Helping Your Newborn Sleep
Newborns follow their own schedule. Over the next couple of weeks to months, you and your baby will begin to settle into a routine.
It may take a few weeks for your baby’s brain to know the difference between night and day. Unfortunately, there are no tricks to speed this up, but it helps to keep things quiet and calm during middle-of-the-night feedings and diaper changes. Try to keep the lights low and resist the urge to play with or talk to your baby. This will send the message that nighttime is for sleeping. If possible, let your baby fall asleep in the crib at night so your little one learns that it’s the place for sleep.
Don’t try to keep your baby up during the day in the hopes that your little one will sleep better at night. Overly tired infants often have more trouble sleeping at night than those who’ve had enough sleep during the day.
If your newborn is fussy it’s OK to rock, cuddle, and sing as your baby settles down. Swaddling can also help to soothe a crying baby. If you swaddle your baby and they start trying to roll over, that is a sign that you can stop swaddling. For the first months of your baby’s life, “spoiling” is definitely not a problem. In fact, newborns who are held or carried during the day tend to have less colic and fussiness.
When Should I Seek A Doctor’s Help
Contact your healthcare provider if:
- Your baby seems to be extremely fussy/irritable or cannot be soothed he/she may have a medical problem such as colic or reflux .
- Your baby appears to have a breathing problem.
- Your baby has a difficult time being awakened from sleep.
- Your baby is uninterested in feeding or persistently shies away from activity.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 03/17/2020.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Accessed 3/23/2020.
- National Sleep Foundation. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Sleep. Accessed 3/23/2020.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatrics: Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2016 Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment. November 2016, 138. Accessed 3/23/2020.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Safe Sleep. Accessed 3/23/2020.
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Sleep Education. Healthy Sleep Habits. Accessed 3/23/2020.
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Ages 03 Months: The Fourth Trimester
You were probably told that pregnancy consists of three trimesters. So whats this about a fourth one?
The fourth trimester, or newborn period, is the timeframe when your baby is 03 months. Its known as the fourth trimester because your baby is adjusting to time outside your womb and sometimes, quite honestly, misses it and wishes to be back in it!
Some newborns have their days and nights confused, so they sleep during the day and are often awake at night. Their stomachs are tiny, so they need to eat every 23 hours. Your baby will usually make this need loud and clear, but talk to your pediatrician.
In the first couple of weeks, its possible that youll need to wake your baby for feedings if theyre not waking on their own at these intervals, especially if they havent gotten back to their birthweight yet.
A lot of development also occurs during these months, so your sleepless nights will pay off with interest.
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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.
They Could Be Experiencing A Growth Spurt
Growing pains are real. As an adult, weve naturally forgotten what that feels like since it was likely over 20 years ago that we endured that experience ourselves. As our children go through these short bursts in growth, they need extra consideration to supplement these changes.
If your baby is eating more, sleeping longer, or taking more naps over a few days, this is entirely common. In fact, youll likely see it again from time to time. With a little growing bean, growth spurts can be expected.
Its quite all right to let them sleep more, nurse more, or eat more solid foods if theyre at that stage. However, if you think your little one is sleeping or eating more than is healthy, it never hurts to seek advice from a health professional.
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Sleep Myth : Babies On Solid Foods Sleep Longer
Many parents have heard that starting solids early or adding cereal to their babys bottle will help their child sleep through the night. This is a myth. There is no research to support it, and in fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages feeding babies solid foods before four months of age. This is due to their immature digestive systems and their lack of oral-motor skills. Some studies even indicate that early introduction of solids can trigger food allergies.
It is normal and expected that babies younger than 4 months will wake during the night. Beginning at about 4 months, you can start helping your baby learn to sleep though the night.
Until then, your young infant will be plenty full on a liquid diet, without using solids. Make the babys last feeding part of his bedtime routine. And try to put your baby down while he is still awake, but drowsy. If you have concerns about your childs weight gain or sleep patterns, talk to your health care provider.
