This page is part of a collection of short articles called Brief & simple, which together make up a quick summary of The Possums Sleep Program in plain language. For comprehensive information and support, please go to The essentials section of The Possums Sleep Program, and begin to work your way through the program's online text and videos.

Normally, babies wake a few times during the night, right into toddlerhood. What matters is that everyone gets back to sleep quickly after baby is fed.

Don't feel you have to burp, or hold baby upright after feeds, or change the nappy (unless you have to because there is a poo). You also don't have to wrap your baby, because wrapping can wake your baby up and make it harder for everyone to get back to sleep easily. Wrapping doesn't always help babies sleep better overall, despite what you might hear. We want to make your nights as easy as possible.

Acknowledgements

I'm grateful to Professor Sophie Havighurst, Ros June, and Caroline Ma at Mindful, The University of Melbourne, for their feedback on the articles in the Brief & simple section of The Possums Sleep Program. They helped to keep the language plain and the concepts as accessible as possible. For comprehensive information and support, please go to The essentials section of The Possums Sleep Program, and begin to work your way through the program's online text and videos.

Recommended resources

It's normal for babies to wake very couple of hours during the night

Does burping or holding your baby upright after feeds help with sleep?

Wrapping or swaddling your baby: how to do it safely and does it help with sleep, anyway?