Sleep Advice

Welcome to our Sleep Advice.

We're here to help with free information, advice and support. On this page you will find links to our advice pages and articles. We offer New Zealand's most comprehensive online baby sleep support service, it's free for any parent to access at anytime.

We have a team of expert Sleep Coaches, who are ready to help you on our Facebook Groups, by email or here with our articles. We are called Sleep Coaches rather than consultants, as we're here to support and guide you to decide what is best for YOUR family. Since 2006 we've help thousands of families find the sleep solutions they need. Let us know how we can help your family.

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EXPERT SLEEP ADVICE

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Newborns

Preparing for a Newborn

Preparing for a newborn..we'd love you to share your top tips for new parents - sleeping, feeding, whatever you think new parents will find helpful for surviving the first few weeks.

Best Summer Swaddles Advice

Parents are often concerned that their baby will over-heat if they are swaddled in summer, but most newborns struggle to sleep well if they are not swaddled and quickly become both hot and over-tired without effective swaddling.

What do I need for my Newborn?

If you are expecting your first baby, the list of things to buy can seem overwhelming....and at a time you are about to lose one income!

Solutions for Catnapping

Once of the most common requests we get at The Sleep Store is to help babies sleep longer than 45 minutes during the day. Not only are many babies just not rested after a 45 minute sleep, but it makes for a very tiring day when mum or dad don't get any time for a rest either!

Making Your Baby's Cot

Suffocation from babies having their face covered by bedding is one of the main SIDS risk factors. So if you are using blankets and sheets rather than a baby sleeping bag, it's very important to make the cot up as safely as possible. Here are our tips...

Why is my baby waking in the night?

Whatever your baby's previous sleep was like, the majority of babies have disturbed sleep at around 4-5 months of age and often this continues. Find out why...

Gently Encourage your Baby to Self Settle

veryone talks about self settling...but is it really so important? Wouldn't encouraging your baby to self settle mean using some sleep training that involves lots of crying and is totally against how you want to care for your baby?

Awake times for babies & toddlers

Some parents prefer to use awake times rather than nap times to judge when their baby is ready for sleep. You can use this as an alternative if your baby or toddler only does shorter naps and you find Feed/Awake/Sleep or other routines aren't working for you.

Teach Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night

If your baby or toddler is sleeping through the night, great! However if your child is not getting enough quality sleep at night, it can impact on their development and behaviour (eg lots more crying or tantrums).

Our Sleep Plan

Here's the plan we use in our sleep workshops to help parents identify why their baby doesn't sleep through and what to do about it!

12 month old waking at 4am

Read this case study to find out our helpful tips

Separation Anxiety

Nearly all children experience separation anxiety between the ages of seven and 18 months. Some have more intense reactions than others, and for some, the stage lasts longer than others, but almost all babies have it to some degree.

Introduction to Toddlers

If your baby is older than 12 months and still not sleeping through the night, now is the time to tackle this! Toddler sleep problems are usually due to one or more of the following...

The 7 Sleep Stealers

There are seven main “sleep stealers,” or reasons your child isn’t sleeping well; she may be affected by one of them, by a combination of several, or - if you’ve hit the jackpot - by all seven.

The Early Bird: Waking up too early

It is true that some children seem to be natural early birds, but only about 10% to 15% actually have a biological tendency to be a complete lark. Another small percentage is somewhat larkish, but most early-rising children are simply waking up early for outside reasons that affect their rising time, and these can be changed.

My Toddler won't Settle at Bedtime

The changes with settling at bedtime often tie in with developmental changes in the daytime, such as increasing language and the usual limit testing that goes on with toddlers. And they don't always wait until they are 2 before they start being ‘terrible’!!!

Tantrums, Fussing and Whining

If you ask parents to list the most frustrating discipline problems during early childhood, you would find that these three items appear on every list. All children master their own version of these behaviors – every parent has to deal with them!

Bedwetting & Toilet Training

Bedwetting can be very stressful for a child (and parent alike) and can have a tremendous effect on their self-esteem if not handled correctly. Read our expert guides.

Nightmares, Night Terrors and Fears

The lack of adequate, restful sleep can affect your child’s mood, behaviour, health, memory and growth. If there is anything standing in the way of a good night’s sleep it’s important to address the issue and solve the problem. Following is a list of typical sleep disrupters and possible solutions.