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When To Visit The Doctor
If your baby isnt sleeping through the night by 12 months or by the time hes a year old, talk to your pediatrician to determine if theres a root cause. Other reasons to chat with the doctor: your baby snores, she has a hard time breathing, or she seems extremely fussy at bedtime and after feedings .
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What To Do If A Newborn Is Sleeping Too Much
Usually, a newborn who appears to be sleeping too much is just sleeping on an irregular schedule.
Nevertheless, health issues such as respiratory infections that are minor annoyances in older babies can be much more dangerous in newborns. So, anyone who is concerned about a babys sleeping schedule should consult a pediatrician.
Some strategies to try before calling the doctor include:
- feeding the baby every time they show hunger cues
- offering the baby the breast, the chest, or a bottle every 12 hours to ensure adequate food intake
- making sure that the baby is not too cold or too hot
- keeping a log of the babys sleep schedule for 12 days
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How Long Will My Baby Sleep
Because babies this age are more awake, alert, and aware of their surroundings during daylight hours, they’re more likely to be tired at night and sleep. But the range of normal is still very wide.
Infants up to 3 months old should get 1417 hours of sleep over a 24-hour period, says the National Sleep Foundation. Many will have settled into a daily sleep routine of 2-3 naps during the day, followed by a longer “sleeping through the night” stretch after a late-night feeding.
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Recognize When Baby Is Sleepy
Learn to recognize when your baby is getting sleepy. Knowing when your baby is tired and ready for sleep is the key to encouraging a healthy sleep schedule. In a newborn, your baby might begin to yawn, close their fists, or bat at their ears. They also might get fussy, frown, have fluttering eyelids, or stare off into space without focusing.
How Should Babies Sleep
During the first weeks of a baby’s life, some parents choose to room-share. Room-sharing is when you place your baby’s crib, portable crib, play yard, or bassinet in your own bedroom instead of in a separate nursery. This keeps baby nearby and helps with feeding, comforting, and monitoring at night. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends room-sharing without bed-sharing.
While room-sharing is safe, putting your infant to sleep in bed with you is not.Bed-sharing increases the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related deaths.
Follow these recommendations for a safe sleep environment for your little one:
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When To Set Up A Sleep Routine
Itâs never too early to think about adding structure around your babyâs sleep, but keep in mind that it may be several months before your baby has a predictable sleep pattern.Newborns donât yet know the difference between day and night and their circadian rhythms are still developing. And because their stomachs are so small, newborns can only go for a few hours before they need to be fed again, even during the night.At this early stage, itâs more important to cater to your babyâs feeding and sleep needs , rather than pushing a strict sleep schedule onto your little one. Look out for your babyâs drowsy periods and encourage sleep then.If you want, you can start keeping track of when your baby sleeps and feeds, and begin to put together a bedtime routine that you could follow consistently. Later on, when you may wish to start sleep training, having some basic sleep routines already in place may make things easier.
How Long Do Newborns Sleep
Congratulations! Youve brought your new little one home! You might have already noticed that your newborn sleeps most of the time: usually around 14 to 17 hours in a 24-hour period.
In the first 6 months of life, your baby will almost double their size and weight. All this hard work means they need plenty of sleep and food.
But even though babies sleep a lot, parents and caregivers are still exhausted.
Your baby will probably interrupt your sleep every hour or so for a meal or a diaper change. Some babies also prefer being more active and playful at night than during the day.
Babies normally wake up ravenous for a feed every few hours. Even if they dont wake up on their own, youll have to wake them up to eat every 23 hours until theyre above their birth weight.
New little ones have stomachs the size of an acorn. This means they get full quickly, but must feed every 1 to 3 hours even if this means summoning you from sleep in the middle of the night!
Its not uncommon for babies to wake up many times at night. You may wish your baby could sleep longer and allow you to rest after an exhausting day. Their sleeping habits may be taking a toll on you, and you may need help to make your baby sleep longer at night.
Theres no magic formula to changing your babys sleep routine, especially at night. Luckily, you can take some steps to help them sleep through the night to help both of you rest better.
