5 Things You Should Know About Newborn Sleep

There is much information to gather while preparing to welcome your newborn and many things to buy and plan. When it comes to newborn sleep, there is some key information that every parent should know, it’s important to understand where your newborn is in terms of development and what this means for sleep so that you are mentally prepared and at the same time enjoying every moment with your baby.  

Here are some essential facts about the sleep of a newborn so that you are prepared:

1- Keeping your baby awake during the day won’t help him/her sleep more during the night. 

Keeping your newborn up during the day won’t make him/her sleep longer during the night. A newborn can only stay awake for 45-60 minutes; Yes, as short as it sounds! This time should also include the feeding. According to the National Sleep Foundation, a newborn will sleep around 14-17 hours per day. Keeping a newborn up during the day won’t make him/her sleep more at night. A newborn will still wake up at night to feed, so keeping him/her rested during the day will promote smooth nights with brief wake-ups for feeds.

2- Be realistic about expectations when it comes to a sleep schedule 

Every parent will come home from the hospital, searching for the perfect schedule on the World Wide Web. My advice: try not to enforce a rigid schedule from day 1, be easy on yourself and your baby.  Let me share with you why.

• As mentioned previously, a newborn can not stay awake for more than 45-60 minutes. Biologically and developmentally they can not handle being awake for more than this time frame.

• A newborn sleep cycle is not mature yet.

• There is no schedule for all children yet; every baby is different at this stage.

The main thing you can do, at this stage, is to follow the baby’s cues and make sure he/she is not awake for more than 1 hr so that he/she does not become exhausted or overtired and start fighting sleep.

3- Introduce a sleep routine for your newborn

As early as 6-8 weeks, you can start introducing a soothing sleep routine. The objective of the routine is to create a cue for the baby for sleep time. It does not have to be long. You don’t have to be super rigid about doing it every single day. You can be flexible if the baby is fussy for the day. Remember this period is a trial and a work in progress period, for both of you. 

4- Did you hear about purple crying? 

Starting week 2, some babies will experience an extended episode of crying, parents, and caregivers will try different ways to calm them down, and they will keep crying no matter what you do.  It is unexpected episodes of crying.  They can be as short as 20 minutes or can last for hours.

It can start as early as week two, and it can last until they are 3-5 months of age. If your baby is experiencing purple crying, try to have many hands helping you. Family and caregiver support is important to keep the baby safe and for you to get some rest. 

For more information about purple crying, check the purple crying website

5- Prepare a safe sleep place for your little one

When it comes to where your baby should be sleeping, I highly recommend the American Association for Pediatrics's safe sleep practices. Following these safety guidelines is essential to keep your child safe from SIDS and many other death risks.

Safe sleep recommendations: 

• Room-share not bed-share.

• A firm sleep surface (eg, mattress in a safety-approved crib) covered by a fitted sheet.

• Breastfeeding and pacifier are associated with a reduced risk of SIDS.

• Keep soft objects and loose bedding away from the infant’s sleep area.

• Avoid using lousy blankets - use a swaddle/sleep sack instead.

• Avoid overheating and head covering in infants.

• Always put the baby in the crib to sleep on his/her back.

• Avoid alcohol, drugs, smoking around the baby and during pregnancy.

For more information, check safety recommendations.

Before I end this, I would like to remind you to ALWAYS be kind to yourself and your baby, you are both understanding each other and navigating everything together!

If you are an expecting mother and would like to be prepared for your baby’s sleep journey, signup for the newborn sleep class check it out here.