Newborn Sleep Goals
Do you or someone you know just have a new baby? Don’t know where to begin with sleep and you are feeling SO overwhelmed? Don’t worry. I made sure my first ever blog post was towards new parents to help make sleep feel sustainable bringing a new little one home.
First and foremost, newborn sleep is very erratic. Your new baby has no circadian rhythm. It’s going to feel very frustrating in the beginning and that is normal. What are some goals you can work on with your newborn to get some decent chunks of sleep for your new family?
Work on Day/Night Confusion: How can we work on our baby not getting their days confused with their nights? You gotta wake them up! To establish some time of “schedule” (I say this VERY loosely), you can start by waking your baby up around the same time every day, with a 30 minute range (7:00am-7:30am; 7:30am-8:00am..whatever works best for YOUR family). Use wake times of 45-60 minutes and give them plenty of interaction during this time outside of feeds. You can do some tummy time, walk around the house, go for a walk outside if the weather permits, etc. Have your new baby nap in the daylight where there is noise and ruckus. Sounds counterintuitive, but then you will keep their nursery/room/wherever they are sleeping at night DARK so they begin to decipher what is day vs what is night. Don’t let any single nap go longer than 2 hours. This will ensure they are not sleeping all day and partying at night. You want to get enough awake time during the day to build that sleep pressure so they STAY asleep at night.
Prevent Overtiredness: A newborn is only awake 45-60 minutes. Fresh newborns, sometimes even less than that! Watch out for those sleepy cues. Some are much more subtle (rooting, red eyebrows, staring off, etc) and some are more pronounced (yawning, arching back, crying, etc). If no cues, I would still attempt to get your baby asleep by 45-60 minutes at the very most.
Establish a Good Feeding Relationship: Whether you are breastfeeding (pumping or chest feeding), or formula/bottle feeding, it’s important to establish a good feeding “rhythm” (again NOT a feeding schedule..we want to go by hunger cues right now). A hungry baby is not going to sleep very well and vice versa. There is SO much that goes into feeding and it is particularly overwhelming (burping, types of bottles, reflux, gas, different feeding positions, etc). If you find that you are struggling with feeds, contact your child’s pediatrician or reach out to an infant feeding therapist (speech language pathologist), or lactation consultant.
Help Your Newborn Adjust To Their Sleep Space (Bassinet/Pack n Play/Crib): I know some of you are probably reading this tip and being like “lol”. But it IS doable. Create a solid environment that is conducive to sleep, especially at night (during the day see above and below). You can do this by having a routine in place, white noise, and a pitch black room. Wait a solid 20 minutes (or until they are in a deep sleep) before transferring them into their sleep space. Start at the beginning of the night, as that is when sleep pressure is the highest. If you are still struggling, try warming their sleep space with a heating pad (obviously take this out before they go in) as to create a more womblike environment for them to sleep in.
Learn How to Soothe a Fussy Baby: This is another that is easier said than done. It may take some time to get to know what YOUR baby likes as far as being soothed when they are fussy. Some helpful things to soothe a fussy baby are the 5 S’s by Harvey Karp. These are swaddle, shush, side/stomach position, swing, and suck (pacifier). You can read more about the 5 S’s here. Fussy periods for newborns are VERY normal. However, if you feel your newborn is reaching the levels of colic, please read our to your child’s pediatrician.
Establish Sleep Routines: YES! You can establish some small and simple pre-sleep routines for your newborn! It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant. The main components of a bedtime routine are nutrition (feed), hygiene (bath/wipe down/new pajamas), communication (words/books/prayers), and physical contact (snuggles/cuddle/rock). Something for a newborn might be breastfeed, bath, lotion, diaper, pajamas, swaddle, lights off/white noise, and rock to sleep. A nap routine might be something similar like diaper, swaddle, lights off/white noise, and rock to sleep.
Skin to Skin/Bonding: This is also known as “kangaroo care”. It involves placing your naked or partially clothed baby against your bare chest. Skin to skin has SO many benefits! It offers regulating your baby’s temperature, stabilizing their heart rate, and promotes emotional bonding. Some studies even show that skin to skin bonding can reduce the effects of postpartum mental health disorders. It really is a powerful way to enhance the connection between you and your new baby.
Practice Sleeping in Different Places Outside of Your Arms: Hear me out on this though for REAL. As someone who had a baby in March 2020 (when the pandemic happened), I really wish that I was able to do this with my firstborn. Having your baby sleep on the go like in a stroller, baby carrier, grandma’s arms, carseat (short periods only), can really help YOU establish some kind of life still while you have a new little one. Like going on a walk with a good friend, going to the store, grabbing a cup of coffee, making dinner, tending to the needs of your other kiddos, etc.
Again, there is NO such thing as holding a sweet new baby too much. These are just some things you can do in the beginning that are simple AND effective. You can have a bit of predictability in those early days. Your baby will likely still need to eat around the clock every 2-4 hours, even in the night. Things will begin to brighten up around the 10 week mark and you will begin to see some longer stretches - I promise!
Did you enjoy this blog? I am so many more to come and I cannot wait to get all of this information out to you guys!
Talk soon and sleep well,
Maddie
