In the first months of life, your baby alternates between wakefulness and sleep very regularly. They wake up, eat, need a clean diaper, a cuddle, the sound of your voice, and go back to sleep. At this stage, your baby can sleep just about anywhere! A bassinet allows you to meet their sleep needs while keeping them close thanks to its portability. This can be reassuring—for both your baby and you.

Then your baby develops and becomes more alert, showing more interest in the world you introduce them to. Their sleep, like all their skills, will evolve.

Sleep is made up of a succession of cycles, often illustrated as a little train, with each “car” representing a different stage of sleep. At the end of each cycle, a wake-up can occur. Even we adults wake up several times during the night. What’s unique about baby sleep is that their cycles are much shorter than those of adults, which results in more potential awakenings. Sleep evolves gradually through a long maturational process. From about 50-minute cycles at birth, they gradually increase to 90–120 minutes around the age of 3 to 4. The composition of the cycles also changes during the first years. The awakenings between each cycle may be brief—called micro-awakenings—or longer and require your intervention.

Responding to your baby’s calls helps strengthen their emotional security. They will feel assured of your presence and their need to call out will diminish.

Sleep is a true exploration, just like going down a slide. Your baby needs to feel confident enough to climb the steps, reach the top, get into position, and finally let themselves slide down and stop safely. At each step, you support them with your kind presence—through a warm gaze, verbal encouragement, and comforting proximity. It’s the same with sleep. By being there for your baby throughout the day and meeting their needs in a stable, consistent, and predictable way, you allow them to build enough confidence to explore sleep peacefully.