Sleep tips for newborns to 3-month-olds
Your baby’s sleep patterns will change as she grows. Young babies sleep a lot, but the timing of that sleep varies. Each baby is different.
Here’s more about the sleep habits of your infant:
- When your newborn needs sleep, she sleeps. You (and she) just can’t fight it. So let nature take its course and allow your baby to sleep on her own schedule. During the first weeks, she’ll probably fall into a three- or four-hour cycle, eating and then sleeping until she wakes up for another feeding. This is the pattern your baby will follow if she’s eating sufficiently and sleeping comfortably.
- A newborn sleeps sporadically up to 16 hours throughout the day and night. At about 2 weeks you’ll notice longer periods of sleeping and wakefulness. By 3 months your baby may be sleeping through the night.1
- Don’t try to get your newborn to sleep through the night during the first couple of months. But do provide her with the sense of security that you’re there for her, no matter what time of day or night.
- If your baby seems to have days and nights mixed up, relax. The problem should remedy itself within the first few weeks. To help, try to limit daytime naps to between three and four hours, keep the baby’s room dark and quiet at night, and try to stimulate her only during the day.
- A newborn may not be comfortable going from the womb directly to a crib. Instead she may prefer sleeping in a snug bassinet or carriage for the first few weeks.
- Most newborns wake up two or three times a night. A few minutes of cuddling or rocking should help get a fully fed, dry, healthy baby back to sleep during the night. Most infants need to still be fed at night.
1Shelov, SP, Hannemann, RE, eds. American Academy of Pediatrics The Complete and Authoritative Guide: Caring for your Baby and Young Child- Birth to Age 5. 4th ed. USA: Bantam Books; 2004. Page. 47.
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