Help! How to a Make Newborn Baby Sleep Well

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A newborn baby is sleeping well on his bed

Newborn baby sleep, eat and poop around the clock throughout their first weeks of life. It leaves you wondering how to get newborn to sleep well. Newborn babies can give you a run for your money like an experiment to see how little sleep a human body needs.

Each time I had a new baby, I struggled to figure out how to get baby to sleep well. Each hour counted when you’re sleep deprived. You learn how to function without as much sleep as you had before, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use some new baby sleep tips to try to get more rest.

Babies and infants need a lot of sleep. No one-size-fits-all answer works for every baby, so there are estimates instead. Most babies fit into these estimates, and external factors influence how long a baby sleeps, such as whether or not the baby is breastfed.

Full-term, healthy babies need around 14-18 hours of sleep in a 24-hour day. These hours aren’t consecutive. Otherwise, parents wouldn’t lack for rest! Instead, these hours are broken up in two to three-hour stretches of sleep with 45 minutes to 1 hour wake periods.

Most babies under the age of three months old won’t sleep longer than two to four hours at a time because they need to feed. Babies clock eight to 12 hours of sleep at night with intervals of feeding, then several naps during the day.

What Your Baby’s Sleep Might Look Like

While your baby might look like you, his sleep cycle isn’t anything like yours. Newborn babies have unpredictable sleep patterns because their sleep cycles are evolving. Adults move through sleep cycles without waking up, but newborns don’t stay in a deep sleep, called REM sleep, for long periods. So, that means they’re likely to wake up more frequently. Their sleep cycle starts to change and evolve to resemble your cycle around three to four months old closely. That leads to the four-month sleep regression, which is no fun!

What might your day look like? Everyone’s days are going to look different, but the easiest word to describe newborn baby sleep is erratic. Today might not seem like tomorrow. Remember that your baby will spend most of his time sleeping, only waking up to eat.

Until six weeks old, your baby will have around a 45-minute window to have his diaper changed, outfit changed, fed, and whatever else needs to be done before its sleep time again. It’s this cycle of eat-sleep-poop and repeat that makes parents the most tired because you only get two or three hours of sleep at a time before you’re awake for another hour or so.

Here is an example of what your day might look like with a newborn baby that is breastfed

9:00 AM

Wake and Feed

10:00

Nap Time – 30 to 60 Minutes

11:00 AM

Wake and Feed

12:30 PM

Nap Time – 30 to 60 Minutes

1:30 PM

Wake and Feed

3:30 PM

Nap Time – 30 to 60 minutes

4:30 PM

Wake and Feed

6:00 PM

Nap Time – 30 to 60 Minutes

6:30 PM

Wake and Feed

7:30 PM

Cat Nap – 20 to 30 Minutes

8:00 PM

Wake and Feed

9:30 PM

Cat Nap – 20 to 30 Minutes

10:00 PM

Wake and Feed

11:30 PM

Feed and Bedtime

3:30 AM

Feed and Back to Sleep

6:30 AM

Feed and Back to Sleep

Some babies might be able to sleep three to four-hour stretches at this age, but some are going to continue to the feeding of two hour stretches around the clock. Remember, nutrition is crucial right now, so follow his cues.

Here is a sample of a newborn schedule for a baby who is formula fed.

9:00 AM

Wake and Feed

10:00 AM

Nap Time – 60 to 90 Minutes

11:30 AM

Wake

12:30 PM

Feed and Nap – 30 to 60 Minutes

1:30 PM

Wake

3:00 PM

Feed and Nap – 60 to 90 Minutes

4:30 PM

Wake and Feed

6:00 PM

Nap Time – 30 to 60 Minutes

6:30 PM

Wake

7:30 PM

Feed and Nap – 30 to 60 Minutes

8:30 PM

Wake

9:30 PM

Nap Time – 30 to 60 Minutes

10:00 PM

Wake and Feed

11:30 PM

Feed and Bedtime

4:30 AM

Feed and Back to Sleep

7:30 AM

Feed and Back to Sleep

My Baby Has His Days and Nights Mixed Up

Did you notice throughout your pregnancy that your baby was most active when you laid down to sleep? Mom’s movement throughout the day helped keep your baby to sleep throughout the day, which is why babies in utero tend to be more active at night.

Once your baby is born, he doesn’t automatically know that he is supposed to do the opposite. It takes several weeks for this all to be sorted out and to get your baby on the correct schedule. Parents call this having their days and nights mixed up.

During the day, you’ll feel as if your baby falls back to sleep so quickly after eating. Then, nighttime comes, and your baby is ready to have a party when you’re seriously tired.

You can’t hurry development, but you can be sure that all babies do come out of this normal. He needs to have time to sort out and adjust his sleep cycle! You can do a few things to help encourage his days and nights to flip the correct way.

1. Include Baby in Daily Activities

Keep your baby with you as you go around your daily routine. Doctors suggest that babies who are involved with their mother more adjust to the right sleep schedule. Keep your baby close by, talk to him as you go about your daily, and he will start to adapt to the regular rhythm. I keep my babies close by babywearing them when I’m cleaning up!

2. Make Night Time About Sleep

Night time is for sleep! Keep your baby in your room, so you can quickly respond to his early feeding cues. Some parents change diapers at every wake-up, but your baby might not need it at every waking. If you can reduce how much your baby is woken up, it helps them adjust to the right cycle.

3. Ensure a Dark, Quiet Sleep Environment

You do need some light so that you can see what you’re doing. No one wants to trip when they’re trying to get their baby in the middle of the night. Ask me how I know.

