Parenting

Mum shares vital newborn baby sleeping tip she wishes she had known all along


Chrissy didn’t discover the information until she had her fourth baby (Picture: Chrissy Horton/TikTok)

Being a new mum brings with it an entirely new selection of anxieties.

Is the baby eating enough? Are they happy? What was that noise? Are they breathing?

That is all before we even get to the sleeping part.

The stop-start nature of a newborn’s sleep cycle is incredibly difficult to regulate.

However, one mum on TikTok has shared a useful tip she wishes she had known sooner.

Mum-of-four Chrissy Horton told her followers she only discovered babies have two types of sleep after having her fourth child.

‘Please tell me I’m not the only parent who just discovered this about sleeping and newborns,’ she said in the clip.

‘I am on my fourth kid, MY FOURTH KID, and I just learned this about sleeping and it would have saved me so much if I’d known about it earlier.’

Chrissy explained she discovered babies regularly alternate between active and quiet sleep.

This means if your baby appears restless at times when snoozing, you may not need to soothe them.

She first heard the information from Taking Cara Babies, who regularly shares baby advice for parents.

‘She was talking about the difference between quiet sleep and active sleep,’ she explained.

She then showed the difference in her own baby.

While the baby slept peacefully and still, Chrissy noted this was ‘quiet sleeping.’

Meanwhile, as her baby wriggled and seemed unsettled, she explained it was active and that babies do this ‘50% of the time.’

‘I would hear my babies do this and just assume that they were frustrated and wanted to be picked up, so I would pick them up, but in actuality I was waking them up,’ she added.

She told other mums to ‘give it a few seconds’ and the baby should naturally settle and calm once more.

So is this sleeping theory legit?

According to qualified baby and toddler sleep consultant Chris McFadden – aka The Daddy Sleep Consultant – it is, and is advice he shares with all new parents.

‘Babies don’t start sleeping in cycles of light and deep sleep – like us adults – until around 4 months,’ he tells Metro.co.uk.

‘Before then, newborn sleep is spent 50% in active state and 50% in quiet state.

‘In quiet state, this is what you’d expect anyone sleeping to look like: quiet and still, no eye movements, very relaxed and peaceful.

‘Active sleep is very different – the baby will be less still and will be moving and wriggling around, they will be making noises and their eyes may be open.’

Chris advises parents to wait before intervening with a baby in active sleep mode and adds it is is completely normal for babies up to three months old to transition between the styles.  

‘When a baby is in active sleep, the key for parents is to just hang back and monitor them before intervening and picking them up,’ he notes.

‘The baby will often be making grunting noises and it’s likely they are just trying to get back into quiet sleep – they are effectively creating a white noise to help soothe themselves back to sleep.’

Chris also adds routine and maintaining a dark room aid sleep patterns.

‘A dark room is critical to a child’s sleep,’ he urges. ‘Helping your little one differentiate between sleep and awake time is one of the first steps to a sleeping child.

‘Sometimes it’s a simple case of putting up blackout blinds to help children sleep longer.

‘Meanwhile, routine is so important for your child in more ways than just sleep.

‘A regular and predictable day and night routine makes your little ones feel safe, secure and can help them thrive.’

Being a mum is all about finding what’s right for you and your baby, there is no such thing as one-size-fits-all advice.

If you’re concerned about your baby’s sleeping pattern make sure you talk to your GP, particularly if lack of sleep is impacting your mood or mental wellbeing.



The Daddy Sleep Consultant’s top newborn sleeping tips

1. Put your baby down content but awake. This gives your little one the opportunity to settle themselves to sleep which is critical to aid longer and better rest at night.

2. A dark room is crucial to a child’s sleep. Helping your little one differentiate between sleep and awake time is one of the first steps to a sleeping child. Sometimes it’s a simple case of putting up blackout blinds to help children sleep longer.

3. Routine is important for your child in more ways than just sleep. A regular and predictable day and night routine makes your little ones feel safe, secure and can help them thrive. It also allows them to feed off these routine triggers, for example bath comes before bed.

4. Focus on day naps. Don’t think a baby that hasn’t slept during the day will sleep longer at night. The age old phrase ‘sleep breeds sleep’ is true. Babies who have had the right amount of sleep and stimulation in the day will sleep better at night. Sleep-deprived babies often fight sleep and can be more upset and clingy at bedtime.

5. A full baby is a content baby. One thing I always recommend to my clients is to try and make the last feed of the day the biggest. This can sometimes be challenging as your baby becomes more tired, but one approach I love to tell my clients is to feed your baby before and after their bedtime bath.

Do you have a story to share?

Send us an email at metrolifestyleteam@metro.co.uk


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