Baby Sleep 7 to 12 Months

Call Tresillian’s parent helpline 1300 272 736

Be persistent; keep trying at every sleep, even if it didn’t work the sleep before

Bring a routine into bedtimes

Talk to your baby about what is happening e.g.: it’s time for bed now, I can see you are sleepy, I am going to wrap you now, so you are nice and warm and can have a good sleep etc.

You may want to start with a cuddle and then transition to the cot, with some hands on patting or rocking, and verbal reassurance

Sing throughout the attempt

Respond to your baby if they become distressed and need your help to go to sleep

Consider coming for a stay in a Tresillian residential service, so we can to help you with developing all these new skills and practices.

• Call Tresillian’s parent helpline  1300 272 736
• Introduce an evening sleep routine of dinner, bath, milk feed, teeth cleaning, story and bed
• Reduce evening household stimulation eg:TVs, screens, lighting
• Be present - You may need to sit in their room with them, or hold their hand, cuddle to reassure and/or provide physical support while they go back to sleep
• Communicate with your child. This is a really difficult developmental stage for children, where they may be experiencing separation anxiety, reassure them, and let them know that you are there, but it is time to go to sleep.
• Look at their physical environment; make sure they aren’t getting cold, have a wet/dirty nappy, or are they eating enough during the day?  
• Consider coming for a stay in a Tresillian residential service, so we can to help you with developing all these new skills and practices.

This is also very common, when babies start to move around more or standing up in their cot, this can disturb their sleep, so they wake up more often. At this age babies understand your tone of voice, and you can guide them by gently saying things like "It’s time to lay down to go to sleep" and then showing or guiding them how to do that.

Crying it out seems to be the new name to describe ‘controlled crying’ which was a popular teaching to sleep method used in the 1980's. But since then new research about infant mental health has shown that there are more gentler and effective ways to support good sleep behaviours. Tresillian uses an evidenced based method called responsive settling where we encourage parents to gently practice the skills for independent sleep with their baby by soothing baby if they get distressed. Many parents find this approach much easier to use and less stressful as baby does not have to cry for prolonged periods.

• Call Tresillian’s parent helpline 1300 272 736
• Make an appointment with your local child and family health nurse
• Call a friend, neighbour, family member and ask them to come over and collect a BBQ chook and salad on the way, and bring their best settling cuddles!
• Join a mother’s group for moral support and information on baby cues/communication

Importantly, If you are trying something and it isn’t working, try something else. Some suggestions might be:

• Go for a walk outside with the baby in a carrier or pram
• Sing a song that you find calming
• Use background music to soften unexpected household noise
• An embracing dance (and croon) with your baby
• Remove all stimulation – lights, TV, screens, and do some regular “shushing” sounds…think steam train…”shush, shu, shu shush, shu, shu shush, shu, shu, shushhhhh”
• Try a warm bath and massage
• If you have someone else to help you (e.g partner), get in the bath with your baby, and when you are both relaxed, try a breastfeed in the bath. Note: this is a two person exercise getting the baby into and out of the bath!
• Put the baby down in a safe place, like their cot, and remove yourself from the room and take 10 deep breaths – this might be the time you need to “phone a friend/partner” for physical help for self-care
• Look at your baby and try to think about what they are trying to tell you – hungry, wet/dirty, needs a cuddle