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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Mark Brown North of England correspondent

Crib sheet: experts issue advice for new parents to cope with sleepless nights

A tired mother gives up after trying to get her baby to sleep.
‘Act calm even if you’re not’: a tired mother gives up after trying to get her baby to sleep. Photograph: ferrantraite/Getty Images

Do try to be appear calm when putting your baby in their cot, even if it’s the last thing you feel. Don’t get obsessed with them having daytime naps. Do have a consistent wake time. And above all, sleep experts say, try not to feel guilty or anxious if your little one is waking up time and again through the night.

That is half the battle, said Prof Helen Ball, director of Durham University’s Infancy and Sleep Centre. A fractious baby really is a normal baby. “People do feel as if they must be doing something wrong. That they must be parenting improperly somehow.

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