• Home
  • Guides
  • Newborn Sleep Schedules: Tips and Advice

Newborn Sleep Schedules: Tips and Advice

Share on twitter
Share on facebook
Share on linkedin

Table of Contents

Having a baby is magical, but that thing everyone tells you about sleep? It’s true; it’s all true. You won’t get any sleep, and you’ll wonder how your baby can sleep so peacefully in your arms then scream the moment you place them into their crib. Baby sleep isn’t an exact science, but here’s our advice on what to do to help you understand the way your baby sleeps, and to help set your mind at ease.

How Many Hours Do Newborns Sleep?

How long do babies sleep? About 75% of the time just after they’re born, and maybe 18 hours a day. Newborns pretty much sleep and eat, with small periods in between where they are awake and alert. A good rule of thumb is that your baby will want to eat every three hours; however, this can vary greatly. This is especially true in the early days of breastfeeding when the milk supply is still being established.

But why do babies sleep so much? Being born is exhausting. They’ve had a traumatic experience, and now they’re constantly growing and learning. They need sleep to recover and to build the pathways in their brains that will store all this new and amazing information they’re absorbing.

How Much Should a 2 Month Old Sleep?

How Much Should a 2 Month Old Sleep

By two months old, your baby might be sleeping 15 or 16 hours a day. This will still include lots of daytime sleep and regular wakes in the night for feeding.

How Much Should a 3 Month Old Sleep?

Short answer: No. Trying to create a baby schedule could just end up making you miserable. It is as if there’s one person in your family who refuses to cooperate with what you’re trying to do– your baby. There’s no specific newborn schedule that works for every baby.

Many authors have tried to claim that a happy baby is a baby that is in routine, but most newborns don’t even run to a diurnal (night and day) clock until they’re at least 8 weeks old. Remember, they’ve been living their lives in the perpetual darkness of the womb.

Help! My Newborn Won’t Sleep

Why My Newborn Baby Won't Sleep?

A newborn, not sleeping, can feel like the worst thing in the world, especially if you’re a first-time parent.

Reasons your baby isn’t sleeping:

  • They’re a baby! Babies take differing times to get into sleep routines.
  • They might be hungry. Your baby’s tummy is tiny and doesn’t take long to empty. If you’ve just fed from one breast, try offering the other breast.
  • They might be lonely. Your baby has been inside mom for months. They’re not used to being in the outside world. Try putting a piece of clothing you’ve worn under their mattress so that your smell is nearby. Don’t leave loose items of clothing in the crib as this is a safety hazard.
  • They might be too warm. Try removing a layer or changing to a thinner blanket.
  • They may be too cold. Try changing what they wear at bedtime or switching to a thicker blanket. Don’t add additional blankets as these are suffocation risks.
  • They may have gas and need their back rubbing.
  • Their diaper may be soiled.
  • They could be teething. Look out for chewing, drooling, or a flushed cheek.
  • They might need to poop.
  • They could be sick. Invest in a thermometer, and keep an eye out for any rashes or sudden changes in routine or behavior. Always speak to a medical professional about any concerns.

Ideal Sleeping Position

Your newborn’s sleeping position is very important. Newborns should always be on their back to sleep. Never place a young baby on their front as this may affect their breathing and contribute towards SIDS: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, previously known as crib death.

Once your baby starts rolling by themselves, you may suddenly find them on their front or side in bed. By this stage, the risk of SIDS has dropped off significantly, and the baby should be fine like this. Of course, if you’re unsure, speak to a pediatrician.

Do Newborns Dream?

Listening to a baby crying in their sleep can be heartbreaking. Those baby cries in sleep time or at bedtime can lead to parents wondering, “can babies have nightmares?” It seems like they’re so upset that it must be something genuinely distressing that’s bothering them. So, what’s the science? Do babies have nightmares?

According to Live Science, babies experience REM sleep (rapid eye movement, the dreaming sleep) from birth onwards. However, scientists believe that this is when your baby builds the neural pathways that help them learn about their world and develop language. The same article proposes that babies simply don’t have the imagination or head-space for dreaming; however, this is one question we may never really have the answer to.

When Do Babies Sleep All Night?

This is different for all children. Your kid, at any age, may wake in the night due to sounds, health, stress, hunger, and even growing pains. By about six months old, your baby might be capable of sleeping a solid eight hours. This doesn’t mean they will.

