The first few weeks of your baby’s life can be some of the toughest for you. As your baby adjusts to being out of the womb, your life gets put on hold. Your baby doesn’t know day from night. He or she can’t sleep for more than a few hours without eating. You’re up and down around the clock. Many parents suffer from sleep deprivation.
Some parents think they can prevent this by putting their baby on a sleep schedule. Other parents think their baby should eat and sleep on demand. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. But there are steps you can take to set good sleep patterns for your baby. These will help them develop a routine and give you more stability and predictability.
Path to improved health
Between websites, blogs, books, magazine articles, and other parents, you have endless sources of information on what’s best for your baby. Many times, these sources give different information. But here are some basic tips that most experts agree will help your newborn get the best sleep possible.
Teach your baby daytime from nighttime
Your baby doesn’t know the difference between day and night. You have to help teach them. During the day, keep lights on. Open windows and do things with more energy. At night, keep lights low. Do things more slowly and quietly. When your baby wakes up in the middle of the night to eat, don’t engage with them. Avoid any type of stimulating talk or actions. Simply change the diaper, feed them, and put them back in the crib.
Recognize when your baby is tired
Your baby will give you cues that they are tired including:
- Yawning
- Rubbing eyes
- Fussing
- Looking away from you
Don’t wait until your baby is overly tired to put them in bed. If you do, they will have more trouble falling asleep, and probably won’t sleep as long.
Keep baby awake during feedings
Many babies fall asleep while eating. That’s understandable. They’re very comfortable, snugly wrapped in someone’s arms as they eat. But if you let your baby go to sleep, they won’t get a full feed. They will wake up sooner and want to eat again sooner. Tips to keep your baby awake while eating include:
- Rub their feet or hands.
- Wipe their forehead, neck, and face with a wet wipe.
- Strip them down to a diaper so they aren’t too warm and snug. Not to the point that they would be cold, just not cozy.
- Sit your baby up and talk to them.
- Burp your baby frequently.
Separate eating from sleeping
Don’t feed your baby in order to get them to go to sleep. If you do, they will only be able to go sleep while eating. Keep the two separate. Keep them awake while eating. When done, have playtime with your baby. This will keep them awake for a while. Then when they start to show signs of sleepiness, put them in bed.
Teach your baby how to go to sleep on his own
Once your baby learns how to go to sleep on their own, your life will become simpler. To do this, put them in the crib when they are drowsy, but awake. If they aren’t overtired, they probably won’t be very fussy. It could be hard at first, and they might cry. But give them a few minutes to work it out and see if they can fall asleep without being fed or rocked or held. You can use a pacifier to soothe them if necessary.
Establish routines
Babies crave consistency. Create routines for naptime and bedtime. Your routines don’t need to be complicated. Just do the same thing at the same time every day. It can take several weeks for your baby to get used to this routine.
Ideas of activities for your sleep routine include:
- Turn down the lights.
- Start soft music or white noise.
- Quietly change your baby’s diaper.
- Read a story.
- Give the baby a soothing bath.
- Rub their arms and legs like in a massage.
- Sing a lullaby.
- Rock them for a few minutes (but not until he goes to sleep).
Any combination of these things should work. Once the baby recognizes the pattern, they should start getting sleepy before you even lay him down.
Things to consider
It’s easy to become desperate for sleep when you have a newborn. But there are certain things you should NOT do to get your baby to go to sleep:
- Don’t overfeed your baby. Some parents feed their baby extra thinking that will help them sleep longer. But babies’ tummies are too small to hold extra food. Some parents mix baby cereal into the bottle of formula thinking it will make the baby fuller. But babies’ systems aren’t developed enough to handle cereal. If your baby has eaten too much, they will be uncomfortable and less likely to sleep well.
- Don’t prop a bottle in the baby’s mouth. Some parents put their baby in the crib with a bottle propped in their mouth. They think this would allow them to eat and fall asleep on their own. But this is never a good practice. It can lead to health issues and even choking.
- Never give a newborn medicine or alcohol to help them sleep. Even if your parents say they did it with you, don’t do it.
Other things you should keep in mind:
- Premature or special-needs babies could have different needs. You might need to adjust their sleeping and eating times to accommodate them.
- If your baby’s sleep pattern changes suddenly, call your doctor. It could be a sign of illness, such as an ear infection.
Questions to ask your doctor
- Should I put my newborn on a sleep schedule?
- Should I wake my newborn up to eat to keep them on a schedule?
- When will my baby start sleeping through the night?
- How long should I let my baby cry before going in to soothe them?
- Is there anything I can do to help my baby sleep longer?
Resources
National Institutes of Health, MedlinePlus: Bedtime Habits for Infants and Children
