Day-time sleep has an effect on night time sleep. Children who eat well during the day and have regular day time naps will in general tend to have a predictable good night’s sleep.

Children who do not have a day time routine often follow the same pattern at night. They also frequently have a poor appetite resulting in a disrupted eating and sleeping schedule.

Daytime naps are important for a good night’s sleep and restricting a child’s daytime nap does not result in sleeping longer at night. One solution is to try to get the timing and the amount of naps right for the child’s age during the day. The following is a sample of a daytime routine suitable for a 3 – 6 month old.

Your health visitor will be happy to help and offer support with planning and implementing a day time routine for your baby.

If you are breast feeding your infant – allow your infant to lead on breast feeding times – these may be more frequent than suggested here.

Frances Byatt-Smith RN RHV BA Psychology

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