For most adults getting adequate sleep seems simple. If you need more sleep, then you either go to bed earlier or sleep later. Unlike adults, babies need help in order to get the amount of sleep they need. One of the babysitter’s jobs is to make sure your baby is getting sufficient sleep. Same goes to parents. If your baby is older than three months and is being consistently difficult or irritable, then she is probably not getting enough sleep.
There are two things that are found particularly surprising regarding babies’ sleep needs. First, babies consistently needed to nap within two and a half hours after waking up in the morning. This was counterintuitive because they had their shortest time awake right after sleeping all night. Parents should learn to accept rather than fight this tendency. Second, babysitters found that when children were being particularly difficult, it was a very strong sign that they were overly tired. When this occurred with some regularity, do reexamine your schedule and adjust the schedule until there is an improvement.
NannySOS is a confinement agency providing confinement care with a team of experienced babysitters for your child. More information on babysitting services is available in our article Babysitter Singapore.