Also, you may get a couple of months of peaceful nights then suddenly find you are getting up with them in the night again- for no apparent reason. This is often due to separation anxiety, a sense of their own developing personality, which makes them hyper-aware of your absence.

The most important thing is to remember that your child is an individual. They will develop in their own time. If you feel that your child is suffering from a lack of sleep, definitely see your pediatrician. Otherwise, just accept that a few sleepless nights are par for the course, and they will learn to get a good night’s sleep… eventually.

Takeaway:

All babies struggle to sleep at night. They need to wake frequently to feed and are in a whole new world with dozens of startling changes that can keep them awake. It’s important not to panic if your baby isn’t sleeping. Understanding why your baby needs sporadic sleep can be the first step in accepting your new and crazy sleep schedule.

618 Replies to “Newborn Sleep Schedules: Tips and Advice”

  198. It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d certainly donate to this fantastic blog!
    I suppose for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google
    account. I look forward to new updates and will share this website
    with my Facebook group. Talk soon!

    Reply

  219. Its like you read my thoughts! You appear to know so much approximately this, such as you wrote the e book
    in it or something. I think that you could do with a few % to power
    the message house a little bit, however instead of that, that is fantastic blog.
    A fantastic read. I’ll certainly be back.

    Reply
  223. Pingback: too many fish free dating

  249. You are so interesting! I don’t believe I have read a single thing like that before. So wonderful to discover another person with original thoughts on this subject. Really.. thanks for starting this up. This website is one thing that is required on the web, someone with some originality!

    Reply

  254. You are so interesting! I don’t think I’ve read through something like that before. So wonderful to discover somebody with a few original thoughts on this subject. Really.. thank you for starting this up. This web site is something that is required on the web, someone with a bit of originality!

    Reply

  255. you are in point of fact a good webmaster. The website loading speed is incredible. It seems that you are doing any unique trick. Moreover, The contents are masterwork. you’ve performed a excellent activity in this subject!

    Reply

  258. You are so cool! I do not think I have read anything like this before. So great to discover somebody with unique thoughts on this subject matter. Really.. thanks for starting this up. This site is one thing that’s needed on the internet, someone with some originality!

    Reply

  261. You are so interesting! I don’t believe I have read a single thing like that before. So wonderful to discover another person with original thoughts on this subject. Really.. thanks for starting this up. This website is one thing that is required on the web, someone with some originality!

    Reply

  269. You could certainly see your skills within the paintings you write. The sector hopes for more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to mention how they believe. All the time go after your heart. “The point of quotations is that one can use another’s words to be insulting.” by Amanda Cross.

    Reply

  278. You could certainly see your expertise in the work you write. The sector hopes for more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. All the time follow your heart. “Man is the measure of all things.” by Protagoras.

    Reply

  284. You could certainly see your skills within the work you write. The sector hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to mention how they believe. At all times go after your heart. “The most profound joy has more of gravity than of gaiety in it.” by Michel de Montaigne.

    Reply

  288. You are so interesting! I don’t believe I have read a single thing like that before. So wonderful to discover another person with original thoughts on this subject. Really.. thanks for starting this up. This website is one thing that is required on the web, someone with some originality!

    Reply

  319. You could definitely see your expertise within the work you write. The sector hopes for more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. At all times go after your heart. “History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.” by Napoleon.

    Reply

  499. You could definitely see your skills in the paintings you write. The world hopes for even more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid to mention how they believe. At all times follow your heart. “In order to preserve your self-respect, it is sometimes necessary to lie and cheat.” by Robert Byrne.

    Reply

  538. You could certainly see your expertise in the work you write. The sector hopes for more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. All the time follow your heart. “Man is the measure of all things.” by Protagoras.

    Reply

  555. You are so interesting! I do not think I’ve read through something like that before. So nice to find somebody with unique thoughts on this subject. Seriously.. thanks for starting this up. This web site is one thing that is needed on the web, someone with a little originality!

    Reply

  558. You are my inhalation , I have few blogs and very sporadically run out from to post .I conceive this website holds some rattling great info for everyone. “He who has not looked on Sorrow will never see Joy.” by Kahlil Gibran.

    Reply