Pavlik Harness and Baby Sleep

Written by Hailey Studdy, Certified Sleep Consultant and Mum of a Pavlik Harness Baby

If you are reading this you have likely recently joined the ‘hippy’ community or have a strong inkling you may be soon. From one ‘hippy’ to another, welcome!

One thing I noticed pretty quickly about this community is the supportive nature of all the strong hippy mums and bubs. Babies with hip dysplasia are one of a kind, they are resilient troopers. I can assure you that your little one will be absolutely fine no matter how bad things seem right now.

As a baby sleep consultant and mother of two, I know all too well where your mind is going. How will this contraption impact my baby’s sleep? You are right to think that your baby might be a little put off by the harness but this usually only lasts 0-3 days. Babies are extremely adaptable and so long as your baby’s Pavlik Harness is fitted corrected, it will become part of their new normal.

As most adults find adjustment and change quite daunting, we often fear our babies will face the same feelings about new ways of doing things. Really, they are far less complex than us adults and as you will hear time and time again, it is worse for you than it is for your child.

Here are my 4 top tips for sleep with a Pavlik Harness

1. Independent Sleep Associations

Your child is likely 0-3 months, which is a great time to introduce some positive sleep associations. I recommend white noise and a swaddle/sleeping bag. Baby Loves Sleep stock a great range of hip-friendly sleeping bags as well as the Aroma Snooze Baby Sleep Aid for it's white and pink noise function.

2. Consistent Sleep Routine

Have a set of steps you follow for naptime and bedtime. Your baby thrives off predictability and consistency. Having a similar bedtime each night will also help to set your baby’s body clock to expect sleep at a certain time. Bedtimes between 6 and 7pm compliment your baby’s circadian rhythm so from six weeks you can start bringing bedtime forward from 9/10pm to 6/7pm and this can be particularly useful for cat-nappers.

From 4 months I recommend getting your baby into a nap routine also which is especially useful for Pavlik Harness babies as you may be lucky enough to be prescribed reduced hours if things are heading in the right direction. Your doctor will likely tell you to use the brace for nights and naps. If your child cat naps here and there across the day, this might get tricky. From 4 months I recommend three naps, 2 of these long and one shorter nap.