Newborn Sleep Expectations and Tips
- Sleep Train With Confidence
- Jul 22, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 27, 2024
Welcome to the wonderful journey of parenthood! Here’s a guide to help you and your newborn get the rest you need.
Safety First!
Ensuring your baby's safety during sleep is paramount. Here are some key guidelines to follow:
#BacktoSleep: Always place your baby on their back to sleep for naps and bedtime. This reduces the risk of SIDS.
Firm Surface: Use a firm approved crib mattress with a tightly fitted sheet.
Empty Crib: Keep the crib or bassinet empty. Remove all soft objects, toys, pillows or bumpers and loose bedding.
No Soft Surfaces: Never place your baby to sleep on pillows, quilts, sheepskins, or other soft surfaces.
Temperature: Dress your baby in light sleep clothing and keep the room at a comfortable temperature.(20-22C) A sleep sack is a safe alternative to a blanket.
No Smoking: Do not smoke around your baby or inside the house.
Nursing Safety: If you feel sleepy while nursing, change your location, ask for support, or find a way to stay awake.
Tummy Time: Provide lots of supervised tummy time when your baby is awake.
For more safety tips:
Newborn Sleep Expectations and Tips Weeks 1-4
Don't stress about schedules right now. This is the time to cuddle and focus on recovering. Newborns can't be "spoiled." Get to know their cues and needs. You can start laying down good sleep foundations described below, but know they are not ready for self-soothing or independent sleep yet. Rock, feed, and hold your baby to sleep as feels right for you. Over time, you can scale back this level of intervention, usually around 4 months. Newborns typically wake up every 3-4 hours.
1. Adjust and Recover: Focus on recovery and finding a groove with your new bundle of joy. Use up those freezer meals, uber eats gift cards, with an older toddler or kids remove the guilt around morning cartoons or movie nights. This is a season of adjustment for everyone, be kind to yourself.
Postpartum Mental Health: Having a baby is overwhelming. It's important to take care of your mental health: The baby blues are common and usually last just a few days, characterized by mood swings, crying spells, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping. In contrast, postpartum anxiety (PPA) and postpartum depression (PPD) are more severe and long-lasting, often including persistent sadness, excessive worry, feelings of hopelessness, and difficulty bonding with your baby. If you notice these signs, it's important to seek help. Reach out to a healthcare provider, therapist, or support group if you are experiencing symptoms of PPA or PPD.
2. Day and Night Orientation: Keep daytime bright with background noise and nighttime dark and quiet. Newborns need help orienting day and night because their circadian rhythms are not yet developed, and they don't naturally distinguish between daytime and nighttime in the womb it was all the same. Providing consistent cues helps them gradually learn the difference, promoting better sleep habits and overall well-being.
3. Ensuring Good Full Feedings: During the first few weeks when baby is very sleepy you need to make sure they are getting enough nutrients, this likely means you need to keep them awake by tickling toes, stroking their cheeks, maybe even using some water droplets. Remember fed is best! Seek out lactation Support if breastfeeding is hard or painful and if you have any concerns about your baby’s weight gain contact your pediatrician or family doctor right away.
4. Understanding Wake Windows and Sleepy Cues
Avoiding #overtiredness is key at this age. Here’s what to keep in mind:
#wakeWindows: Your baby's wake windows are only 45-90 minutes long, and about 1.5-2 hours before bed.
#SleepyCues: Look for signs like eyes staring off, a calm demeanor, small yawns, and a pink hue on eyelids.
#TiredCues: Signs like rubbing eyes, tugging on ears, avoiding eye contact, and rigid movements indicate tiredness.
#WindDown: If your baby has trouble sleeping, try winding down in a quiet, dark room before naps and bedtime.
#NursingtoSleep: Don't stress about nursing your baby to sleep during the newborn phase, just be sure that they have had a full feed. During the day, feed every 2-4 hours ideally following an eat, play, sleep routine so you have some time for burping. This order is also helpful for reflux prone babies.
#NewbornBedtime: At this age bedtime can be anywhere between 7-10pm. Try not to force a time, it will make your life difficult, see when baby tends to drift off each night and make that your bedtime.
Newborn Sleep Expectations and Tips Weeks 5-12
By 6-8 weeks, they might start having longer stretches at night but may be very fussy during the day especially between 5-10pm.
Meal prep for dinner and additional support can greatly help during these witching hours. Remember this is just a phase. If you think there is any discomfort like reflux, tricky gas, lip or tongue tie etc. you can try some baby massage techniques but definitely talk to your doctor or pediatrician to see if there is a remedy.
Gently Work on Nap Lengthening:
If a nap is less than 1 hour, try rocking your baby back to sleep and placing back down or hold for the remainder of the nap (ideally less than 2hrs in total). Also, its more than okay to take them for a stroller nap if you need to change it up for yourself. Remember this is not the time to stress out about sleep, we are just trying to lay down a good sleep foundation. Focus on holistically what works best for you and your family during this newborn phase.
Calming Tricks for a fussing baby (Harvey Karp, 5 S’s):
1. Swaddle: Wrapping your baby snugly in a blanket.
How it helps: Swaddling mimics the snug environment of the womb, preventing the startle reflex (Moro reflex) and helping babies feel secure and calm.
2. Side/Stomach Position: Holding your baby on their side or stomach.
How it helps: While babies should always be placed on their backs to sleep, holding them on their side or stomach can be soothing when they are fussy as it can help relieve discomfort from gas and colic.
3. Shush: Making the infamous "shhhh" sound near your baby's ear.
How it helps: The shushing sound mimics the constant whooshing noise your baby heard in the womb. This white noise can be incredibly calming for newborns and helps them feel secure.
4. Swing: Gently rocking or swinging your baby.
How it helps: Movement, such as rocking or swinging, mimics the motion your baby felt in the womb. It can help soothe your baby and promote sleep.
5. Suck: Allowing your baby to suck on a pacifier, your breast, or a clean finger.
How it helps: Sucking is a natural reflex that is very soothing for babies. It helps them relax and can provide comfort when they are upset.
By combining these techniques, you can create a comforting environment that helps your baby relax, reduces crying, and promotes better sleep.
If this doesn’t work and all needs are met, try getting outside for fresh air and a change of scenery and hang in there!
Feel free to reach out for free support if you have any questions about newborn sleep tips or managing sleep expectations at this age, my email is sleeptrainwithconfidence@gmail.com.
If your child is ready for sleep training, check out my packages or send me an email to learn more about my services.
Remember, you’re doing an amazing job!
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