The sleep window is that perfect window of time in which a baby is ready for sleep, and will calmly and happily go to sleep. It’s so important that you read your baby’s sleep signs and don’t miss their window – otherwise you can be sure nap times (and even night times) won’t go to plan.

Every baby has their own sleep signs — a glazed look, a yawn, or some agitated movements (depending on their age) and you need to act straight away, because it’s a very small window! Otherwise your baby will find it so hard to self-settle. You’d think that an exhausted baby would go to sleep really easily and quickly. But in fact the opposite is true. The more overtired your baby is, the harder they will find it to self-soothe and settle. And then what happens is they pass out from exhaustion but will inevitably wake up a short time later, because they land up having a catnap and not a good, rejuvenating sleep during the day, and will wake more frequently during the night. So really those missed sleep windows can set in motion a downwards spiral of difficulty in going to sleep, and staying asleep.

Watch your baby closely, but if your baby doesn’t show sleep signals, then you’ve got to watch that clock! Different aged babies have different awake times, and it’s important to create and stick to your baby’s routine.

Got a question about your baby’s sleep window?

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