The Duke of Sussex Speaks of His Sleepless Nights With Archie

The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, has chatted cheerfully about the lack of sleep he’s experienced since the arrival of his son, Archie.

While back on official royal duties, the duke was in in warm spirits when he spoke of the issue, despite the fact that little Archie had kept him up the night before. On a visit to Oxford Children’s Hospital, the duke chatted to patients and parents, telling them he can’t imagine life without his son and that the little one feels part of the family.

The beaming prince had returned to his duties just three days after becoming a dad and although he may be new to the parenting game, clearly he’d done some research on the responsibility that lies ahead. He asked one mother of two at the hospital, Ms Amy Scullard, if her 10 week old daughter, Ida, was past the stormy period, as he was aware that babies can be quite grumpy during this time. The lady replied that Ida had passed it.

Before returning to his duties, he had received a warm welcome to the ‘sleep deprivation society’ from his brother William, the Duke of Cambridge, who is also enjoying a fatherhood of his own, of course.

Research earlier this year revealed that new parents could face up to six years of sleep deprivation, and that the situation is the worst three months after the birth, so the newest father in the Royal Family may welcome any tips on how to cope with it all. He could ask the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for tips on how to handle the sleepless nights; however, William and Kate already have their own hands full with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, so just in case, here are some tips from us on how Prince Harry could still get a decent night’s rest:

Take a princely power nap

When you have as many responsibilities as the prince has, a power nap is perfectly acceptable and if he has the opportunity to take one, he should. It doesn’t have to be a long one, just 30 to 40 minutes to stop any drowsiness or grogginess from setting in when it’s time to wake back up. The prince can then return to his duties with renewed vigour and when Archie wakes up at night, he’ll feel more equipped energetically to see to him.

Take turns feeding

This will all depend on how the parents have chosen to feed the baby, but it’s a good compromise, especially if both parents are feeling sleep deprived or one is more so than the other. Both partners can make the most of this approach to go to bed earlier and get a full, restful and uninterrupted sleep.

Eat healthily

This is not so much about the baby disturbing him as making sure the prince’s own diet doesn’t interfere with his rest. It would be best to avoid foods that contain a lot of saturated fat or sugar. Scientists have connected these with a less restorative sleep and more incidences of waking up during the night.

Instead, the prince should eat the right kind of foods for the body to create the right conditions for sleep, allowing it to produce the neurotransmitters to incur an adequate night’s sleep. The food will provide the nutrients that act as building blocks for the body to form the amino acids involved during sleep.

Keep cool

It’s necessary for a parent to remain calm and collected, especially if the child is crying, but they also need to literally keep cool if they want to sleep well. Attending to royal duties in the winter may tempt the prince to set the heating to high when he gets back from the day’s events, but the human body isn’t designed for this. The room should be dark and cool ― around 18.5⁰C― to sleep comfortably. When the baby wakes him up during the night, the prince will find it hard to get back to sleep if it’s hotter than that.

Learn the baby’s sleep patterns

Babies have different sleep patterns and the chances are that Archie’s sleep patterns will be different to those Prince George and Princess Charlotte had as a baby, which could make it hard to copy some of the approaches William and Kate have used to cope with the sleepless nights. Understanding Archie’s sleep patterns, how to train a baby to sleep and how much sleep a baby needs is useful because both the duke and the duchess could align their own sleep routines with the baby’s and give themselves the possibility of being a little less tired. According to the NHS, newborn babies will sleep, on and off, a total of anything from 8 to 16 hours in a day.

Although the nights are sleepless just now, many good times lie ahead for the prince with Archie and the Duchess of Sussex. The family will continue to be popular wherever they go, but it may be their little bundle of joy who will steal the show. With the tips above, the new father will be able to get the sleep he needs to be a superb father and husband and to continue the stellar job he is doing in his role as part of the Royal Family.