Buying Guides

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EXPERT SLEEP ADVICE

Watch our Videos:

Newborn Sleep

Baby Tired Signs

A newborn can go from tired to over-tired in an incredibly short time. Missing the tired signs and delaying bedtime by even 5 to 10 minutes can make it much harder to settle your baby.

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The Five S's

The five S's were the original inspiration for The Sleep Store. Swaddling, Sucking, Side-position, Shushing & Switn

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Baby Carriers Most Suitable for Newborn Babies

What baby carriers most suitable for newborns to 5 months? We look at all the options including stretchy wraps, soft structured buckle carriers like the Boba 4GS, Beco Gemini and the Beco X and Beco 8.

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How to Wrap the Miracle Blanket

The Miracle Blanket is one of the most popular fitted swaddles available. The clever design doesn't have any tricky or noisy fittings. It can be used from newborn until around 3 months.

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Stretchy Wrap for Newborns

A stretchy wrap is the number one choice for most parents who want to carry their newborn baby. Why? Watch this video to find out more?

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The Sleep Store Fitted Swaddle

Help baby sleep longer and settle more easily with this lightweight organic cotton fitted swaddle from The Sleep Store. It's lightweight, organic cotton fabric is rated 0.2 Tog, which means it's ideally suited to warm summer days and nights. Louise demo's how the swaddle works and show's you just how easy it is to swaddle baby for a better sleep.

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Little Unicorn Muslin Swaddle One Arm Out

Need to transition your little one from swaddle to sleeping bag? Find out how to use a muslin swaddle with one arm out, so baby can get used to not being swaddled. Louise from The Sleep Store shows you how...

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Little Unicorn Muslin Swaddle One Arm Out

Need to transition your little one from swaddle to sleeping bag? Find out how to use a muslin swaddle with one arm out, so baby can get used to not being swaddled. Louise from The Sleep Store shows you how...

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Babies 3 - 6. Months

20 - 22 C Room Temperature - Clothing Guide

When the bedroom is this temperature what should you dress your little one in for the best night's sleep?

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Layering Guide for a Mid-weight Sleeping Bag

Here's what we recommend dressing your baby or toddler in for the winter if you have one of our 1.0 tog organic cotton, medium weight, sleeping bags.

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Warm Summer Night Sleeping Bags

Find out which baby sleeping bag is best as we approach summer. Discover what to dress baby in for sleep, what weight of bag to use, what a TOG is and why TOGs are'n't used for merino sleeping bags.

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Winter Sleeping Bags for Babies

What is the best thing for your baby to wear to sleep in to stay warm all through the night this winter? What is a sleeping bag? Do I need blankets? Does my baby have to wear a swaddle or can I go straight to a sleeping bag? Why are blankets not a safe sleeping option for a wriggly baby?

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Why Use a Sleeping Bag?

Why use a sleeping bag for your baby or toddler? Safety! Lou, founder of The Sleep Store, shares her expertise on safe sleeping practice for babies and toddlers.

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Woolbabe Sleeping Bag Warmth Comparison

A newborn can go from tired to over-tired in an incredibly short time. Missing the tired signs and delaying bedtime by even 5 to 10 minutes can make it much harder to settle your baby.

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Babies 6 - 9 Months

Ideal Room Temperarture

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a minimum indoor temperature of 18 ºC for sleep. This is the advice we follow at the sleep store. Watch the video to learn a little more....

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Compare Personal Humidifiers

Choose which PERSONAL - Crane Humidifier & Aroma Diffuser will suit you best. Compare these two great little models.

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Babies 9 - 18 Months

Woolbabe Winter Weight Sleeping Suit

Lou shows us the new Woolbabe Merino and organic cotton sleeping bsuit for toddlers and pre-schoolers. Just released and ready for Winter the Woolbabe sleeping suit is made with natural fibres and to Woolbabes high standards.

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Toddler

When to Move to a 2 -4 Year Woolbabe

Choose thr right size bag for your baby or toddler. Woolbabes are a generous fit so don't buy one that is too big. Safety comes first.

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Child

Bedwetting Tips

Tips of how to make the bed if you have a young bedwetter that will protect your mattress and make cleaning dirty linen easier, as well as changing out wet bedding and linen for clean dry sheets.

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