JOHNSON'S® Canada

Sleep Facts

Newborns sleep an average of 10 1/2 to 18 hours a day with individual sleep periods lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours

Babies usually start sleeping through the night sometime between eight weeks and six months of age

Nearly every child has problems sleeping at some point in her development

The Science of Baby Sleep
There are two distinct sleep phases that we all experience-rapid eye movement (or REM) sleep, when we actively dream, and non-REM sleep which consists of four phases: drowsiness, light sleep, deep sleep, and very deep sleep. If you´ve ever closed your eyes hoping your baby would do the same, and waited for her to fall asleep, you know that from drowsiness to deep sleep, your baby becomes less and less active, and her breathing slows and becomes very quiet, so that in deepest sleep she is virtually motionless.

At first, your baby will probably sleep about 14 1/2 hours a day, divided into 3 to 4 hour naps evenly spaced between feedings. Each of these sleep periods includes relatively equal amounts of REM and non-REM sleep, organized in the following order:

1. drowsiness,
2. REM sleep,
3. light sleep,
4. deep sleep,
5. very deep sleep.

As she grows older she´ll cycle through all the non-REM phases before entering REM sleep, as adults do. By the age of three, only one-third or less of total sleep time is spent in REM sleep.

Phases of Sleep
Deep sleep: Lies quietly without moving
Light sleep: Moves while sleeping; startles at noises
Drowsiness: Eyes start to close; may doze
Quiet alert: Eyes open wide, face is bright; body is quiet
Active alert: Face and body move actively
Crying: Cries, perhaps screams; body moves in very disorganized ways

Sleep Positioning and SIDS
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) refers to the unexpected death of a seemingly healthy child under one year of age. Nobody knows the exact cause but is likely due to a combination of factors. There are some things you can do to help reduce the risk of SIDS.

Always place your baby on her back to sleep. Have her sleep on her back during the night and at naptime.

Place your baby on a firm infant mattress with no more than a sheet or a rubberized mat between the mattress and your baby

Keep soft bulky items out of the sleeping area. These items include pillows, cushions, stuffed toys, or rolls of bedding.

Nighttime Awakenings
Newborn infants have irregular sleep cycles, which take about 6 months to mature. Newborns sleep an average of 10 1/2 to 18 hours per day with individual sleep periods lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours. As children get older the total number of hours they need for sleep decreases. But every child is different. It is normal for even a 6 month old to wake up briefly during the night, but these awakenings should only last a few minutes and the baby should be able to go back to sleep on her own.

Often parents think that their child is waking up when she´s actually going through a phase of very light slumber. She could be squirming, startling, fussing or even crying and still be asleep. Some babies just need to let off energy by crying in order to settle into sleep or rouse themselves out of it.

Practical How-Tos
Establishing routines
Initially, infants don´t know the difference between day and night. While newborns sleep an average of 10 1/2 to 18 hours per day, their stomachs hold only enough to satisfy them for three to four hours, so there´s no escaping round-the-clock waking and feeding for the first few weeks. But even at this age, routines can begin to be established. As children get older, the total number of hours they sleep decreases, but they begin to sleep for longer periods of time at night. Remember, every child is unique and her needs for sleep will vary too.

Suggestions for a Good Night´s Sleep
There is no magic solution to getting your baby to sleep. Regardless of the approach, it´s clear that there is no right or wrong solution for getting baby to sleep. Ultimately, you must decide what is best for your family, to ensure that you and your baby get a good night sleep.

1. Try to keep your baby as calm and quiet as possible. When feeding or changing your baby during the night, resist playing with her, making it harder for her to go back to sleep. 2. Don´t let your baby sleep too much during the day. If your baby sleeps for large blocks of time during the day, she´ll be more likely to be awake at night. 3. Put your baby in the crib at the first sign of drowsiness. This is difficult for many new parents, but if you make a habit of holding or rocking your baby until she falls asleep, she may depend on this and not be able to settle herself and fall asleep alone. 4. Avoid putting your baby to bed with a pacifier. If your baby gets used to falling asleep with a pacifier, she may have trouble learning to get to sleep without it. 5. Begin to delay your reaction to your baby´s fussing at about 4 to 6 months. Wait a few minutes before going to calm your baby; she will probably settle herself in a few minutes. If she continues to cry, try to calm her without turning on the light or picking her up. If she is unable to settle herself after a few more minutes, consider what might be wrong - hunger, wet diaper, fever, etc.

Whatever approach you try, be consistent. If you decide you are not going to rock your baby to sleep, don´t give in after 5 or 25 minutes. This will teach your child that it´s worthwhile to persist. Give your plan a chance to work-at least two weeks. Many parents make the mistake of switching to plan B too soon.

Bedtime Routines
The sooner you establish a bedtime routine, the better. When your baby is as young as 6 or 8 weeks old, start following a set pattern every night -- she´ll quickly come to appreciate the consistency and predictability. What you include in your ritual is up to you, but be sure to choose things that help calm the baby. Another good tip is to end the bedtime routine in the baby´s bedroom. By doing so, the baby learns that her room is a nice place to be, and not somewhere she is "banished" at bedtime.

The following is a list of ideas to create your baby´s bedtime routine:

Let off some steam: sometimes it helps to let your baby get out any extra energy before you try to settle her down for the night. This should be followed up with something calmer and quieter - like a bath or story - before she goes to sleep.

Take a dip: one of the most popular parts of a bedtime routine is a bath. Sitting in warm water is a soothing experience and there are products, such as JOHNSON'S^® Bedtime Bath^®, which contain the natural ingredients lavender and chamomile that are known for their soothing and relaxing properties.

The power of touch: research has shown the connection between infant massage and improved sleep patterns. It can be a very powerful component of your bedtime routine. You can incorporate a product like JOHNSON'S^® Bedtime Lotion^®, containing naturally soothing lavender and camomile, to help ease your baby into a relaxed state.

Dress for the occasion: After your baby is dry, clean and moisturized, change her into some cozy pyjamas and spend some time cuddling and hugging.

Story tell: rivalling the bath as an all-time favourite bedtime ritual is a bedtime story. Not only does this fit the bill as a calming activity to get your child ready for bed, but it has an educational benefit as well. Studies have shown that language skills and intelligence can depend on a baby´s daily exposure to a large vocabulary.

Sing a song: Singing a lullaby is a time-tested way to help a sleepy baby drift off. Babies love hearing their favourite songs and your voice. The soothing melody and help calm her and indicate that it is time to go to sleep.

Read the cues: Above all, it is important to recognize your baby´s cues through body language. Some babies get over-stimulated much more easily than others. Music may calm one baby and excite another. By recognizing the signs of over-stimulation early, you can calm the baby and have a much easier transition to sleep.