Every expecting mother has heard it: “Get sleep now because you never will again!”
Not exactly the most encouraging advice for a mom preparing to welcome a new baby!
Worrying about your baby’s sleep and figuring out how to establish a newborn sleep routine can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Like so many parts of becoming a parent, healthy baby sleep habits develop over time. You and your baby will learn together.
It’s ironic how newborns require so much sleep yet seemingly keep their caregivers up all night. Newborn sleep patterns are very different from adult sleep patterns. Your baby may sleep for short stretches throughout the day and night, waking frequently to eat, be changed, and—sometimes—just to be held and comforted.
That’s normal.
Around the age of two months, you may notice that your baby’s sleep patterns become a little more predictable. You can begin practicing some of the healthy sleep habits below whenever you and your baby feel ready. Keep in mind, however, that formal sleep training is generally not recommended for newborns. Many babies aren’t developmentally ready for sleep training until around four to six months of age.
Instead of worrying about a perfect schedule, focus on creating gentle routines and learning your baby’s cues.
Here are five tips for encouraging healthy sleep habits for your baby.
1. Help Your Baby Learn the Difference Between Day and Night
Babies aren’t born understanding that daytime is for activity and nighttime is for longer stretches of sleep. In fact, some newborns seem to have their days and nights completely backward!
You can gently help your baby begin recognizing the difference.
During the day, keep curtains open and allow natural sunlight into your home. You don’t necessarily need to tiptoe around during naps. Allow normal household noises, talk to your baby, enjoy tummy time when appropriate, and interact during wake periods.
At night, change the atmosphere.
Close the curtains, dim the lights, and speak in quiet, soothing tones. Avoid overstimulating your baby with exciting games, bright lights, or toys during nighttime feedings and diaper changes.
Once your baby is fed, changed, and comfortable, transition back toward sleep.
Over time, these little environmental cues can help your baby begin associating darkness and quiet with nighttime sleep.
2. Learn to Recognize When Your Baby Is Tired
Take it from an experienced momma: you do not want an overtired baby!
Learning your baby’s sleepy cues can make bedtime and naptime much easier. Rather than relying exclusively on the clock, pay attention to what your baby is communicating.
Your baby may be getting sleepy if they are:
- Rubbing their eyes
- Yawning
- Becoming fussy
- Looking away from you
- Losing interest in toys or interaction
- Becoming unusually quiet
- Making jerky movements or seeming restless
Try to begin your naptime or bedtime routine when you notice these early signs rather than waiting until your baby is exhausted.
You may also hear a lot about baby wake windows—the amount of time a baby is typically awake between periods of sleep. Wake windows can be a helpful guideline, but babies aren’t robots! Your baby’s needs can change from day to day, especially during growth spurts, developmental changes, illness, or particularly stimulating days.
Watch your baby as much as you watch the clock.
When possible, you can practice putting your little one down when they are drowsy but still awake. This may gradually help your baby become familiar with falling asleep in their own sleep space.
And if your baby falls asleep in your arms sometimes? Enjoy those cuddles.
3. Create a Safe Place for Baby to Sleep
Safe sleep is one of the most important parts of caring for a newborn.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies sleep on their backs for every sleep—both naps and nighttime—on a firm, flat sleep surface designed for infants. The sleep space should remain free from pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, crib bumpers, and other soft items.
The AAP also recommends room-sharing without bed-sharing for at least the first six months.
Having your baby nearby can make those frequent nighttime feedings and diaper changes easier, too.
During the day, you can practice putting your baby in their bassinet or crib for naps so they gradually become familiar with their sleep space.
If you swaddle your newborn, be sure to follow current safe-swaddling recommendations and discontinue swaddling when your baby shows signs of attempting to roll.
Safe sleep recommendations can change as new research becomes available, so talk with your pediatrician if you have questions about the safest sleep environment for your baby.
4. Establish a Simple Bedtime Routine
You and I probably have some type of routine before bed.
Maybe yours involves a shower, a cup of tea, and thirty minutes of reading. Or maybe it’s a quick face rinse followed by some mindless scrolling until you realize it’s much later than you intended.
We all have patterns that tell our brains, “It’s almost time to sleep.”
Your baby can benefit from a relaxing and consistent bedtime routine, too. It doesn’t need to be complicated or Pinterest-worthy. In fact, simple is usually better.
Your routine might include:
- A warm bath
- Fresh pajamas and a clean diaper
- Dimming the lights
- Reading or telling a short bedtime story
- Quietly singing a slow lullaby
- Goodnight kisses and cuddles
- Turning on a sound machine at a safe volume and distance
- Feeding and settling your baby for sleep
Try doing the same activities in roughly the same order each evening.
With repetition, these familiar activities can become cues that tell your baby bedtime is approaching.
And maybe no social media scrolling for baby just yet.
5. Relax—There Is No Perfect Baby Sleep Schedule
This one might be the most important tip.
Relax.
You are doing an amazing job caring for your baby.
Social media can make it seem as though everyone else’s three-month-old is sleeping peacefully through the night after following an elaborate twelve-step bedtime routine.
Meanwhile, you’re celebrating because you drank an entire cup of coffee while it was still warm.
Every baby is different.
Some babies naturally settle into predictable sleep patterns relatively quickly. Others need more time. Your baby’s temperament, feeding needs, developmental stage, growth spurts, and countless other factors can influence sleep.
If your baby falls asleep on you, that’s okay.
If you miss a wake window, that’s okay.
If bedtime is 7:00 one evening and 8:15 the next, that’s okay.
And if the beautifully planned bedtime routine completely falls apart one night? Tomorrow is another opportunity.
You and your baby are both learning how to navigate this new territory. Giving yourself some grace goes a long way.
You Don’t Have to Navigate Parenting Alone
Learning how to care for a newborn comes with plenty of questions: How much should my baby sleep? Is my baby eating enough? What milestones should I expect? What supplies do I really need? Am I doing this right?
Sometimes parents simply need someone in their corner.
The Pregnancy & Parenting Center provides free pregnancy and parenting support, education, resources, and practical assistance for moms, dads, and families. Parenting education can help you learn more about newborn care, baby development, infant sleep, feeding, milestones, and the many changes that come with bringing home a new baby.
Most importantly, remember that parenting isn’t about getting every routine exactly right.
Pay attention to your baby’s sleepy cues. Learn their natural rhythms. Create a calm bedtime routine. Follow safe-sleep recommendations. Ask your pediatrician when you have questions.
And give yourself permission to learn as you go.
Your baby doesn’t need a perfect parent or a perfect sleep schedule.
They need you.
Sources
National Health Service (NHS). “Helping Your Baby to Sleep.”
American Academy of Pediatrics. Safe Sleep Recommendations.
What to Expect. “Getting Baby on a Sleep Schedule.”