How Do You Get A Newborn To Sleep

How Long Will My Newborn Sleep

Newborns should get 1417 hours of sleep over a 24-hour period, says the National Sleep Foundation. Some newborns may sleep up to 1819 hours a day.

Newborns wake every couple of hours to eat. Breastfed babies feed often, about every 23 hours. Bottle-fed babies tend to feed less often, about every 34 hours.

Newborns who sleep for longer stretches should be awakened to feed. Wake your baby every 34 hours to eat until he or she shows good weight gain, which usually happens within the first couple of weeks. After that, it’s OK to let your baby sleep for longer periods of time at night.

The first months of a baby’s life can be the hardest for parents, who might get up many times at night to tend to the baby. Each baby has a different sleep pattern. Some start to sleep “through the night” by 23 months of age, but some don’t.

Your Baby Doesnt Know If Its Night Or Day

Some babies start sleeping on whats called a day/night reversal schedule. Your baby sleeps well during the day, but is awake and busy at night. Its frustrating and exhausting, but its temporary.

Here are a few things you can do to help your baby learn that day is for play and night is for rest:

• Keep them awake a little longer during each waking period during the day. This will help increase the need for sleep later. Some sleep experts recommend playing with your baby for a few minutes after a feeding instead of letting your baby fall asleep.
• Get your baby outside and in the sun . Natural light helps reset their internal clock. If you cant get outside, place your babys crib or sleeper near a window that gets steady, bright light.
• Avoid sleep-inducing activities, if at all possible, during the day. Dont fight your babys need to sleep. But if you can keep them out of the car seat for a bit, that extra time awake will help them later.
• Keep lights low or turn them out at night anywhere near babys sleeping area. Likewise for sound and movement. Your goal should be zero disruptions.
• Consider swaddling your baby at night so their arms and legs dont move and wake them. You can also try putting them to sleep in a small crib, so they feel snug and secure.

Check The Sleeping Environment

Your babys sleeping environment can make a big difference as to whether it will be easy or hard to stay asleep. A few things to make sure your sleep environment has:

• Darkened Room Dont let the sunlight wake your baby prematurely and, likewise, make sure any night lights arent too bright!
• White Noise Mimic the sounds of the room by playing white noise for at least 20-30 minutes or through the night. The volume should be about the sound of a running shower.
• Room Temperature Your babys room should be 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit . Again, overheating is a SIDS risk and, in addition, we simply sleep better in cooler temperatures. This is why parents in Nordic countries have their babies nap outside!
• Crib Toys Some families also use mobiles or other crib toys. These can help soothe baby to sleep by playing lullabies or giving baby something to look at as they drift off.

As with many things, every baby has different preferences so you will want to set up your babys sleep environment in a way that works for you and for them. You might need to experiment.

Also Check: How To Get Newborn To Stay Asleep

Be Aware Of Food Sensitivities

Exposure to different foods and flavors begins in utero, and your babys ability to process certain foods will develop and get stronger throughout the first year of his life. As your baby grows, he may develop one or more food sensitivity. This is especially true in breastfed babies. For example, a newborn baby may have a difficult time digesting garlic or other spices within breast milk. If your baby is crying, arching her back, and has a stiff belly, then she may be experiencing a food sensitivity. The good news is that these symptoms typically pass after a bowel movement.

Once you identify which food caused this discomfort, you can eliminate it from your diet while breastfeeding. This should ensure that your baby will sleep at night more comfortable and uninterrupted.

If your baby is at least 6 months old, and you have concerns related to how solid foods may be interfering with her sleep, please refer to “How Certain Foods Can Affect Your Childs Sleep.”

What If My Baby Won’t Sleep In A Crib

Sometimes babies just dont want to transition from their parents’ cozy arms into their own crib, no matter how cute it looks.

If thats the case, blur the lines between you and the baby bed. Try calming him down in your arms until he’s drowsy, then gently place him directly onto the bed without losing skin-to-skin contact.

A little massage or patting should help him nod off too. Make sure the temperature in your baby’s room is comfortably warm. Dim the lights, and put on a white noise machine or fan to drown out ambient sounds.

Swaddling baby or putting him into a sleep sack before placing him in the crib may make him feel extra secure and, hopefully, encourage him to fall asleep in his bed.

You May Like: How To Use Gripe Water For Newborn

How Worry And Stress Can Get In The Way Of Sleeping Like A Baby

Feeling anxious or worried is a barrier to sleep for some people, says clinical psychologist Thea Gallagher, PsyD, an assistant professor at NYU Langone Health and co-host of the Mind in View podcast. If youre anxious and on edge, it can be harder to slow down and relax the body, she adds. Cue: You, having difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep.

