Slowly, they learn the difference and begin to do most of their sleeping at night. Parents can help by getting into a regular daily routine for settling their baby down to sleep. Babies settle more easily if they are put to sleep in a quiet, darkened room, which is warm and comfortable. Often they get drowsy after a good feeding, but will wake if they have gas, are hungry, in pain, or wet. Nine months and after Babies of this age are now able to keep themselves awake, so this is a common time for sleep problems to start.
Parents find that their babies are often more wakeful if they are excited, overtired or anxious.
Problems may follow a break in routine, such as a holiday. At this age it is very common for babies to feel panic-stricken at being left suddenly alone at night. Again, parents can help by having an organized bedtime routine, and by going through exactly the same steps each night. This helps a baby to understand what is going on, and to settle down gradually and calmly. When you have said 'good night', you can stay next door for a while, leaving the door slightly open, so your baby can hear you moving around.