Seventy-eight per cent of babies aged six to 12 months regularly woke at least once during the night, according to research from Swansea University, UK.
If you have excluded overnight hunger, consider whether your baby is sick, in pain or too hot or cold. A baby who is experiencing discomfort may draw their knees up, squirm or arch their back. If they are in pain, this may be accompanied by a high-pitched shrill or “cry for help”. Keep an eye on your baby’s temperature and whether they are too hot or cold. An effective way to check is to feel their back or tummy, which should feel warm and dry, not cold or sweaty.
Once you have excluded these factors, you can then consider whether there are any habits linked to sleep. For example, if your baby is dummy dependent or has become accustomed to being rocked or fed to sleep, you will need to address these behavioural factors.
