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Tizzie Hall
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British born and raised in Ireland, Tizzie Hall started her Save Our SleepTM business in the UK in 1996, following years of extensive research and development of her routines. Moving to Australia in 2002 she has continued the success of her infant sleep solutions consultancy.
Tizzie has helped thousands of babies and children to sleep through the night, every night. By shedding light on sleep patterns, Tizzie puts parents at ease about their baby's behaviour, arming them with the knowledge to assist their baby's development.
An accomplished author, her first book, Save Our Sleep, has sold over 30,000 copies, been translated into Mandarin, with her articles published internationally. Her second book "My First Daily Diary” is currently in production.
You can link to her website at www.saveoursleep.com
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Everyone needs sleep, whether you’re a newborn of just a few weeks or a fully-grown adult. Whereas adults are pretty adept at putting themselves to bed and sleeping the night through, with babies it can be a little more complicated.
In the first few days, newborns can sleep from 16 to 20 hours a day. As some newborns don’t have the energy to wake and ask for food, it is very important in the early days to feed your baby frequently (approx. every three hours during the day and five hours at night for breast fed babies).
Why is it important to establish a routine?
By week two it is important to be developing some sort of sleeping and feeding routine. For years health professionals have been debating the pros and cons of a routine, but the one factor they always agree on is that young children and babies feel safe and secure when they know what and when things are going to happen.
Establishing and sticking to a routine plays a big part in helping parents to recognize the difference between their baby’s hungry, tired or bored cries and knowing what to do next. It also helps parents to plan activities and organize things such as doctors’ appointments, because you know what your baby will be doing at each stage of the day.
The most important rules when it comes to babies and sleep are:
- Always put your baby down for a sleep or nap in the place you intend her to wake up; and
- Try to teach your baby the skill of self-settling from as young as possible. This means going to sleep without aids, such as rocking, patting, and feeding or even the use of a dummy.
My routines also help babies to feel safe and secure. Your baby will know that his needs are being met and he has no need to cry. As a result you will have a very happy contented baby.
How much sleep does a baby need?
Sleep is a skill we need to learn. We can’t just turn it on and off. It is one of the first skills you need to teach your baby. However, one in three children under the age of five does not have this skill; and out of these children, 30 percent are said to have a serious sleep problem. Did you know that when an adult gets tired, she tends to slow down, but when a child or baby gets tired, it has the opposite affect and the baby or child will speed up and become hyperactive?
Everyone is slightly different in the amount of sleep they need but I am going to give you the average amount that I recommend. Some babies will sleep a lot more, and others slightly less.
| Age |
Total number of hours in a 24 hour period |
Total number of hours at night |
Total number of hours in the day |
Number of daytime sleeps or naps* |
| Newborn |
17 to 18 |
3 to 5 hour blocks |
6 to 8 |
3 to 5 |
| 4 weeks |
15 to 17 |
10 hours but broken for feeds |
5 to 7 |
3 to 4 |
| 3 months |
16.45 |
12 hours but broken for feeds |
4.45 |
2s 1n |
| 6 months |
16.45 |
12 hours but may still be broken with the ‘dreamfeed’ |
4.45 |
2s 1n |
| 9 months |
15.5 |
12 |
3 |
2s |
| 12 months |
14.5 |
12 |
2.5 |
1n and 1s or 1s |
| 18months |
14.5 |
12 |
2.5 |
1s |
| 2 years |
14 |
12 |
2.5 |
1s |
| 3 years |
13 |
12 |
1 |
1n |
* I define the difference between a sleep and a nap as follows: a sleep is when a baby sleeps for more than one sleep cycle (so it is usually longer than 40 minutes), but a nap is one sleep cycle or less.
What can trigger a sleep problem? Over the years I have found all sorts of triggers for sleep problems but the most common are:
- Overtiredness
- Hunger
- Dummy use
- Rocking a baby to sleep
- Allowing a baby to start falling asleep while feeding
- Being too cold or too hot to sleep well day and night
- Putting a baby to bed when he or she is tired enough to nap but not tired enough to sleep.
And don’t forget…
Log on to Save Our SleepTM for regular news and updates.
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