while baby sleeps.

Although not perfect, this predictability makes life so much easier. If you know the game changing 90 minute rule, you’ll know when you can take baby out for example to do the groceries where they won’t be fussy. And it’s true that sleep begets sleep. So the more naps a baby has during the day, the longer he will sleep at night.

Hoping this information works for you!