Jen and Charlotte, 4 months

Emma changed our lives! Charlotte-our four month old daughter- would need 40 minutes of bouncing on a Swiss ball to go to sleep at night and inevitably she would wake as soon as we sat down to dinner. Her daytime naps were 30-40minutes max, each time requiring 10-15minutes to settle (again on the Swiss ball) and was waking 3 times per night. It is hard to know what is ‘normal’ for a baby this age but my husband and I were exhausted and needed a rest. After chatting to Emma we started a regime and though the first 3 nights were hard we soon saw some improvements and Charlotte now sleeps for two hours at midday with two other daytime naps and wakes only once per night for a feed (she occasionally wakes additionally for a grizzle but quickly self-settles). I can also plan my day as I know exactly when she’ll be feeding and sleeping.

Sleep is so important for both baby AND parents. Please don’t persist thinking your baby’s lack of sleep is ‘normal’ when you are struggling to meet each day.