School has started, winter is coming, and unfortunately, both of those things tend to lead toward more sickness in the home! Sickness is never fun, but it can add on a layer of confusion and overwhelm if you’re not sure what to do about sleep when Baby is sick! Here are a few things to keep in mind when you have a sick kiddo.
Stay Safe
Remember safe sleep guidelines. It can be tempting to use a pillow or wedge to prop Baby up if he has a cold, but these items are not safe for babies under 12 months. Instead, use a nasal sucker like the Nose Frida before putting Baby down for sleep, turn on a humidifier while they sleep, and find a baby-safe vapor rub to help with congestion.
Baby Needs More Sleep
When we’re sick, we need more sleep! And that’s definitely true for babies, too.
For babies on waketime schedules (0-6 months), simply shorten their usual waketimes, or strictly follow sleepy signs (yawning, rubbing eyes, staring into space, etc.).
For babies on clock schedules, I like to start sleep at the usual times (maybe 15 minutes early if Baby seems to need it), but allow sleep to go later and longer than usual. So for a baby that usually wakes up at 6:30am, naps from 9-10am and 1-3pm, and goes to bed at 7pm, you might find that when they’re sick, their schedule is more like wake at 7:30am, nap 9-11am and 1-4pm, and bed at 6:45pm.
(For my regular scheduling recommendations based on age, check out my free scheduling guide!)
It’s Okay to go Off Plan
When you’ve spent time and energy sleep training, something like sickness can trigger the anxiety hardcore, because you don’t want the bad sleep you used to struggle with to return! But never fear, sickness will always be part of life, but that doesn’t mean it has to permanently ruin Baby’s good sleep habits.
Not only can you go off schedule for sick days, but you can also slip into old habits like holding or nursing Baby to sleep if you feel like they really need it. On the peak sick days, you might find that it’s the only way to get Baby any sleep at all! That being said, I would try to limit the assistance you give to the 2 peak days of sickness rather than letting it go on for several days. The longer you let old habits go on, the more it will feel like sleep training 2.0 when you eliminate the habits again (though it’s completely normal to need bouts of touch-up sleep training after anything out of the ordinary, like sickness, vacation, moving, or a new sibling).
Though it can be heartbreaking to see your sweet baby suffer with sickness, you don’t have to suffer from those additional layers of worry and confusion when you keep these things in mind.
And if your child struggles with sleep on a regular basis, and not just when sick, set up a free discovery call, where we can talk through the various ways I can help your whole family get the sleep they need!