14/07/2025
✨ We’ve spent 25 years chasing a baby sleep ideal that was never real! ✨
Somewhere along the way, parents were told:
💤 “A good baby sleeps 7–7.”
But here’s the truth:
🍼 Babies (and adults) are not robots.
🍼 Sleep needs are partly written into your child’s DNA,and partly shaped by habits, environment, and development.
🍼 Even among healthy babies of the same age, there’s a range of normal sleep — not one magic number.
This idea that all babies should sleep 7–7 seems to have come from a single book written over 25 years ago, based not on research, but on one professional’s opinion and experience.
What we know from research (including Professor Paul Gringras) is this:
Even healthy children of the same age can vary by two to three hours a night in their sleep needs.
As he says:
➡️ Children are individuals, not robots , and unrealistic expectations can cause more harm than good.
So when we tell parents there’s a magic number their baby “should” sleep, we set them up to feel like failures if their child doesn’t conform.
What actually matters?
✅ Building good sleep habits that feel manageable.
✅ Recognising that some children naturally need more sleep,and some need less.
✅ Avoiding comparisons with other babies — even the same age.
✅ Focusing on whether your child is thriving and your family is coping — not someone else’s schedule.
💛 Healthy sleep is not about perfection.
It’s about supporting your individual child to get the sleep they need to grow and thrive.
🌙 Have you ever felt pressure to reach the 7–7 ideal?
What helped you let go of the numbers and focus on what your child actually needed?
I'd love to hear your experiences please share below 👇