If youre anxious and on edge, it can be harder to slow down and relax the body. Thea Gallagher, PsyD

Even after identifying anxiety or stress that might be compromising your sleep, dealing with those symptoms can also affect your shut-eye quality. According to Dr. Winter, highly anxious people tend to sleep less soundly than those who have fewer worries, and they may also underestimate how much sleep they’re actually gettingsometimes by many hours. This might lead folks to be stressed about feeling as though they didn’t get a lot of sleep, which Dr. Winter says might lead to even more stress.

So, how do you know stress or anxiety could be compromising your ability to sleep like a baby? Dr. Winter says to look for the following six signs.

How To Get Newborn To Sleep In The Bassinet Instead Of In My Arms

How to get newborn sleep in bassinet: Few tips

• First, heat the bassinet, or try the washcloth trick.
• putting your smell and that of the baby in the bassinet
• Support the babys legs to help her reach a fetal position, lying on her back.
• Using dry rice or a piece of paper

Also Check: What Is The Average Weight Of A Newborn

Where Should My Baby Sleep

For the first 6 months your baby should be in the same room as you when they’re asleep, both day and night. This can reduce the risk of SIDS .

Particularly in the early weeks, you may find your baby only falls asleep in your or your partner’s arms, or when you’re standing by the cot.

You can start getting your baby used to going to sleep without you comforting them by putting them down before they fall asleep or when they’ve just finished a feed. It may be easier to do this once your baby starts to stay alert more frequently or for longer.

If you use a baby sling to carry your baby, make sure you use it safely. The Lullaby Trust has information about swaddling your baby and using slings safely.

Final Words: How To Get Newborn To Sleep In The Bassinet

Your baby needs enough sleep to grow and develop, but you also need to get enough rest. Thats why the bassinet is the best and safest place to sleep.

You can help your newborn get used to sleeping close to you without relying on you for comfort by making a sleep routine, rocking them to sleep, and following safety rules. You should now know how to get newborn to sleep in the bassinet.

You May Like: How To Dress A Newborn In Summer

Make Sure Your Baby Is Getting Full Feeds

One major goal to focus on in the beginning, is getting your baby to stay awake during feeding time and eating until theyre full.

Feeding is soothing and wonderful to them, so its no surprise that many fall asleep while eating. Do your best to keep them awake so that they eat until theyre full. Full feeds = longer sleep.

Some tips to accomplish this feat:

• Take off their clothes/jammies
• Tickle their feet
• Blow gently on their face
• If breastfeeding, change their diaper after they finish with the first side, so they start the other side wide awake

The Truth About Babies And Nighttime Sleep

While in the womb, your baby was asleep most of the time and received a steady stream of nourishment around the clock. But all of that drastically changed the moment your baby was born. Suddenly, your little one had to learn how to be awake and eat on their own.

Thats a lot for a newborn to accomplish, and it takes time. Eating and sleeping dominate your babys schedule as all the developmental changes that they need to survive and thrive in the outside world take place.

As babies burn through calories and nutrients, their hunger wakes them up. In the beginning, this happens frequently, around the clock.

A newborn consumes only about 40 to 80 calories per feeding. This means a newborn will need six to eight feedings per day, on average, resulting in a sleep schedule that cycles every two to four hourseven at night. Sleeping through the night is not only an unrealistic expectation for a newborn. Its an unhealthy one, too.

Keep in mind that these are just approximations, not milestones that your baby needs to reach. If your baby is a month old and is still not sleeping four hours at night, try not to worry. Its important to respond to your babys hunger cues. Between daytime naps and nighttime sleep, your baby should be consistently getting a healthy amount of sleep for their age and developmental stage.

Read Also: When To Find Pediatrician For Newborn

How Did Sleep Become So Controversial

For most of human history, McKenna writes, parents slept close to their babies for their safety and protection, as well as for parents own ease of breastfeeding and sleeping. The particular arrangements variedsome parents slept nestled with their babies on the same bed, mat, or rug others placed their babies in a hammock or basket within arms reach still others placed them in a sidecar arrangement next to the adult bed. But all of them slept within sensory range of their babies.

About 500 years ago, Western societies diverged from the rest of the world regarding family sleep, McKenna explains. Historical records from northern Europe show that Catholic priests heard confessions from destitute women who had overlain onto their newborns, suffocating them in a desperate attempt to limit their family sizethey just couldnt support another child. So the church ordered that babies should sleep in a separate cradle until the age of three.

