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Establish healthy sleep foundations to avoid common sleep problems.

Well-rested children sleep better, and other facts about sleep.• During sleep, bodies make

repairs, produce growth hormones, develop neural connections; sleep restores and regulates both mind and body.

• Lack of sleep leads to increased risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, behavioral problems...

• Babies thrive on regularity and having a consistent routine and schedule.

• Baby’s sleep cycle is 45 minutes.• Baby needs self-soothing skills

to sleep through multiple sleep cycles.

• After 4 months, sleep must be motionless to be truly restorative.

• Naps reduce cortisol levels and are needed for baby to get through the day.

• Sleep begets sleep – easier to put a baby down for nap BEFORE she’s overtired.

• Keep wake windows short to avoid over-tiredness.

• When sleep is timed correctly, there is little to no crying.

• Sleepy signs are a lagging indicator.

• Consistency is the key!

Sleep Sisters | 650.488.REST | hello@sleepsisters.com | SleepSisters.com

Naps

Self soothing

Environ-ment

Routine & timing

Prioritize sleep

Sleep associations

Nutrition Exercise

Foundation for Healthy Sleep

Average Sleep Needed

Age Nighttime Sleep

Daytime Sleep Total Sleep

Different babies need different amounts of sleep. Charts that list the average amount of sleep for each age group are just that—averages. These are not magic numbers. The best way to tell if your child is getting enough sleep is to look at how they act while they are awake.

1 month 8.5 hours (many naps)

7.5 hours (many naps) 16 hoursDifferent babies need different amounts of sleep. Charts that list the average amount of sleep for each age group are just that—averages. These are not magic numbers. The best way to tell if your child is getting enough sleep is to look at how they act while they are awake.

3 months 6-10 hours 5-9 hours 15 hours

Different babies need different amounts of sleep. Charts that list the average amount of sleep for each age group are just that—averages. These are not magic numbers. The best way to tell if your child is getting enough sleep is to look at how they act while they are awake.

6 months 10-12 hours 3-4.5 hours (3 naps) 14.5 hours

Different babies need different amounts of sleep. Charts that list the average amount of sleep for each age group are just that—averages. These are not magic numbers. The best way to tell if your child is getting enough sleep is to look at how they act while they are awake.

9 months 11 hours 3 hours (2 naps) 14 hours

Different babies need different amounts of sleep. Charts that list the average amount of sleep for each age group are just that—averages. These are not magic numbers. The best way to tell if your child is getting enough sleep is to look at how they act while they are awake.

12 months 11 hours 2.5 hours (2 naps) 13.5 hours

Different babies need different amounts of sleep. Charts that list the average amount of sleep for each age group are just that—averages. These are not magic numbers. The best way to tell if your child is getting enough sleep is to look at how they act while they are awake.

18 months 11 hours 2.5 hours (1-2 naps) 13.5 hours

Different babies need different amounts of sleep. Charts that list the average amount of sleep for each age group are just that—averages. These are not magic numbers. The best way to tell if your child is getting enough sleep is to look at how they act while they are awake.

2 years 11 hours 2 hours (1 nap) 13 hours

Different babies need different amounts of sleep. Charts that list the average amount of sleep for each age group are just that—averages. These are not magic numbers. The best way to tell if your child is getting enough sleep is to look at how they act while they are awake.

3 years 10.5 hours 1.5 hours (1 nap) 12 hours

Source: University of Michigan Health System

4 years 11.5 hours 0-1 (0-1 nap) 11.5 hours

Sleep Sisters’ Rules to Sleep ByBabies have a biological need for sleep–Our bodies

create hormones that help us fall asleep (melatonin) and ones that keep us awake (adrenaline and cortisol). We want to encourage our babies to produce these hormones at the right times…otherwise, we risk them developing “jet-lag syndrome” and become extremely overtired.

Sleep Begets Sleep–When babies are overtired, they have trouble falling asleep and STAYING asleep. Although many people will tell you to “keep your baby up” so that he gets tired, the opposite is in fact true. If your baby is having trouble sleeping, it is because he is overtired.

Make Sleep a Priority–Having your child get the sleep she needs is the same as making sure she’s getting enough nutrition. A child’s developing brain needs sleep to function at its best. You may have to alter your own schedule to ful!ill the needs of your baby for a while.

Sleep in motion is not restorative–Having your child sleep in the car or in a stroller is not the same high-quality sleep that he will get in his crib. After 3 months or so, your child should be sleeping in his crib (or co-sleeper/bed) for his naps and at night.

A dark and cool room is the best sleep environment–Babies like to sleep in a “cave-like” environment. Don’t YOU sleep better when it’s dark?

Quality beats Quantity and Timing of Sleep beats Length of Sleep–High quality sleep (motionless, without music, dark, and at the right time) is more important than how long the sleep lasts.

Consistency is Key–Decide on your plan as a family and stick to it. When changes have to occur (a family vacation, a holiday meal, a doctor’s appointment) it will be easier to get back on track if your routine is well-established.

© Sleep Sisters 2015. www.sleepsisters.com.

A Word About Sleep BooksThere are dozens, maybe hundreds, of books offering “solutions” to better sleep for your family. At Sleep Sisters, we

believe an understanding of sleep science should be the basis for any work you do to improve sleep for your children. The books on this list represent a small selection, but offer a variety of approaches for different parenting styles. We don’t always agree with everything in each of these books. There is no one right way to teach better sleep. Every child, and every family, is different, has different needs, and may respond best to a sleep teaching approach that is tailored for it’s unique needs. As we have said, consistency is key. When you !ind the right approach for your child, stick with it and give it time. If you need help !iguring it all out, just let us know!

Soothing Techniques for 0-3 monthsThe Happiest Baby on the Block, by Dr. Harvey Karp. New York: Bantam Dell, 2003. Book and DVD.

Sleep Science and ExtinctionHealthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. New York: Ballantine Books, 2003. Book.

Timed ChecksSleeping Through the Night, Revised Edition: How Infants, Toddlers, and Their Parents Can Get a Good Night's Sleep, by Dr. Jodi A. Mindell. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005. Book.

The Sleepeasy Solution: The Exhausted Parent's Guide to Getting Your Child to Sleep from Birth to Age 5, by Jennifer Waldburger and Jill Spivack. Deer!ield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc., 2007. Book.

Gradual WithdrawalThe Sleep Lady®’s Good Night, Sleep Tight: Gentle Proven Solutions to Help Your Child Sleep Well and Wake Up Happy, by Kim West. Boston: Da Capo Press, 2010. Book.

Attachment ParentingThe Baby Sleep Book: The Complete Guide to a Good Night's Rest for the Whole Family, by Dr. William Sears, Martha Sears, R.N., Dr. Robert Sears, and Dr. James Sears. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2005. Book.

The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night, by Elizabeth Pantley. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002. Book.

Emotional and Behavioral Development

Touchpoints: The Essential Reference, by T. Berry Brazelton, M.D. Menlo Park, 1992. Book.

For additional resources and links to more books and articles, please visit our website:

www.sleepsisters.com/resources

Suggested Reading

© Sleep Sisters 2015. www.sleepsisters.com.