The Importance of Sleep in Babies

All living creatures need sleep. Sleeping gives people and all living creatures the time for the body to recuperate and regenerate. Human babies need a full eight hours of sleep and naps in between. The body uses sleep as a way to regenerate cells and refresh the brain and overall aids in the development of our body, mind, and health. During our sleep, the human body can regenerate hair follicles, fingernails, toenails and even the outer covering of the skin. This happens because of the automatic pilot that is built into our bodies. People tend to think that the body

only needs to recharge spent energy on the day's work but in truth the body works the regeneration cycle much faster when the brain does not control much action.Babies therefore need their sleeping time to develop muscles, limbs, and skeletal structure. In order to achieve a good night's sleep for your baby, it is important that your baby have comfortable and inviting bedding. The secret to a good bed is one that feels just right. Beds that are to big may make your little one feel insecure. Your baby's bed should be cozy and offer security for them to get a good night sleep. Selecting the proper bedding should also be a concern. The bedding should be easy to touch and feel cozy. Bedding that is to stiff or even to fluffy decreases your baby's comfort level and therefore reduces his/her sleep time. We would want our babies to enjoy their beds and consider it a place of security.



Try to make your baby's sleeping experience a pleasant one. Bedding should be inviting to the eye. There are so many wonderful patterns and fabrics on the market today that choosing the right bedding should not be to difficult. Remember that your baby needs enough rest to stimulate his/her growth and development and when this is achieved, your baby can reach his full potential.

As a new mom, there is nothing more comforting than watching your baby peacefully drift off to dreamland.

But moms, here is yet another reason your child´s sleep is important. Because after all, sleep is more than just rest for your baby. Did you know that sleep fuels your baby´s growth? Growth requires several hormones to stimulate your baby´s organs, muscles and bones. Key is a protein hormone called the “growth hormone”.

Several factors affect the production of growth hormones, including nutrition, stress and exercise. But in babies, the most important factor is sleep. Although growth hormones are released throughout the day, for babies, the most intense period of release is shortly after the beginning of deep sleep. So moms, the better the quality of your baby´s sleep, the more growth hormones are released!

Moms, did you also know that growth hormones are most hard working in babies?

In fact, in the first year of life, growth hormones are actively working at 3 times the normal rate. So when you encourage good sleep in your baby, you are not only helping your baby establish beneficial lifelong habits, you are also giving her the best start in life!

Below are some general guidelines as to how many hours of sleep the average child requires at various ages.

If your baby´s sleep pattern is within or close to this general framework, then you can rest easy knowing your baby rests easy.

If not, then don´t worry. There are numerous ways you can help to “sleep-train” your baby to make sure she gets the sleep that she needs. By improving the quality of sleep, your baby will be able to fall asleep faster and experience a significant decrease in night time awakenings.

Set the tone of your bedtime routine with a nice warm bath or even a simple ´punas´ with JOHNSON´S® Baby Bedtime Bath. The warmth of the water, coupled with your gentle, lathering touch will soothe baby, while giving you a moment of light play. Once you´ve established this as a regular nighttime routine, the bath will signal your baby that she´s on her way to bed. Enjoy the moment... your baby definitely will! Click here to know the best way to bathe your baby.

Turn up some relaxing music and get baby in the mood for a soothing massage. Lay her down on a comfortable flat surface. Spread JOHNSON´S® Baby Bedtime Baby Lotion on your palms then stroke her with a gentle, downward motion. You can vary your motions by tracing letters of endearments like “I Love You” on her belly. This will not only get your baby ready for sleep, infant massage or Touch Therapy also has clinically proven benefits and has been shown to contribute to healthy weight gain, improve babies´immunity and calm then when they are irritable. Also available to use with JOHNSON´S® Baby Oil. Click here to learn how to give your baby a massage.

Now is the time for some quiet moments with your baby. You may apply JOHNSON´S® Baby Powder before you begin quiet time. This is the perfect moment for you and your baby to share your most intimate moments while you hush her to sleep. Read your baby a bedtime story and let rhyme and rhythm hush her to sleep. You can also spend this quiet time talking softly to your baby, or singing a lullaby. Your voice, familiar to her from birth, will cradle her into dreamland. Click here to learn more about the JOHNSON´S® Baby Bedtime Range.