Sleep Support

Being flexible and responsive

We believe it’s important to approach children’s sleep with flexibility, recognising that every baby and young child is unique and may have different sleep needs. A responsive, child-centred approach, which focuses on gradually helping children to learn to self-soothe while offering comfort when needed, is appropriate for fostering healthy sleep habits and emotional well-being.

No one-size-fits-all

Babies and young children are individuals with unique sleep needs and patterns. What works for one might not work for another. Some children may need more sleep than others or have natural sleep rhythms that don’t align with a rigid schedule. Strict sleep training methods that don’t take these differences into account can lead to frustration for both the child and the family.

Sleep support

We prefer to think of it as sleep support rather than training, but if sleep training is something you are thinking about, we feel a No Tears approach is a developmentally appropriate and child centred method.

No Tears Method

The No Tears Method focuses on helping babies fall asleep without crying by using gentle, gradual techniques. This method was popularised by parenting experts like Elizabeth Pantley in her book The No-Cry Sleep Solution. It involves offering comfort and reassurance without allowing your baby to cry themselves to sleep. It is similar to the techniques and strategies that we use in the centre environment, which provides consistency for children between home and the centre setting.

How it works:

• Gentle comforting: When your baby cries or fusses, you respond immediately with soothing actions, like patting, shushing, or offering a pacifier. Over time, you reduce the level of comfort you provide, encouraging your baby to fall asleep independently.
• Gradual steps: You slowly decrease the amount of help you offer, like reducing the time you spend patting or singing your baby to sleep.
• No crying: The core principle is that the child never experiences long periods of crying. Instead, comfort is provided in ways that help the baby feel secure and eventually learn to self-soothe.

Some benefits of this approach include:

• It’s gentle and less emotionally stressful for both babies and parents than more rigid sleep training.
• It respects the child’s emotional needs while promoting sleep independence.

Supporting natural sleep patterns and healthy development:

We do not encourage waking babies after short sleep periods. Here are some reasons why:

Natural Sleep Cycles

Babies have shorter sleep cycles than adults. A typical sleep cycle for a baby lasts around 45-60 minutes, compared to an adult's 90 minutes. During these shorter cycles, babies may briefly wake up but quickly drift back to sleep without needing intervention. Waking babies after a short sleep period can disrupt this natural process, making it harder for them to fall back asleep and potentially leading to more fragmented sleep.

Babies go through lighter sleep stages more frequently than adults. Waking a baby during these lighter stages can interfere with their ability to enter deeper, restorative sleep, which is crucial for their growth and development.

Wellbeing and development

Waking babies up after short naps can lead to frustration and confusion for the baby, as they might not understand why they are being disturbed or unable to sleep. This can raise their cortisol levels (the stress hormone), affecting their emotional well-being.

Sleep is vital for a baby’s physical development, including brain growth, immune function, and memory consolidation. If babies are constantly woken up or prevented from completing their sleep cycles, they may miss out on the restorative sleep needed for these processes. This can hinder their growth, learning, and overall well-being.

Babies naturally learn to consolidate their sleep as they grow, gradually sleeping for longer stretches at night. By enforcing rigid sleep training that involves waking them prematurely, you can disrupt this natural progression and delay the process of sleep consolidation.

We believe it is important to:

• Approach supporting sleep with flexibility, recognising that every baby is unique and may have different sleep needs.
• Use a responsive, child-centred approach, which focuses on gradually helping the baby learn to self-soothe while offering comfort when needed.
• Acknowledge that sleep issues are often temporary, but they can take time to resolve.
• Take a manageable and realistic approach. Focus on creating small, positive habits that gradually improve a child’s sleep over time.

Further links and information:

https://www.babycenter.com/baby/sleep/baby-sleep-training-no-tears-methods_1497581

https://www.plunket.org.nz/child-development/sleep/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj83SsfOHjAMVLswWBR0eySrtEAAYASAAEgKLefD_BwE

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220131-the-science-of-safe-and-healthy-baby-sleep