Over time, other Western trends converged with that decree: Rising affluence and the value on independence and individualism made separate bedrooms fashionable. In addition, Freudian psychology privileged the marriage bed and claimed that babies would be harmed if they were exposed to parents sexuality. Religious and psychological opinion said that children should not be coddled or indulged but required severe discipline to grow up .

Signs Your Newborn Is Tired

Your baby may get tired after any activity – a feed, a nappy change, or when youve had a cuddle or playtime. Theyll likely get tired after theyve been awake for one to one and a half hours.

When theyre tired, your baby might:

• clench or suck on their fists
• have tense or jerky movements
• have trouble focusing, or stare into space
• startle easily.

Also Check: How Many Oz Newborn Drink

After Placing The Newborn In The Bassinet Raise His Legs Into The Fetal Position

How to get newborn sleep in bassinet: Unfortunately, back sleeping is required to lessen the danger of SIDS, but by assisting your newborn in adopting a fetal position, she should be more comfortable and less likely to wake up as soon as you place her own.

Keeping another important safe sleep guideline in mind no loose objects in the bassinet is where things become complicated, but its worth a shot if you want to learn how to get newborn sleep without being held.

Fold a tiny towel into a square block and lay it inside the swaddle under your babys legs. Thats the difficult part of the process since you can only do it easily when the newborn is sleeping in the bassinet, and you might not get there.

Another alternative is to place it under the wrap rather than inside, making it a loose item in the bassinet. In that scenario, youll have to stay close by for the duration of the snooze.

Pointless! You might assume theres not much benefit to a baby dozing in your arms. However, if sleeping in the bassinethas become a habit, remove the towel after a few days.

How To Help Newborns Get In Sync With The Natural 24

1. Make your baby a part of your daily routine.

When parents include their newborns in their daily activities, newborn may adapt more rapidly to the 24-hour day .

One study took continuous measurements of mother-infant activity patterns for four months after birth. Newborns who were active at the same time of day as their mothers were quicker to develop mature circadian rhythms .

2. Reduce stimulation at night.

When your baby wakes for night time feedings, keep activity to a minimum. Make as little noise as possible, and avoid moving your baby around. Ideally, you want to avoid waking her all the way up. But if that isnt possible, at least try to minimize the hustle and bustle. You want the baby to learn that nighttime is for sleep and quiet.

3. Expose your newborn to natural lighting patterns.

Light cues might not instantly synchronize newborn sleep patterns, but they help.

For example, in one study, newborns slept longer at night if their parents observed a regular policy of turning out the lights by 9pm .

In another study, young babies tended to sleep longer at night if they had been exposed to lots of early afternoon light .

And time spent outdoors might make an important difference. Babies who go outside experience much higher daytime light levels than those kept indoors all day, and may develop stronger circadian rhythms as a result .

4. Try infant massage.

The takeaway? More research is needed on this topic , but meanwhile, this seems worth a try.

Don’t Miss: How Much Will A Newborn Eat

Newborn Schedule Tip #: Be Flexible

All this being said, give yourself and your baby a lot of grace in the beginning!

Try to put them down awake, but dont stress if you need to hold them or rock to sleep those first few weeks. That is completely normal, and they have plenty of time to learn independent sleep skills, so enjoy the snuggles!

The main goal this early on is to get into a routine of eat, wake, sleep.

Tip #: Use Light To Teach Babies Day And Night

Its always dark in the womb, so light and dark are new distinctions to a baby.

One retrospective study asked mothers questions about their babies. It concluded that a consistent and early lights-off time was associated with longer sleep. In other words, turning out the lights at the same time each night can help train your little one that its time to sleep.

In addition, a regular bedtime routine can help alert baby that its time to swiftly head off to dreamland.

Recommended Reading: How To Help Newborn With Hiccups

How To Get Your Baby To Sleep Tip : Do What Works

Help can come in many forms. Perhaps its your partner taking some night shifts, a family member or friend coming over during the day so you can get some long hours of uninterrupted sleep, or it could be using a sleep aid- like a white noise machine, swing, pacifier, etc. Moms might be wary to try any of these with fears of developing sleep associations or becoming dependent upon those aids. But lets get real: sleep is a priority. If you can avoid using a sleep aid with your baby, thats great! But these products exist for a reason, so dont beat yourself up for using them. If it works, let it.

Even lead sleep coach and President of The Baby Sleep Site, Nicole Johnson, says in the first six to eight weeks, you do what you have to do:

So, when you find yourself in need of a sleep crutch, feel free to lean on us! Learn more about how our Zen Swaddle works here.