Baby sleep: supporting and understanding it

It’s here—your precious baby has arrived! After nine months of waiting, your dream of holding your baby in your arms, seeing that adorable little face and breathing in the scent of that tiny neck has come true. You lovingly prepared the nursery and chose the KUMI cradle for those first few months. But there’s more to the story. Along with this newfound joy come the exhaustion of sleepless nights and a host of questions. Is my baby sleeping enough? When will they sleep through the night? These questions are perfectly natural—every parent asks them. Relax: Charlie Crane is here to help answer them! Together with Audrey Ndjave, a nurse and founder of the Centre Périnatal, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about baby sleep.

Ideally, where should the baby sleep?

Audrey Ndjave: Ideally during the first few weeks, we share our bedroom with the baby. This helps prevent sudden infant death syndrome, as parents — especially the mother — are more alert and responsive. Sleeping with your baby strengthens parenting skills and shortens nighttime wake-ups by a few minutes. Moreover, the baby hears its parents nearby, which is reassuring for them.

Which bed to choose for the first few months?

Charlie Crane: For the first few months, a cozy, snug bed is recommended. Its small size lets you move it around the house, from your bedroom to the living room for naps. Cribs with bars aren’t always recommended, especially because babies can get an arm or leg stuck between them. That’s why we created our KUMI cradle. It’s there for babies during their first months of life. We designed it without bars, using soft lacing covered by a lovely fabric panel for optimal safety while letting babies see the world around them. For naps during those first months, the LEVO baby bouncer is perfect. After 6 months, it’s time for the KIMI convertible crib, which will grow with your child until age 5. This one has no bars either, but it does have customizable lacing.

What is the average sleep pattern of a baby under 6 months?

Audrey Ndjave: The rhythm depends on each person's biological clock, but as a general rule a baby under 6 months can take 3 or 4 naps per day with a longer sleep period at night. To identify your baby's rhythm, keep a sleep journal and observe your baby's waking capacities. This is the first phase of the support program I created.

How to best support baby's sleep during the day and at night?

Audrey Ndjave: To best support your baby's sleep, it is important to know them well! It is also important to have realistic expectations based on your baby's age and what they are or are not capable of. Additionally, don't hesitate to call on professionals if you feel that something is hindering your baby's sleep.

Charlie Crane: Rocking is a trick as old as time. The motion reminds babies of being in their mother’s womb. The KUMI cradle rocks gently from side to side to recreate that comforting movement.

My baby doesn't nap or naps very briefly — what should I do?

Audrey Ndjave: The causes of short naps are multiple. It is possible that the baby is not in conditions favorable to sleep: cycle not respected, too much stimulation, discomfort, baby's rhythm not understood.

When will my baby sleep through the night?

Audrey Ndjave: Babies already sleep through the night, but with a different sleep structure. The human sleep cycle consists of alternating cycles of more or less deep wakefulness. Thus, there are at least 5 times during the night when we rise toward a state of wakefulness. In babies, coming out of this light wakefulness is explained by their emotional, neurological, and emotional immaturity…

What to do when you have a baby who sleeps very little and you are exhausted?

Audrey Ndjave: The first thing to do is to understand what is happening. How old is my baby, what stage is he going through? How long has the difficulty I'm experiencing been going on? Allied health professionals can help through a holistic approach.

How can parents catch up on their sleep?

Audrey Ndjave: It is very important not to neglect the sleep deprivation of parents and the mother! Lack of sleep is a factor in postpartum depression. It causes a dissociation from reality and accentuates the postpartum state, which is already a major upheaval. You need to find help around you, have your own circle of family caregivers, and call on a trained healthcare professional who can support the whole family. That is what we offer at our center!

Do we create bad habits for babies?

Audrey Ndjave: Sleep is a fundamental need. You cannot say that responding to a fundamental need is a bad habit! It is a virtuous circle around three elements: the signal, the ritual, and the reward. The repetition and regular sequence of gestures and actions leads to a reward: a state of well-being that ultimately enables the establishment of a habit in the baby. The signal is a behavior that the adult will interpret and therefore respond to with a ritual, which will in turn meet a need — that of sleeping, for example. What could be qualified as bad habits would be a ritual not suited to the baby's signal — for example, intentionally letting your baby cry is a bad habit!

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Ideally during the first few weeks, we sleep with the baby.
• Keeping a journal helps track the baby's sleep cycles and better support them.
• Actually… babies already sleep through the night, we just don't have the same rhythm.
• No, you will not create bad habits for your baby — you are simply responding to their needs.
• Ask your family and healthcare professionals for help.
• Don't forget about yourself!
• The KUMI is an ideal cradle for baby's first months, it keeps them safe, rocks them… and it's a beautiful object.

A big thank you to Audrey Ndjave for her answers — join us on Instagram to share your parenting experiences.