New Born Babies Sleeping Patterns

Newborn babies sleep a lot for up to 16-17 hours per day, but they usually, don’t sleep for more than 2-4 hours during day or night time for the first week of their lives. Lots of sleep for your baby and irregular sleeping patterns can be very tiring for you. Being a new parent, you will be staying up several times during the night, to change them, feed them and soothe them.

How to establish good sleeping habits for your little one?

These tips will help you settle and soothe your baby to sleep:

• Give your baby a nap regularly

From the first 6-8 weeks, most babies don’t stay up or don’t sleep for more than 2 hours. If you wait longer for your baby to sleep, they might be overtired by that time and have trouble going to sleep.

• Help your baby learn the difference between day and night

Usually, infants are like a night owl and they stay wide awake when you plan to hit the hay. In the initial days, you won’t be able to do much about it but in a couple of weeks, you can make them understand the difference between day and night. 

When the baby is alert at day time, interact and play with them as much as you can. Keep the room and house bright with lights without worrying about the noises during day time such as phone, TV or music. If the baby wants to sleep during feedings, wake them up. Keep them busy and occupied.

When night time arrives, don’t play with them. Keep the lights and noises low and don’t spend time talking to them for long. Let them know that it is time to sleep.

RELATED: Why Toddlers Resist Bedtime?

• Notice if your baby is tired

Look out for the signs if your baby is tired. See if he is rubbing his eyes or being fussy more than usual. If you see any of these signs of sleepiness then put them to sleep immediately. You will gradually learn about the baby’s daily sleeping patterns will instantly know when they want to sleep.

• Consider a bedtime routine for your baby

It is never too early to begin a bedtime routine for your little one. The routine may include massaging them, bathing them, changing them into night clothes, sing a lullaby or kiss them good night. 

• Putting baby to bed when he is sleepy but awake

By the time your baby is 6-8 weeks old, you can give your little one a chance to sleep on their own. You can put them to bed even if they awake but feeling sleepy, gradually they will sleep on their own.

Parents think that rocking their baby to sleep doesn’t have any effect on their sleeping habits, but it does! Rocking your baby to sleep for the first eight weeks will make them expect the same later on as well. Parents usually choose to rock or nurse the babies to sleep because they think it is normal and followed by everyone. They enjoy this way of putting the baby to sleep because the baby sleeps well. In this way, parents also have to get up several times during the night to put them back to sleep.

Also, check out bottle-feeding basics for your little one.