HEALTH
The Science of a
Baby’s Golden Sleep
By
Farhan Shah
Sleep is incredibly HOW MUCH SLEEP DOES A BABY NEED EACH DAY?
important to a Newborn
baby’s development, 16 to 20 hours
yet is shrouded in Three- to six-weeks-old
misinformation, fallacies 15 to 18 hours
and old wives’ tales. We
speak to two baby sleep Four-months-old
Nine to 12 hours, with two naps lasting
experts, Dr Luci Wiggs and two to three hours each
Rachel Waddilove, about
the science of a baby’s Six- to nine-months-old
snooze, specifically the 11 to 12 hours a day, with two naps
lasting one to two hours each
Golden Sleep.
12- to 18-months-old
10 to 13 hours a day, with two naps
lasting one to two hours each
Two- to three-years-old
10 to 12 hours a day, with one nap
lasting two hours long
Four- to five-years-old
10 to 12 hours a day
THE IMPORTANCE
OF SLEEP
“The amount of sleep needed varies
individually with the baby, the age and the
circumstances. Some babies manage to
stay asleep for long hours while others
take multiple naps. Additionally, some
babies may have very regular sleep
patterns while others do not,” says Dr
Luci Wiggs, Chair of the Handsel Trust
Sleep Advisory Group.
Only recently, however, has concrete
evidence emerged detailing the strong
link between the quality and quantity
of babies’ sleep (up to 12 hours) with
their daytime social functioning. After a
night of good sleep, the Holy Grail that
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many parents aim for but rarely reach,
“a baby will be more alert and able to
interact more sociably with others”. It’s
something that Pampers calls Golden
Sleep and a subject that the company
has studied extensively.
A well-rested baby will not only be more
alert during the day but will also be more
willing to socially interact with others,
according to Dr Wiggs. With better sleep,
babies are more likely to develop more
positive socio-emotional competence and
mental health.
At the same time, as many parents
will attest to, having a well-rested
baby is as important to the family as
it is to the child. Rachel Waddilove, an
experienced maternity nurse with more
than 40 years of experience, reveals
that the most common question that
parents ask and one that a lot of them
have problems with is getting a baby to
sleep through the night so that they too
can function properly during the day,
whether at home or in the office.
“Mothers are often so distressed and
tears when they first contact me for help,”
she shares. One of the most important
lessons that Waddilove teaches these
mothers is that not all babies have similar
sleep patterns. Some might require a lot
more sleep training than others but no
baby is, thankfully, untrainable.
Waddilove says: “In my experience,
babies and toddlers who sleep well
will normally be very happy to go in
their cots for daytime naps and at
bedtime too. A baby will be happy and
contented for longer periods in the
day to have playtime with the parents,
which helps with bonding.”
THE SIGNS OF SLEEP
DEPRIVATION AND
COMBATING IT
So, how would you know whether
your baby is being cranky due to the
lack of Golden Sleep and not because
of other reasons?
Dr Wiggs shares a few physical
behaviours a baby might display
when he or she needs more quality
shut-eye.
• Has difficulties rousing in the
morning and shows signs of
excessive fretfulness
• Tends to be less interested in people
and toys, and becomes clingy to
the parents
• Eye-rubbing, yawning and
ear-pulling
• Displays overactive behaviour in the
evening and has difficulty
settling down
According to new clinical research
from Pampers, it seems that there
is a direct link between wetting and
sleep disturbance. “Even during
peaceful sleep, your baby’s skin can
easily sense the feeling of wetness –
in effect, acting as an invisible alarm
clock,” says Dr Wiggs. To use an
analogy, it’s just like you waking up
in the middle of the night to use the
washroom. While you might be able
to easily return to your dreams, your
sleep cycle has been disrupted.
Waddilove has a couple of tips for
parents looking to improve the quality
of their baby’s sleep.
• Go to sleep with a full tummy and
make sure your baby has had
enough to drink and eat
• Introduce a sleep pattern for babies
to help babies snooze uninterrupted
for longer (Waddilove recommends
teaching this to babies as early
as possible)
The key to introducing a sleep routine
for babies is to use behavioural cues.
First, observe your baby’s sleep
tendencies, especially the point in the
day when he or she tends to sleep for
the longest. Once you’ve gotten that
down, start introducing pre-bedtime
rituals such as baths, lullabies or
massages before your baby falls
asleep. He or she will then begin
associating these rituals with the idea
of going to sleep.
Soon enough, your baby will start
feeling drowsy the moment you break
out the ritual cues. Just make sure to
do