Expert panel: Sleep

Yes, it is normal but dummy dependence can become a real issue for parents who are keen for their babies to sleep for longer periods. If she is ver...

Not necessarily, it depends on comfort and their age. Cheers Jane

Hi, I’m not sure who you mean is getting upset, is it him or you feeling apprehensive about going? The early parenting centres which offer su...

Hi, The first thing to ensure is if she is well. If she is displaying any symtoms of illness it would be reasonable to have her checked by your GP....

Hi Laura, The general recommendation for introducing a pillow is not before the child is in a bed of their own. If he is still in a cot, then he is...

Absolutely there are, although it may not feel like it you are not on your own. If you are feeling depressed you need to see a health professional....

Hi Renee, At 9 weeks he is too little and immature to do controlled crying. This is not recommended anymore, certainly not under 6 months and even ...

Hi, This is a challenging situation, I’ve worked in an early parenting centre where we had lots of parents of twins who needed support to man...

Once he can roll or is showing interest in rolling, this is a sign that it is time to modify or change his wrapping. Around 3 months, the startle o...

Hi, If you are worried about anything relating to your pregnancy, it is worthwhile speaking with your midwife or doctor. It is more common to feel...

Hi, At 7 months it is still reasonable for her to have 3 day time sleeps of around 1-3 hours.If she is tired and showing tired signs then keeping h...

Hi Maria, It’s difficult to advise you because I don’t know your boy’s age, but if he’s getting so distressed you really do...

You could check if they will admit your 5 year old as well, though most have an age cap of around 3 years. For as long as he sleeps with you this ...

Buying a new one offers a guarantee that it is clean and meets the standards for safety. They are not expensive to buy, but if they are out of your...

Hi Jo, Her waking up overnight is normal and you won’t be able to change this. For now, she seems to be in a pattern of relying on reassuranc...

You could use a wrap, either light cotton or muslin which can be comforting and leave one hand free so he can find it and suck on his hand if he wa...

You can’t actually make her go to sleep or control the period of time she sleeps for. It’s only your own responses which are under you...

Hi, This is such a common issue,some babies seem to think they have had enough sleep after 40 minutes or so and it can be very difficult to resettl...

Hi, If he’s used to breastfeeding off to sleep through the day/evening and night then he will rely on it through the night to resettle. At 20...

No-there was some concern about a potential risk of Staph infection being transmitted from a used mattress to a baby and contributing in some way. ...

She is very little to use the door as a persuasive tactic to get her to stay in her bed. Most kids go through a transition stage when they graduat...

Babies and children can display all sorts of self settling behaviours when they are going off to sleep. Rocking, sucking, making little noises are ...

Hi, What you need to do is stop sleeping with him and actually cuddling him to sleep. Anything you’re doing which he could interpret as a &#...

Hi, The only solution to this is to place him into his own cot, for every sleep and encourage him to go off to sleep in there. If he ends up in you...

Hi, Wrapping is still fine at this age. Once your baby can roll freely both ways when you are watching them, you can stop wrapping. YOu could try ...

Hi, This is a relatively common problem once babies become more mobile. It’s great that you’re already using a sleeping bag, could you...

Hi, Waking overnight is completely normal. None of us, babies included, go to sleep and stay that way until moments before we fully wake up. For h...

Hi Melanie, It’s Jane here. It would be worthwhile you checking the Huggies site specifically the section on sleep management. Babies of th...

No, I don’t think so. For him to sleep 12 hours at 9 months is very, very good and if he is waking now at 4am and seems genuinely hungry, the...

Hi, Generally after 14 months, toddlers drop from 2 to 1 day time sleep. They continue this until around 3-4 years of age. In the transitional per...