Sleep
Sleep Positions by Age
The back sleeping recommendation and the tummy time recommendation are sometimes presented as contradictory. They are not — they apply in completely d...
2 min read
Articles on Baby Health and Development
Expert guides, tips, and insights to help you and your family live healthier lives. From preventative care to wellness strategies, find everything you need to make informed health decisions.
Sleep
The Role of Physical Contact in Falling Asleep
Physical contact in the settling process is the subject of much parenting advice, most of it focused on whether it will create a "problem." This frami...
3 min read
Sleep
Signs of Overtiredness in Infants: Reading the Cues Before the Cortisol Hits
The most counter-intuitive thing about infant sleep is that an infant who has missed the right moment to sleep does not become more tired in a way tha...
7 min read
Sleep
How Overtiredness Affects Night Sleep
The assumption that keeping a child awake longer will make them sleep better at night is one of the most persistent and counterproductive myths in inf...
2 min read
Sleep
Signs of Overheating During Sleep
Overheating is among the most significant modifiable risk factors for SIDS. It also reduces sleep quality by preventing the body temperature drop that...
2 min read
Sleep
How Outdoor Time Influences Sleep
Outdoor time is good for infant and toddler sleep — and the reasons are specific enough to be actionable. Understanding the two mechanisms through whi...
2 min read
Sleep
Optimal Bedtime by Age
Parents frequently ask "what time should my baby/toddler go to bed?" The answer depends on more than age alone — it depends on when the child woke up,...
2 min read
Sleep
The Link Between Nutrition and Sleep Quality
The relationship between what a child eats and how they sleep is real but often overstated. Parents are frequently told that introducing solids will c...
3 min read
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
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
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
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
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