The sleeping environment should be dark and quiet. Use a dim nightlight near your bed to help you see and feed him. Make sure you’re calm, using soft voices and minimal conversation with your partner. Now isn’t the time to discuss what you need at the grocery store. A quiet, dark, calm sleep environment induces more sleep!

4. Lots of Light During the Day

Your baby is working on the right circadian rhythm right now, so during the day, expose him to plenty of natural light during the day. Don’t keep the napping area too dark. Head outside every day and keep the curtains and blinds open throughout the day. It helps your circadian rhythms as well as the baby’s cycle.

5. Have a Bedtime Routine

Introduce a routine for bedtime. Doing so helps to introduce awareness that it’s night. After dinner, try dimming the lights and reducing noise as much as possible. Then, add a bedtime ritual that you’ll follow every day to transition to bedtime.

7 Best Tips to Help Baby Sleep Well

Now that you understand what to expect from a newborn baby, you can use these tips to get your newborn baby sleep well. Having appropriate expectations for your baby helps to reduce any frustration.

1. Short Wake Times

Some well-meaning friends and family might tell you that you need to keep your baby awake longer during the day. That seems logical because it works for older kids and adults. That same logic doesn’t apply to babies. Babies who are overtired sleep worse and that leads to trouble.

As soon as your baby starts to show signs of being tired, put him to sleep. Remember that sleep begets more sleep for babies.

2. Swaddle

From birth to four months old, babies have a strong startle reflex, and it makes them feel as if they’re falling. Have you ever woken up from a short nap feeling as if you’ve fallen off a bridge? That’s similar to what babies feel with their startle reflex.

Swaddling stops babies from startling themselves awake, and it makes babies feel cozy and warm like they did in the womb. It makes them feel secure and happy. Using a swaddle can help your baby get more sleep, but be sure that it doesn’t make your baby sleep too long. Babies need to eat as well in these first few weeks.

3. Use White Noise

Babies aren’t used to silence. The womb wasn’t quiet. They listened to your heartbeat, your blood rush through your veins, and your digestive system sounds. Babies can hear their mother talking, people talking around their mother and music. Silence feels awkward.

Using white noise helps babies relax, and it drowns out any sudden noises. Has your dog ever barked in the middle of naptime? It’s sure to wake your baby, ruining that nap. White noise is kind of like listening to the sounds of the waves at the beach and being lulled to sleep.

4. Co-Sleeping

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents roomshare for at least six months with their babies to reduce the risk of SIDS. Co-sleeping also has the benefit of helping babies sleep longer. It’s not recommended to bedshare with your baby, although many parents swear that this helps their baby sleep.

Co-sleeping means keeping your baby next to your bed. I use an Arm’s Reach Cosleeper that attaches to the side of the bed. I can breastfeed in my bed and scoot my baby over to the cosleeper for safe sleeping. However, the baby is right beside me, smelling me, and knowing that I’m close.

Being separate from mom feels weird! Babies just spent nine months inside of your womb; separation isn’t pleasant for babies.

5. Create a Routine

Newborn babies won’t fall into a schedule easily. Their feelings and needs drive them, and those don’t tend to follow the clock. That’s okay! At this age, it’s a great idea to try to create a routine.

Babies love routine. They like knowing that when something happens, something else follows. So, start a bedtime routine early. That might be lotion, pajamas, a bedtime book, nursing, and then sleep. It helps them get sleepy because they know what’s coming up soon.

It’s not too soon to start a routine for your baby, but it is too early for a schedule. Don’t try to schedule feedings at this point. Babies need to eat as much as they want to help them gain weight and get bigger throughout these first few weeks. Newborns frequently feed to ensure healthy growth and development.

6. Babywear

One of the best tricks I learned to get my babies to sleep whenever was to babywear. I wear my babies all over the house, outside, grocery stores, and more. If I’m out and about, chances are my baby is in a carrier on my chest, snoozing away. Babies love to be close to mom, and babywearing gives that comfort and security while also keeping my hands free.

7. Try to Be Consistent

Being consistent helps your baby know what is coming. Try to use the same ritual to put him down for naps every day. You might want to lay your baby down drowsy and see if he can fall asleep on your own. Remember not to let your baby cry. It’s too early to introduce any sleep training!

Some parents, such as myself, rock babies to sleep. All of my babies learn that rocking in a particular chair is time to fall asleep. You can decide how you want to put your baby to sleep!

Top Recommended Items for Newborn Baby Sleep

Here are some products that I recommend to help your baby get the most sleep!

Arm’s Reach Cosleeper

Do you want to co-sleep safely? Then, you need an Arm's Reach cosleeper! It can be rolled next to your bed or attached to your bed for comfortable sleeping next to your baby.

DreamEgg White Noise Machine

DreamEgg is one of the most affordable white noise machines that also has a nightlight, so you won’t need to purchase one of those! It offers 21 soothing sounds, so you’ll find something that you and your baby enjoy.

HALO SleepSack Micro-Fleece Swaddle

HALO is a leading company in swaddling products. Using the HALO SleepSack makes swaddling in the middle of the night much more manageable. This one is micro-fleece, but you can find ones that are made with cotton for the summer.

Aden & Anais Classic Swaddle Baby Blanket

If you prefer to swaddle with blankets, the Aden & Anais are the best on the market. They’re made with soft, breathable muslin blanket, and they’re large. My babies were large at birth - around 10 lbs - and these blankets were easier to use than the blankets at the hospital.

Related Reading

You’ll Sleep Again

Newborn baby sleep may be erratic, how to make baby sleep still a problem for moms’ concern, but your baby will eventually start to sleep better. As he gets older, he will be able to go more extended periods without eating. One day, the days of sleeplessness will be behind you, and then you can celebrate surviving sleep deprivation.

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