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How Much Will My Baby Sleep In The First Year
Over the first year of life, your baby will sleep and nap a lot from 12 up to 18 hours a day. The amount of sleep an infant gets at any one stretch of time is mostly ruled by hunger. Newborns will wake up and want to be fed about every three to four hours at first. Do not let your newborn sleep longer than five hours at a time in the first five to six weeks. Thereafter, you can keep the following general milestones in mind:
- By six months, many babies can go for five to six hours or more without the need to feed and will begin to “sleep through the night.”
- Daytime naps reduce in number as the baby grows. A 2-month-old may nap up to four times a day, whereas an older infant may nap only one to two times a day.
Strategy #2 Teach Your Baby To Distinguish Between Night And Day When Can You Let Baby Sleep Longer Than 3 Hours
Because our circadian rhythm operates on a 24-hour and 10-minute to 24 hour and 20-minute cycle and all of our rhythms are slightly out of sync with the 24-hour clock on which the planet operates, we have to reset our internal clocks each and every day otherwise, wed slowly but surely stay up later and sleep in later each day until we had our cycles way out of whack.Daylight is one of the mechanisms that regulate our biological cycles.Being exposed to darkness at night and daylight first thing in the morning regulates the bodys production of melatonin, a hormone that keeps our bodies internal clock in sync to that we feel sleepy and alert at the appropriate times.By exposing your baby to daylight shortly after he wakes up in the morning and keeping his environment brightly lit during his waking hours, you will help his circadian rhythm to cue him to feel sleepy at the right times.Moreover, hell start to associate darkness with sleep time and bright light with wake-up time youll find that it works best to take advantage of sunlight whenever possible.Studies have shown that exposing your baby to daylight between noon and 4:00 P.M. will increase the odds of your baby getting a good nights sleep.
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Are There Other Ways To Help Reduce Your Babys Risk Of Sleep Dangers Including Sids
Yes. Heres what you can do:
- Make sure your baby gets all her vaccinations. These shots help protect her from serious childhood diseases and may help prevent SIDS. All children should be vaccinated for their own health and so they dont spread infections to others.
- Dont smoke and keep your baby away from other smokers and secondhand smoke . Babies who live with smokers are at increased risk of SIDS. Keep your home and your car smoke-free.
- Dont smoke, drink alcohol or use harmful drugs during pregnancy. Babies of mothers who do these things are at increased risk of SIDS.
- Go to all your prenatal care checkups during pregnancy. Babies of mothers who dont get regular prenatal care are at increased risk of SIDS.
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Set Up A Proper Sleeping Environment
The proper sleep environment will matter more and more as baby gets past the 6-week mark. Set up a room for your baby to sleep for naps and bedtime. The sooner your baby starts to associate darkness and loud white noise with sleep, the easier his or her life will be.
People always worry their baby will become addicted to or dependent on darkness and white noise, and then wont be able to sleep without it. Newsflash: adults have sleep preferences too! I dont like to sleep on planes, trains, or automobiles. I prefer sleeping in my bed, with my pillow, etc. Many adults swear they sleep just fine through any errant noise, but studies show that constant pink noise helps the brain go into more stable levels of sleep. You can also just not use white noise or darkness, and then see how that goes.
Most babies sleep better with loud white noise, and as-dark-as-possible darkness. This is a post about how to get your kiddo to sleep better, after all
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Baby Sleep Problems: Why Your Baby May Not Be Sleeping All Night
There are many reasons your little one may wake up and cry at night. Itâs normal for newborns to wake repeatedly in the night, but even older babies who sleep soundly can change their sleep patterns unexpectedly â for example, during growth spurts or when teething starts.
As your baby gets older, another reason he or she may cry out instead of sleeping through the night is separation anxiety.
Have A Bedtime Routine
A 2015 study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that children with a consistent bedtime routine tended to have better sleep. They went to bed earlier, fell asleep faster, woke up less frequently throughout the night and slept longer overall. Make sure you follow the same bedtime routine with your toddler all weekweekends included. It should be 20 to 30 minutes and include changing clothes, nightly hygiene such as tooth brushing, and time spent with a caregiver without a screen, says Myron. Read books, tell stories or sing songs in your childs room, then turn the lights out at the same time every night.
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