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NUK International

HOW DO YOU LEARN TO SLEEP?

It's the most natural thing in the world and yet no one can do it just like that: sleep. It can take a while for babies and parents to settle into a nighttime routine that works for everyone.

The main reason for this is the sleep rhythm. A baby's sleep rhythm is completely different from that of older children and adults. It also changes quite often in the first year.

So, it's no wonder that every generation of parents repeat the same questions over and over again:

  • How do you settle down?
  • What helps you fall asleep?
  • And how do we get you to sleep through the night?

We, at NUK, want to get to the bottom of sleep. Because good nights start with understanding.

HOW DO YOU SETTLE DOWN?

Falling asleep doesn´t start when you lay your baby down. It starts much earlier with the evening routine. Every baby and toddler needs a reliable, regular evening routine so that body and mind can come to rest. This should not only include dental care, cuddling in soft towels and putting on cosy pyjamas, but also a few habits that both the little one and parents can look forward to every evening.

What does a good evening routine look like? Here are the best inspirations for a good start to the night.

Especially nice for the little ones:

  • SINGING

  • A BABY MASSAGE

  • WINDING UP THE MUSIC BOX

  • PUTTING YOUR HAND ON YOUR BABY

  • SWADDLING

    Wrapping children tightly in a blanket
    works wonders
    at calming them down.

  • LOOKING AT A PICTURE BOOK

  • BABY YOGA

    Have you ever tried yoga?
    It's even more fun with your baby
    and wonderfully relaxing
    for young and old.

Great for the slightly older ones:

  • CUDDLING

  • TAKING THEIR FAVOURITE CUDDLY TOY WITH THEM

  • SWITCHING ON THE NIGHT LIGHT TOGETHER

  • READING A BEDTIME STORY TOGETHER

  • TAKING A BREATH OF FRESH AIR AT THE WINDOW

  • LISTENING TO AN AUDIO BOOK

  • A GRAIN PILLOW WITH LAVENDER

WHAT HELPS YOU

FALL ASLEEP?

Falling asleep is harder than it sounds. The good news is that sooner or later it just happens. For everyone. Unfortunately, every family has to find out for themselves how. Our tip: the right conditions can make all the difference.

For the very young:

In the first year, nighttime is a real challenge for most parents. It's not until babies are about 3 months old that anything resembling a day-night rhythm sets in. Before they are six months old, most children are hungry so often that the night is regularly interrupted. It’s not until around the first birthday that the sleep rhythm approaches that of the parents.

During this time, it helps to have ...

The right attitude:

Every child is different. Some only fall asleep in your arms ... others like to listen when daddy sings ... some are always looking for physical closeness – others love their own little beds ... even if it is sometimes difficult: parents are well advised to adapt to the needs and natural rhythm of their child. This not only makes the parents more relaxed, but the nights as well.

The right helpers:

A soother is rightly called a soother. Because, whenever your baby has difficulty calming down, it can provide an invaluable service. When the need to suck has not been satisfied, for example. Especially when it's time to go to bed, the soother can help your baby to calm down and finally fall asleep.

Treuer Begleiter, auch im Dunkeln:
der Signature Schnuller mit Leuchteffekt.
Neugier geweckt? Mehr erfahren >>
For the older ones:

A one-year-old child already has a sleep rhythm that is much more similar to that of the parents. Nevertheless, even after the first birthday, parents still have to deal with a little ghost in the night from time to time.

During this time, it helps to have ...

The right day time activities:

A day with lots of exercise, lots of fresh air, lots of opportunities for their own experiences - all this is the most pleasant and reliable preparation for a good night's sleep.

The right atmosphere:

Ventilate the bedroom, darken it, block out disturbing noises and make sure that the room temperature does not exceed 18 °C. This helps to create an atmosphere in which it is easier to fall asleep. A night light not only makes orientation safer, but also makes the room just that little more cosy.

Treuer Begleiter, auch im Dunkeln:
Der Signature Schnuller mit Leuchteffekt.
Want to know more? Learn more >>

HOW DO WE GET YOU

TO SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT?

"Where am I? Hey, I think my nappy is full! Gosh, I'm hungry! And while we’re at it: is there actually anyone else here besides me? I'm frightened that the sabre-toothed tiger is going to get me!"

From a biological point of view, sleeping through the night has a safety issue. That's why nature set it up that no one sleeps through the night! Not babies - and not adults either. But trained sleepers usually fall asleep again immediately and do not remember their waking phases in the morning. Basically, however, "sleeping" is always an up and down process of sleeping, waking up, checking the situation, calming down and falling asleep again. Almost like being on a roller coaster ...

The only "problem" is that the sleep roller coaster of a baby who is a few months old has different "ups" and "downs" to the sleep roller coaster of exhausted parents. For all those who would like to understand more precisely what the sleep of a 3-9-month-old baby looks like, taking a ride on a baby’s sleep roller coaster is recommended.

BABY SLEEP- ROLLER COASTER

(3-9 months) DURATION OF A RIDE: 70-75 MINUTES

Here we go! Welcome to the sleep roller coaster! A sleep routine helps with calming down at the first signs of tiredness and with falling asleep.

Without any hitches, like a loud noise stopping your baby from falling asleep, the sleep rollercoaster will continues as planned. Your baby is already asleep, but only lightly and can still be easily woken up. This phase lasts about 15 minutes.

Your baby starts to dream! And along the way, the brain processes all the new experiences. Learning. Sorting. If babies are woken up now, they are very irritable and usually do not sleep any more. This phase lasts about 25-30 minutes.

If everything goes smoothly, your baby continues on the sleep roller coaster to the lowest point of the ride and absolute relaxation ... deep sleep. This phase again lasts about 25-30 minutes.

But what´s this? After the deep sleep phase, it suddenly goes steeply uphill again! The sleep cycle starts all over again with a paradoxically calm sleep phase with light sleep. Your baby may actually wake up - because of hunger or because, without reassurance from mummy or daddy, the baby can´t find the next sleep cycle. (Sometimes it's simply because your baby has slept enough.)

Finally, it's back down to the deep sleep valley! A baby's sleep cycle lasts about 70-75 minutes. It usually repeats 3-4 times, at the most, until the baby is fully awake again.