MYTH 1. Never wake a sleeping baby.

This is perhaps the most common myth. Whilst I am a big believer in “sleep breeds sleep” there are occasions when a baby can nap too frequently or for too long. Some babies would quite happily sleep for naps of over three hours and these, more often than not, result in nighttime sleep being affected. Having some loose structure to daytime naps helps to eliminate any potential night time issues due to too much day sleep.

 MYTH 2. Sharing a bed with your baby is dangerous.

Sharing a bed with your baby can be dangerous, just like putting baby in a cot with bumpers, quilts and pillows can be dangerous. We can take steps to make co-sleeping safer. It is personal choice where you put your baby to sleep, both should be made as safe as possible.

Tips for safer co-sleeping:

• Keep quilts, blankets and pillows well away from baby.
• Make sure baby can’t fall out of the bed.
• Do not bed share if you have drunk alcohol or taken drugs.
• Never co sleep on a sofa
• Always put baby to sleep on their back.

Here is The Lullaby Trusts co-sleeping advice guide

MYTH 3. Babies should stop all night feeds by 4 months.

Not true. Some babies need feeds for longer. If baby is napping well, self settling and sleeping well overnight bar one/two night feeds then I suspect it is for actual hunger. How often do you wake in an 11/12 hour night for a sip of water?

MYTH 4. Sleeping babies need quiet

Ironically I usually find the opposite, particularly in the early days. The womb is a pretty noisy place so often I find a radio on low or white noise helps babies get to sleep and stay in a deep sleep longer.

MYTH 5. Keeping baby awake in the day will make them sleep more at night.

Big no! Sleep breed’s sleep. An overtired baby is miserable, upset and struggles to get in a deep sleep. We need to strike the balance right, too little or too much sleep generally has a negative impact on night sleep.

I hope that’s helped to debunk some of weird and wonderful baby sleep myths out there. If you have any questions please contact me .