To sleep, perchance . . . Some ideas on how to get a little extra sleep when there is a new baby in the house.

What Mum Can Do

• Make the nightfeed environment relaxing - get a comfortable chair with good back support, wear warm clothing and have a glass of water on hand.

• Keep your iron levels up - use a supplement and increase your intake of eggs, red meat, sesame seeds, raisins and green leafy vegetables combined with a vitamin C source.

• Eat fibre for energy - wholegrains, fruit and vegetables.

• Limit your intake of caffeine and refined sugar

• Nap when you can.

• Grab a little fresh air and exercise.

What Dad Can Do

• Make sure that you both get a lie in every weekend.

• Buy a couple of eye masks to make daytime naps easier for everyone.

• If you can't do nightfeeds, take total responsibility for some other aspect of babyminding - bathing, daytime changing etc.

• Take total responsibility for certain household chores, such as laundry and groceries, so that both parents know what they need to do and what will get done.

• If you're doing nightfeeds, look after yourself, too.

What Baby Can Do

• The baby's developing internal clock is partially dictated by light-dark cycles. Make sure that no natural light gets through the blind where baby sleeps, especially in summer.

• Don't turn on a light to feed

• Put baby to bed when he is still awake and let him fall asleep on his own.

• Don't rock him or feed him to sleep or he will always expect it.

• Avoid baby napping after 3 p.m.

• Don't talk to baby or play with her in the middle of the night

• Babies may accidentally jerk themselves awake before they really need to be fed. Don't always leap from the bed - give her a minute or two to figure out if she's hungry or not.

• Babies sometimes wake by slapping themselves in the face. Try "swaddling" small babies snugly so that their arms are not free to flail about