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  1. If you learn to identify your baby's tired signs, you're a step closer to getting your baby or toddler to sleep. Tired signs can be very hard to read once your baby is moving around. If your baby is between 3-6 months old and they've been awake for two hours plus and you haven't seen any yawning, or early signs, it's time to begin their wind-down ritual for sleep.
  2. It's important to have a pre-sleep ritual that's calm and consistent. It could be a walk outside, reading a book, singing a favourite song, or having a cuddle. If you do the same sequence before every sleep, day or night, it will create a feeling of trust. Your baby will know what to expect when this happens, just like sitting in the high chair means meal time.
  3. Before responding to your baby's cries, stop and listen. If you wait before responding, it gives your baby a chance to go back to sleep by themselves. Is the cry, a hungry cry, or a tired cry? Can you re-settle them without a feed? Are they winding down and re-settling themselves?
  4. Consider your long-term sleep associations. Are you happy for your baby to have a dummy for 2-3 years? If you don’t want them to, dispose of it by 5/6 months. But if you are, then teach them to find and replace their own dummy. Do you want them to have a lovey or cuddly comforter?  Introduce one before 7 months. Are you happy to rock or feed your baby to sleep for a year or more? If not wean off this by putting your baby to bed calm but awake by 4/5 months.
  5. Make sure their room is not too hot or too cold, that it’s dark enough, and that it’s quiet and free from distractions.  White noise can help to drown out other household or neighbourhood noise.

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