Sleep Routine: 6 to 12 months

No matter the nature of your child, there are certain cornerstones to achieving a flexible yet workable routine.

Once your baby has reached six months and the stage of teething, starting on solids and greater interaction with the environment, there can be many changes that have an impact on routine, and this can easily carry on until she’s one year old. However, if you’ve started out right, you’ll know your baby well by now, and you can just continue with slight adaptations.

• Emotional security is still very important, but your baby will be far more ready to interact with others, except for a bit of separation anxiety at about seven to nine months.
• Play can be quite a bit more boisterous, so the wind-down routine to the day becomes more important.
• Many babies cut back a lot on their daytime naps, and there’s no absolute guideline in this regard. If your baby sleeps poorly at night or goes down very late, try to cut the afternoon nap shorter.
• Encourage your baby to start off her night sleep (and daytime naps too) in her own room or bed. The first time she wakes after you’ve gone to bed, bring her through to your room and keep her there for the rest of the night. Even if she still wakes, you won’t have to wake fully to deal with her needs. Babies mostly sleep for longer periods and more peacefully when close to Mom and Dad.

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