How should I encourage good sleep habits between birth and three months?

Your baby can develop good sleep habits from as early as six weeks. This is the point at which he starts to develop his natural circadian rhythms or the process that helps regulate his sleep-wake cycle. Here are a few tactics you can use to help your baby to settle. Recognize the signs that mean he's tired For the first six weeks to eight weeks, your baby probably won't be able to stay up for more than two hours at a time. If you wait much longer than that to put him down, he'll be overtired and won't nod off easily.

During your baby's first three months, learn the signs that he's sleepy, such as:

  • rubbing his eyes
  • flicking his ear with his hand
  • faint, dark circles under his eyes
  • whining and crying
  • staring blankly into space
  • yawning and stretching a lot
  • losing interest in people and his toys
  • becoming quiet and still

He may also turn his face away from moving objects or people, or bury his face in your chest.If you spot these or any other signs of sleepiness, try putting your baby down in his cot or Moses basket. Don’t worry, you'll soon come to recognise your baby's daily rhythms and patterns, and spot the cues that mean he's ready for a nap.Show your baby the difference between night and dayOnce your baby is about two weeks old, you can begin to show him the difference between night and day.

In the daytime, when he's alert:

  • Change his clothes when he wakes, to show him that it’s the start of a new day.
  • Play, talk  and interact with him as much as you can.
  • Make daytime feeds social. Chat and sing as you feed him.
  • Keep the house and his room light and bright.
  • Let him hear everyday noises, such as the radio or the washing machine.
  • Wake him gently if he nods off during a feed.

At night-time:

  • Change him into his pyjamas to show him that it’s the end of the day.
  • Try not to speak to him when you feed him.
  • Keep lights and noises low.

All this should help your baby to start to understand that night-time is for sleeping.

Give your baby a chance to fall asleep on his own. 

When your baby's around three months old, he should be able to fall asleep on his own. Of course, this doesn't mean that he will! To encourage your baby to settle himself to sleep, put him down when he's sleepy but still awake. If you prefer, you can stay with him until he drifts off to sleep, but be prepared to do the same every time he wakes at night.

How you settle your baby to sleep is important. If you feed or rock your baby to sleep every night for the first eight weeks, he may expect the same later on.Some experts advise against rocking or feeding your baby to sleep, but it's up to you to decide what sort of routine best suits you and your baby.If you want to establish a consistent bedtime routine, it's a good idea to adopt the same strategy every night