Very friendly staff, we purchased a Mamas and Papas pushchair, carrycot and car seat. We were shown how it all worked etc. Also purchased various other baby items as well - love the shop.

Nursery World, I found to be so friendly and very, very helpful with choosing my first Baby’s bedroom furniture, pram and moses basket. I couldn’t have asked for nicer girls to help with the most important items. I found the staff to be very professional and very, very kind, thoughtful and helpful. It was a joyful experience visiting Nursery World and I thank all the staff for making it a lot easier experience for me and my husband.

One of the biggest challenges parents find is how to get their babies to sleep through the night. In the first few weeks, they tend to sleep whenever they are fed or held and parents can fall into a pattern of continuing to feed or rochk their babies to sleep. As sleep cycles start to be establised and babies become aware of the world around them, this can become a problem.

Babies wake naturally throughout the night. Those who can ’self soothe’ are able to get themselves back to sleep, if your baby doesn’t know how to fall asleep without your help, she’ll need you to ‘parent her’ each time she wakes.

Studies show that babies who don’t have enough sleep struggle to relax, learn and grow. After a baby is born, the brain continues to develop and healthy sleep patterns are essential in supporting this. Lack of sleep can cause, restlessness, anxiety, irritability and lack of concentration.

The following suggestions may help to teach your baby to soothe themselves to sleep withour your assistance.

1. TEACH YOUR BABY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DAY AND NIGHT

When your baby is a few days old, it is possible to start teaching them the difference between day and night. Keep the house light and bright. Take your baby out for walks in the fresh air, even if they are sleeping, as they will be stimulated by the light and feel the air against their skin. Dayight has been proven to aid night sleep for babies and adults

When your baby is awake, interact with them, stroke their skin and place your hands near their face so he can see you. Night time shouldbe dark and quiet. Use a night light when feeding if needed and don’t engage with them too much. A cuddle and feed and straight back to bed will set them up for healthy sleeping habits in the next few months. Only change their nappy if you really need to and if you do, keep lighting dimmed and your voice low.

2. ESTABLISH A BEDTIME ROUTINE

Introduce sleep cues through a short bedtime routine so your baby knows it is time to sleep. Buy three months old they will begin to understand that you are following the pre-sleep routine and this will help to settle  them easily.

A simple pre-bed routine may be a feed, bath, sleep bag, cuddle and bed.  You could also have a lullaby or restful nature sounds playing. Follow the same routine in the same order at each sleep time and your baby will quickly learn that it is time for sleep.

3. PUT YOUR BABY TO BED AWAKE

Always out your baby down to sleep when they are  still awake. Use your bedtime routine to wind your baby down so they are relaxed and ready to sleep. If they fall asleep during the milk feed, rouse them gently before putting them down. This way they will know where they have fallen asleep, so when they wake in the night, they will know where they are and feel safe. From three months you can start to offer the last milk feed before the bath, you may need to give a small amount after the bath, but this way your baby will learn to fall asleep without the need for sucking.

If your baby learn to put themsleves to sleep at the beginning of the night, they are likely to do this again when they wake during the night. At first you could stay in the room with them while they learn this important skill. Later, you should be able to leave them.

4. INTRODUCE NIGHT TIME COMFORTERS

Sleep aids that do not require your presence but help to reassure your baby, can work wonders in helping them sleep through the night. Security objects or baby comforters can help babies learn to soothe and sleep independently. Before giving the comforter to your baby, keep it close to your skin for a few hours or overnight so that it smells of you. From infancy, you can place the comforter somewhere safe in your baby’s basket or cot so that she can smell or see it nearby.

Even just being able to see the comforter at this early age can give your baby the security she needs to fall back to sleep. Between 6 and 12 months, your baby will start to form a very strong attachment to the comforter, often needing it to fall asleep. This is a key time in your baby’s life as they begin to understand you can go away and leave them and seperation anxiety can set in. Baby comforters have been shown to make this time much easier for you and your baby.

5. CREATE THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT

It is a good idea to create a place for your baby to sleep where they can be undisturbed. Naps and night sleep in their cot, in a darkened room will help them to feel secure and safe as they drift off to sleep.

Keep an eye on the temperature, 18 degees C is recommended in a baby’s nursery. A sleeping bag suitable for the time of year will stop them kicking the covers off in the middle of the night and keep them warm and safe.

6. CREATE A DAY TIME ROUTINE

This doesn’t have to be a rigid schedule. Some days your baby may be hungrier than others, or need a little more or less sleep. But following a general pattern will help to space out naps, so your baby doesn’t become over tired or have too much sleep in the day. It is important not to let your baby become over tored or they will find it difficult to settle themselves to sleep.

7. MAKE SURE YOUR BABY ISN’T HUNGRY

If your baby is genuinely waking up hungry during the night and he is six months or over, you may need to look at fitting more calories in the day. Wake your baby at the same time each moring and follow a napping and feeding schedule during the day.

You could consider introducing a dream feed. This is a late feed between 10pm and 11:30pm where you take you baby out of the cot, feed them and put them back to bed, trying not to wake them. The benefit of this is that you are more likely to try methods of helping your baby go back to sleep at night that don’t involve feeding, if you know they has a full tummy.