Baby sleep from six to 12 months

sleep 6-12 months

Our sleep expert, Jo Tantum, tells you all you need to know about your baby’s sleep from six to 12 months, a time when your little one goes through many changes.

Now your baby is getting a little older, he will be becoming more mobile, so you will need eyes in the back of your head to keep up with him! Fortunately, they have now moved through the separation anxiety stage, which makes life a little easier and which is less guilt- inducing when you go out.

Physically, he will be able to sit up and is starting to crawl. He might be pulling himself up and ‘cruising’ around the furniture. This can lead to unsettled nights, as he starts turning around in his cots and trying to stand up. Lower the mattress base if you haven’t already.

For safety at this stage, make sure you put your baby in a sleeping bag for nights and naps rather than a blanket that can become twisted around him.

You may also find he starts messing about in the cot when being put down for a nap. Watch for tiredness signals so you can settle him more easily. Babies have a 15-minute window of opportunity from “I’m tired” to “I’m over-tired.” After this, he will struggle to fall asleep and need a sleep prop like rocking or feeding to help him drop off. Having a dark room, wave sounds and a comforter can help them understand it’s nap time. Reading a story with a calm, quiet voice will also help him start to feel sleepy; then say goodnight to all the book’s characters. Babies love anything repetitive, so you will find you will be reading the same story over and over again!

Between nine and 12 months, babies will still have two naps a day; this will continue until they reach 15-17 months old.

Being told by others how to get your baby to sleep? Read Ten Baby Sleep Myths – Busted! here.

At nine months, babies need a nap of three hours for every two and a half hours of wake time and as they move towards one year old, it will increase to every three hours.

Always try to have one nap a day in the cot, so that he will sleep better at night. If he is always napping on the move, it can affect his nights. I know this can be tricky if they are going to activities or are at Nursery, so try and work around this as much as possible.

If your little one is at Nursery, speak to their key worker about naps. You can usually take in a sleeping bag and often a sleep aid like Ewan the Dream Sheep or My Hummy to help them drown out the sound of the other children.

At around one year, your baby will have a small developmental leap caused by being more physically mobile. He will be trying out his new-found skills of pulling himself up and standing! You may find at this stage that he struggles to settle down to sleep and is moving all around the cot. As long as your baby isn’t crying or upset, then leave him to try to get comfortable by himself.

If he is standing, let him work out how to lay down again – otherwise you may find that you have taught him that you will come in and help and he will turn this into a game!

Remember though, that this is a short phase and it will pass quickly – that is, if you don’t start instilling a new habit of helping them to lay down again!

Jo Tantum offers Skype and Facetime calls, phone calls and email support, all with personalised routine and action plan with exclusive soothing videos.