Understanding Your Baseline Sleep Data

Before any changes are made, it’s important to understand what sleep currently looks like for your child and family. A sleep diary helps you capture a true “baseline picture” of patterns, routines, and challenges over several days. This includes bedtimes, wake times, night waking, naps, and how long it takes for your child to fall asleep.

Collecting this information gives you objective, real-life data rather than relying on memory or rough estimates. Often, parents are surprised to notice trends they hadn’t spotted before, such as inconsistent bedtimes, later naps, or patterns in early morning waking.

Baseline data is the starting point for creating an effective, personalised sleep plan. It helps identify what is already working well, what may be maintaining sleep difficulties, and which small changes are likely to have the biggest impact.

Complete the diary for at least 4 days to get an accurate picture. No need to be perfect, just record what actually happens. Honest, everyday data is the key to meaningful improvements.