As your baby continues to grow, it is important for you as a parent to make sure that you are tracking a number of different mental and physical progressions. One of the most important things to track is your baby’s sleep.

Just like adults, baby’s sleep is regulated by their circadian rhythm or internal body clock. So just like you as an adult have regulated sleep patterns, there are natural times that your baby is going to be able to fall asleep and have a more restorative and restful sleep by staying asleep longer.

The younger your baby is, the more sensitive they are to changes in their sleep schedule and the more important it is that they get a large amount of consistent and restful sleep.

So how can you effectively track your baby sleep patterns chart? Here’s a great way to start:

There are two basic ways to create a sleep log. You can either use an online sleep log or you can create one with pen and paper. No way is better than the other, it’s all about finding which technique works best for you and encourages you to stick to it, because consistency is key!

Here are the primary components of keeping an effective baby sleep tracker:

Keep in mind that one of the best ways to effectively track your baby’s sleep is to hire a great baby monitor such as the Nanit Plus baby monitor.

• Log your baby’s wake up time.
• Log what time you put your baby down for daily naps.
• Log what time your baby actually fell asleep for that nap and how long that nap lasted. It is also useful to log how your baby woke up – happy or sad.
• Log what time you put down your baby and when they fell asleep.

Now that you know the important components and factors to log, let’s quickly break down what a typical day should look like.

Wakeup: 6:30 a.m.

Nap No. 1: Put baby down at 8:30 a.m. Fell asleep from 8:45 a.m. to 10:10 a.m. Baby went down quickly and easily, woke up happy.

Nap No. 2: Put baby down at 12:45 p.m. Fell asleep at 1:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Baby was fussy and aggravated before nap, chatted for a few minutes before he calmed down and fell asleep. Woke up happy.

Bedtime: Put baby down at 7:00 p.m., fell asleep at 7:15 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.

Feed: 2:05 a.m. to 2:35 a.m.

Asleep: 2:40 a.m.

Wakeup: 6:52 a.m.

What to look out for

Now that you have a good idea of how to keep a baby sleep tracker, you might already understand why they are valuable. Two of the best things to look out for when it comes to your baby sleep tracker are whether or not your baby is getting the right amount of sleep, and whether or not there are specific times of day that your baby will sleep better and more effectively.

Good luck!