Not sleeping through the night is one of the biggest challenges that all parents face, but you’re not alone! You’re exhausted, you may be struggling to establish a routine, nothing you do seems to be working, and then your friend says their little one is sleeping 11 hours a night, and you’re wondering “What am I doing wrong?”

As parents, we are constantly worrying whether our baby is too hot or too cold – particularly at night.

Our little ones need to be at the right temperature when they’re sleeping to make sure they are safe, comfortable, and get a good night’s rest. If they get too hot, sleep can suffer, there’s the possibility of a heat rash, and research has found that overheating can put babies at a higher risk of SIDS.

Babies can’t tell us when they are feeling too hot, so we need to be aware of the telltale signs to keep them safe and comfortable at bedtime.

When your baby sleeps well, the sun shines brighter, the birds chirp louder, and the flowers smell better. But when your baby’s sleep schedule is off, the whole day can seem to fall off kilter.

As a sleep consultant for over 25 years, and a mother myself, I understand the impact sleep disruptions can cause. A common sleep disruption among babies is false start bedtimes, which occur when your baby falls asleep at night but wakes up after a short period. False starts at bedtime can be caused by a range of factors, including napping, stimulation, feeding, and bedtime routine.

Sleep regressions are a normal phase of development and can occur at almost any time, but are particularly common around the four months, eight month, 18 month mark, and as your child turns two. A two-year-old sleep regression refers to when a toddler, who was sleeping well before, begins to resist sleep at naptimes and bedtimes or wakes constantly throughout the night. At two years old, your little one is developing rapidly into a little person – which is why we often find that this phase can make bedtime a little unsettled and unpredictable.

Just like the four month and eight month sleep regression, the 18 month sleep regression can spring up out of nowhere – wreaking havoc on your once-perfected sleep routine. Suddenly, your little one is waking up every hour, or refusing to nap.

You’re certainly not alone – as children begin to grow and develop from babies into toddlers, there can be a rough patch in sleeping around the 18 month mark. The good news is, it’s completely normal, and there’s plenty you can do to navigate this new phase.

Just when it feels like you’ve found your bedtime routine, things can take a shift – naps become shorter (or are skipped entirely), bedtime becomes a struggle, and nights are full of surprise wake ups. If this is all sounding a little bit too familiar, you (and your baby) may be going through the 8 month sleep regression.

The four-month sleep regression is something almost every parent hears about – and dreads. Just as it feels like you’ve found your rhythm, your baby’s sleep suddenly becomes more unpredictable, with frequent night wakings, shorter naps, and a lot more fussiness. Sound familiar?

It’s one of the most frustrating (and yet, common) questions we ask ourselves in those first few months: why won’t my baby sleep?

If this is something you’re currently going through as a parent, you’re certainly not alone. Poor sleeping patterns are not isolated to just newborns either – sleep regression is common at various points from newborn to toddler-age. So, what causes sleeping issues? And how can we, as parents, learn to work through these sleeping issues to create a consistent, manageable sleep routine?

Tresillian is an Australian not-for-profit early parenting organisation. Established back in 1918, Tresillian is designed to support families with newborns or children in the early years.

As parents, we know how essential sleep is for our babies (and our own) overall well-being. If your child isn’t getting enough sleep or you’re unable to nail down a sleeping schedule with a newborn, it’s only natural to turn to experts. Hundreds of thousands of Australian parents turn to Tresillian for this support each year, but with families coming out the other end with mixed results, it begs the question: Is Tresillian worth it?

If you’ve ever wondered why your baby seems to wake up just as you’ve settled in with a cup of tea, you’re not alone. Catnapping, or short naps lasting 20 to 40 minutes, is a common experience for many new parents. It can be frustrating, but the good news is that catnapping is completely normal for young babies and usually improves as they grow.