Helping Your Baby (and You) Sleep Better
MOCHi
Let's make motherhood easier, together
Helping Your Baby (and You) Sleep Better
Sleep, or the lack of it, is one of the biggest adjustments of early parenthood. Newborns wake often, and it takes time for that to settle into anything predictable. Here's roughly what to expect, and some gentle ways to help both of you get more rest.
What Baby Sleep Actually Looks Like
Every baby is different, but sleep needs do follow a rough pattern as they grow. Newborns typically sleep around 14 to 17 hours a day, broken into short stretches with frequent waking. By 3 to 6 months, night sleep tends to lengthen and daytime naps settle into a more predictable rhythm. From 6 to 12 months, total sleep is usually closer to 12 to 15 hours, with fewer night wakings and naps often dropping to twice a day. Past their first birthday, most babies are down to around 11 to 14 hours with a single daytime nap. These are averages, not targets, your baby's own pattern is the one that matters.
Building a Routine That Actually Works
Small habits, big difference
- Keep bedtime roughly consistent. A similar time each evening helps your baby's body clock settle.
- Build a simple wind-down routine. A warm bath, a gentle massage, or a quiet story in low light signals that sleep is coming.
- Give them a chance to settle themselves. Putting your baby down drowsy but still awake, rather than always rocking or feeding to sleep, helps them learn to drift off on their own over time.
- Protect daytime naps. An overtired baby often sleeps worse at night, not better, so skipping naps rarely helps.
- Ease back night feeds gradually. From around 6 months, slowly reducing night feeds can help stretch sleep, always at whatever pace feels right for your baby.
- Try white noise. Something that echoes the sounds of the womb, gentle static, rain, or waves, settles some babies well.
- Give it a minute before rushing in. A little grumbling doesn't always mean fully awake, sometimes babies resettle on their own if given the chance.
A Safe Sleep Space Comes First
Whatever routine you build, safe sleep basics come before all of it. Current UK guidance is to always place your baby on their back to sleep, in a clear cot free of pillows, duvets, bumpers and soft toys, on a firm, flat mattress. Room-sharing (baby in your room, in their own sleep space) is recommended for at least the first 6 months. A room kept around 16 to 20 degrees Celsius, and a smoke-free environment, both help reduce risk too.
And What About You?
Your own sleep matters just as much. Nap when your baby naps rather than using every quiet moment for chores. Sharing night feeds with a partner, even splitting who handles which wake-up, can make a real difference. Cutting back on caffeine, especially later in the day, and giving yourself a small wind-down routine too, can help you fall back asleep faster between wakings.
A note from MOCHi
There's no single right way to do this, and what works brilliantly for one baby may do nothing for another. Be patient with the process, and with yourself, better sleep tends to arrive gradually, not overnight.
If a partner is helping with night feeds using expressed milk, MOCHi's pumps and storage bags make sharing that load a little easier for everyone.
Shop MOCHiHere's to longer stretches, for both of you. #MOCHiMums
This story was inspired by one of our Mochi Turkey team's own blog posts, adapted here with fresh words and UK guidance for our readers.
Leave a comment
Also in Mochi Baby
