The foundation of your child’s sleep is the first area to address when your child is having sleep issues. The foundations include nutrition, routine, environment, and schedule/awake windows.

The importance of these four foundations of sleep was discovered by Rachel Mitchel at My Sweet Sleeper. This is a strategy to pinpoint the root cause of a child’s sleep problem before “slapping a bandaid” on this issue. 

Often clients do not even have to get into any “sleep training” because after discussing sleep foundations and getting them in order, their child is on their way to sleeping 11 hours at night with solid naps, all due to finding the root issues through the foundations. 

In this blog I will discuss each foundation but I will not go into great detail. Over the next couple of weeks or so I will be publishing individual posts for each foundation going into greater detail. Sign up here to get notified when a new blog is posted: Sign up, don't miss out!

1. Nutrition 

Nutrition is a very important foundation that can get overlooked when discussing sleep. When a child is preparing for sleep their bodies need to have adequate nutrition in order to help them fall asleep and stay asleep. I am not, by any means, a nutritionist and I do not have all of the information about children’s nutrition, but I do know it is important to have a resource to help you answer any questions you have. “Feeding Littles,” founded by Pediatric Nutritionists, Megan McNamee and Judy Delaware, is a very valuable resource if you are wanting more information about children’s nutrition, newborn through toddler years (and older ages). Feeding Littles

2. Routine

Routine refers to the steps you take with your child before bedtime or nap times. Your child’s routine should be predictable each night/day including relatively the same steps. The goal is to have the bedtime routine completed by the actual bedtime. If bedtime is at 7:00pm then the bedtime routine should start 15-30 minutes before 7:00. 15 minutes prior to the bedtime routine, a wind down time can also be helpful. This is when you would shut the t.v. off, turn the lights down, and choose an activity that is calm (puzzle, book, blocks, drawing, etc.).

Here is an example of a newborn-baby bedtime routine: 

1. Bath

2. Diaper

3. Swaddle

4. Feed

5. Song/book 

6. Rock/bounce

7. Lay down in crib/bassinet

Here is an example of a toddler bedtime routine:

1. Bath (skip this step if your child is more stimulated during a bath)

2. Brush teeth

3. Pick out pjs

4. Books with mom/dad/caregiver (have a certain amount of books and hold that boundary)

5. Snuggles, kisses, goodnights, I love yous

6. Lay down in crib/toddler bed 

With a nap time routine, just take the bedtime routine and shorten it to about 10-15 minutes. It does not have to be any more complicated than that. This can include, for babies, diaper change, swaddle, feed, song, and lay down in crib/bassinet. For toddlers it can include change of clothes (pjs or something comfy), one book, snuggles, lay down in crib or toddler bed. 

Overall, bedtime/naptime routines can take out a lot of the anxiety for children and parents. If your child knows what is coming they are more likely to have less push back. With less push back, less anxiety for parents!

3. Environment

Environment is crucial, especially the safety aspect of your child’s environment. A child should be on a firm mattress in a crib, bassinet, or pack and play. Holding/baby wearing for naps is great as long as the caregiver is wide awake with the baby in their arms. From 0-6 months the AAP recommends that babies are in the same room with their parents to reduce the risk of SIDS. More about SIDS 

When babies are closer to their parents they are in a lighter sleep and parents are more sensitive to their baby’s movements and noises. If your baby is prevented from going into a deep sleep this could reduce the risk of SIDS. At 6 months, the risk of SIDS decreases substantially making it safe for 6 month olds and older to sleep in their own room.  

Once your baby is in their own room the amount of night wakings can potentially decrease because they will be in a deeper sleep and they will not be as aware of someone in the same space, especially mom or dad.

As far as safe sleeping products, it is important to know what is meant for baby sleep what is not. The docAtot, snuggle me, mamaroo, swings, etc.; they are not meant for babies and children to sleep in therefore they did not have to go through any of the testing that safe sleep products have to go through before they are marketed ensuring your child’s safety.

Car seats and strollers are an okay option as long as the carrier is installed into the base, whether that is in the car or on the stroller. You should always have eyes on your child and making sure their airway is not blocked.

However,  once the car seat carrier is no longer installed into the base, it is necessary to transfer your baby into a safe sleeping space. A baby left in a carrier outside of the base can lead to positional asphyxia due to the position of the child. 

If your baby is in the stroller and they fall asleep do not put any blankets, shirts, coats, towels, swaddle towels, etc. over the carrier because this can trap heat and cause a baby to overheat quickly. If you are needing a shade, use the one that is made for that carrier or an option like SnoozeShade

Check out this article explaining the new AAP safe sleep guidelines to learn more about keeping your baby safe during sleep.  Safe Sleep!

Noise machines are very useful and can help set up your child’s sleep environment. White noise replicates what it sounds like in the womb, it drowns out outside noise, and babies can create a positive sleep association with a sound machine. Use true white noise because birds chirping or rushing waves do not really serve a purpose for children’s sleep. 

The last component of the environment foundation is temperature. Your baby’s room should be around 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit. Often parents over-dress their babies in too many layers. Make sure your baby is not too hot with too many layers by touching their chest, hands, and feet to determine whether your baby is cold or hot. 

4. Schedule/Awake Windows 

Your child’s schedule is important because consistency and predictability is what helps your child thrive. If your child knows what to expect, they will learn how to prepare for what is coming. Of course, a little flexibility is always good! Follow the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time you stick to the script, 20% of the time you and your family are living your lives!

Awake windows will drive your child’s schedule for the first 12 months or so. Your child will benefit from protecting those awake windows to give them the optimal sleep periods. 

Awake windows tell you how long your baby can handle being awake without becoming overtired…and once they become overtired, the battle with sleep begins. These awake windows are based on age but all babies’ needs vary. Use this chart below as a baseline and adjust for your child. If your baby does better with longer awake windows than suggested, that's okay. If you notice that your baby becomes overtired if you follow the suggested awake window, it is okay to shorten it.

If your baby is 12+ months they will most likely do just fine on a “by-the-clock-schedule”. This means they have a set awake time, naptime(s), and bedtime, give or take 30 minutes (most days). This can seem like a really big moment when your child gets to this point. No more anxiously watching awake windows….for the most part. Follow your child’s set schedule but also keep those awake windows in the back of your mind so your toddler does not become overtired. A good example would be if your toddler skips their one nap of the day. Their awake window will be massive so an early bedtime (as early as 6pm) is necessary. This won’t last, it’s just to get your kiddo back on track. 

With these four foundations in place you will be setting your child up for the most success when it comes to their sleep and that is the most important thing we can do as parents. These habits are healthy to establish and can make a world’s difference. Without these foundations, “sleep training” is just slapping a bandaid on the problem without finding the root of the problem. Without finding the root, the problem will not be solved. 

There is so much more to each of these components and I will address them in separate posts, so stay tuned! 

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or comments!

You can find me on instagram Island Mama Instagram

Or email me! mandy@islandmamasleepconsulting.com

If you are wanting more info about how I can help you and your family get more sleep, schedule a free discovery call so we can chat about your current situation: Free Discovery Call