Managing Your Baby/Child’s Sleep When They’re Ill: A Compassionate Approach

Why does it feel like every week our little ones come home from childcare/school with yet another virus? The last few weeks have been relentless. It can be a bit overwhelming when your child is sick and you don’t know what to do about their sleep. Do we just let them sleep all day? Will it undo your hard work on getting them to sleep in their crib if you let them sleep in your bed for a few nights? I want to explore this and give you some advice around how to manage sleep. Rest assured, the focus is on compassion and flexibility.

When your child is unwell, providing comfort is paramount. If your child is really young, they won’t understand what’s going on so your presence and reassurance is key. Calming them, holding them and offering soothing words are crucial during these moments. Illness can bring about anxiety (for both you and them) and your comforting presence can make all the difference.

You may notice that your baby or young child requires more daytime sleep than usual. This is perfectly normal. Illness can leave them fatigued, and extended naps are their way of recuperating. My advice is to extend their naps for an extra 15–30 minutes and see if that helps. Letting them sleep all day will likely mean they will be up all night and we still want to encourage lots of sleep overnight as a big stretch of sleep will help them to recover, too. Try to find a balance that allows some extra day time sleep but doesn’t completely throw them off schedule.

If you follow wake windows, I would suggest setting them aside during illness in favour of sleep cues. Are they displaying signs of tiredness like eye rubbing, yawning, or becoming increasingly fussy? These subtle signals indicate their readiness for rest so rather than trying to keep them awake for as long as they usually manage, an earlier nap or bedtime maybe what their body needs. Flexibility in their sleep schedule is key during this period. Try not to worry, once they are better you can help them slip back into their usual routine.

Don’t be concerned if you find yourself resorting to temporary sleep aids like rocking, holding, or bed-sharing when your child is unwell. These are temporary comfort measures that offer security during a challenging time. Rest assured that once they’ve recovered, these associations can be gently phased out.

It’s also important that you sleep, too, when your child is poorly. You can’t help them if you are running on empty. My daughter (2.5 years) was recently ill for nearly two weeks with an awful virus. She ended up bed-sharing with me for some of those nights so that we could both get some sleep. When she was in her crib she was waking up every sleep cycle needing comfort. By bed-sharing I could offer continued comfort and we both slept much better. When she was well again, my husband and I took it in turns for a couple of nights to camp out next to her crib and by the third night she was quite happy in there again without needing one of us to stay.

In conclusion, I hope this post gives you some reassurance around sleep and illness. Remember that your love, care, and flexibility are instrumental in aiding their rest and recovery. Offer them comfort, allow them to nap as needed, and remain attentive to their sleep cues. If temporary sleep habits have been introduced, know that they can be transitioned back to their regular routine once your child is back to full health.

As ever, if you need advice, I offer a weekly Q&A on my Instagram page @thesleepsnug and I have bespoke 1:1 support available on my Consultations Page.