How to settle a sick baby or toddler overnight
Paediatrician Dr Golly's position is clear: don't sleep train a sick baby. While your child is unwell, the usual rules pause and the focus shifts to rest, hydration, and comfort. In this guide, he explains why extra cuddles, night feeds, and being held to sleep during illness don't undo independent sleep, why a previously night-weaned baby asking for feeds again is fine to feed, and how illness affects sleep cycles in babies and toddlers. He walks parents through what to keep familiar in the bedtime routine, what to loosen, and the safe-sleep moves to avoid (including the elevated-cot risk he flags as a Red Nose Safe Sleep Ambassador). The article closes with the recovery timeline parents can expect, plus practical advice on surviving the sick-night stretch when you're running on no sleep yourself.
