Sleep
Why Not All Children Fall Asleep the Same Way
Parents who have had one easy-settling infant and one who required hours of support every evening did not do anything different. Individual variation...
2 min read
Sleep
Everything you need to know about baby and toddler sleep.
Sleep
Sleep Norms After the First Year
The second and third years of life see a gradual but significant reduction in sleep needs, a consolidation of night sleep, and major changes in daytim...
2 min read
Sleep
When Night Wakings Are Considered Normal
Parents are frequently told that infants "should" be sleeping through the night by six months, or three months, or even earlier. These expectations ar...
2 min read
Sleep
The Link Between Night Wakings and Developmental Stages
One of the most consistent findings in infant and toddler sleep research is that sleep disruption frequently coincides with developmental acceleration...
2 min read
Sleep
Night Wakings in Infants: Common Causes
Night wakings in infants are not a failure of sleep — they are a feature of infant sleep biology. Every human being wakes briefly between sleep cycles...
2 min read
Sleep
Night Wakings After Six Months
Night wakings at six months look different from night wakings at two months. The feeding imperative has reduced; the developmental picture has changed...
2 min read
Sleep
Night Feedings in Newborns: Physiological Basis
Night feedings are among the most discussed aspects of newborn care — and among the most misunderstood. The expectation that a newborn should sleep th...
2 min read
Sleep
Weekly Sleep Norms for Newborns
Parents often worry about whether their newborn is sleeping too much or too little. Sleep charts and norms can be reassuring, but it is worth understa...
2 min read
Sleep
How a Baby's Sleep Changes During the First Four Weeks
The first four weeks of a baby's life are often described as the 'fourth trimester' — a period of adjustment for the baby outside the womb that shares...
2 min read
Sleep
Common Mistakes During Nap Transitions
Nap transitions are milestone moments in sleep development, but they are also among the most common sources of schedule errors. Both rushing the trans...
2 min read
Sleep
Sleep in the First Days of a Newborn's Life: What to Expect
The first days at home with a newborn are often a disorienting experience of almost no continuous sleep. Understanding that this is entirely biologica...
3 min read
Sleep
Daytime Naps in Infants Under Six Months: How Many and How Long
Daytime nap patterns in the first six months are among the most variable and frustrating aspects of early parenthood. The baby who naps for two hours...
2 min read
Sleep
Music and Child Sleep: Benefits and Limitations
Lullabies are as old as human culture, and the instinct to sing a child to sleep is nearly universal. There is a physiological basis for this: slow-te...
2 min read
Sleep
How Sleep Affects Memory in Children
The relationship between sleep and memory is one of the best-established findings in cognitive neuroscience — and it extends to infants and toddlers i...
2 min read
Sleep
Why Sleep Matters More Than the "Perfect Schedule"
Schedule rigidity is a source of significant parental anxiety in the early years. Parents count minutes from wake time to nap, track wake windows to t...
2 min read
Sleep
Lighting in the Child's Sleep Environment
Of all the environmental factors that influence infant and child sleep, light is the most powerful. It is the primary external input to the circadian...
2 min read
Sleep
Why "The Later the Bedtime, the Worse the Sleep"
"If I keep him up later, he'll sleep in longer." This is perhaps the most common sleep strategy parents try — and the one most reliably contradicted b...
2 min read
Sleep
How to Maintain Sleep Away from Home
Sleep away from home is a scenario most families face regularly — visits to grandparents, family holidays, weekend trips. A child who sleeps well at h...
2 min read
Sleep
Sleep in Prams, Strollers, and Baby Carriers: Safety and Sleep Quality
Pram naps are a practical reality for most families with young babies. The motion of the pram or buggy sends many babies to sleep quickly and often pr...
4 min read
Sleep
Late Bedtimes and Their Impact on Sleep
Many parents move bedtime later hoping for a later morning wake — only to find the child still wakes at the same time, now with less overnight sleep....
2 min read