Sleep in Newborn Babies

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Sleep can be one of the most confusing aspects of new parenthood. As we all know from our rough nights and zombie-like days, babies, unlike us, don’t have a “snooze button.” So why?

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Some newborns party all night and sleep all day :)

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According to Charles Shubin, MD, director of pediatrics at Mercy Family Health Center in Baltimore, most babies come into the world with day and night completely reversed. These little night owls sleep long hours during the day to recharge their batteries for the nighttime hours.

Babies who wake up every hour at night to kick up air, feed, and get affection and attention from an adult can make parents increasingly tired.

This can be very challenging for parents, Shubin says, because our bodies are not physiologically suited to being on their feet all day. This is why night shifts are so difficult. Try to take naps during your baby’s longer naps, and remind yourself that the day/night shift is temporary. As your baby’s brain and central nervous system mature, their sleep periods will lengthen and shift more toward nighttime. Most babies adapt to the family’s sleep schedule within a month or so.

You can help this process along by creating a quiet, dark space at night and letting in sunlight during the day. “I talk to my baby during the day while I feed him,” one mother says. But when I feed him at night, I try to create an environment that is as quiet and dark as possible. This helps him understand the day-night routine,” she says.

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Newborn sleep is erratic and unpredictable!

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During the first few weeks, your baby may be a college student who has just returned from a vacation and is unable to get enough sleep. But the catch is, most babies don’t sleep more than two to four hours a night, day or night, during the first few weeks of life.

Typically, newborns sleep 14 to 18 hours a day during the first week, and 12 to 16 hours at one month of age. (Since every baby is different, some may sleep a little longer or shorter than average.)

Unfortunately, even if your baby is a sleeper, you may find yourself tossing and turning, not knowing what to do. According to a recent study , 71 percent of mothers say the hardest part about newborns is the lack of sleep.

You could blame your lack of energy on your baby’s sleep schedule. “My nine-week-old baby sleeps so much!” says one mother. “Sometimes we sleep four hours straight, and sometimes he wakes up in an hour.”

However, some parents complain and even worry about their babies sleeping too much. “My 9-day-old baby sleeps all day. He’s only awake for five minutes a day,” says one mother. “Should I be worried?”

According to the author, some newborns can sleep up to 20 hours a day. If your baby is like this, start getting some sleep now, because this phase won’t last long.

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Newborns do not need peace and quiet to sleep!

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Don’t feel obligated to whisper or tiptoe around sleeping newborns. Shubin says, “Most newborns can sleep in the loudest, brightest places. They don’t need the kind of sleep environment we need.”

This isn’t surprising when you consider that your baby spent nine months in the womb. The womb isn’t as quiet and calm as you might think. The sounds of the mother’s heartbeat, digestive system, and other bodily functions are quite loud.

Many newborns sleep better with repetitive sounds, such as a fan or a hair dryer. “I put my baby’s crib next to our noisy dishwasher. He slept like an angel,” says one mother.

Newborns are too young to be distracted by the shiny necklace the woman on the other side of the room is wearing or the smiley face of the nearest stranger. They just sleep when they need to. So, at least in the beginning, you probably won’t need to hush your guests. You can take your baby outside without worrying about disrupting his rest.

The ability to fall asleep in the middle of a storm is so strong that some parents worry that their baby can’t hear very well. If you have concerns, definitely discuss them with your doctor. However, since babies are screened for hearing problems shortly after birth, the most likely explanation is that your child is truly “sleeping like a baby.”

Enjoy the process. Once your baby is past the newborn stage, settled into a routine, and more aware of their surroundings, this “I sleep all the time” phase will be over. From that point on, all the noise and distractions become more important, and you may find yourself tiptoeing around the house.

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Every baby's sleep personality is different!

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Babies never come as a blank slate, they are born with their own sleep habits. Babies, like adults who sleep lightly and heavily, have individual differences in their sleep.” Parents of multiple children can see these differences early on. As one mother of two put it, “My first baby was a deep sleeper, while my second baby would toss and turn in his crib and wake up after a short nap.”

Cohen thinks personality also plays a role. Some babies are determined and fight sleep as much as they can. Others are more compliant. Whether or not you’ve won the baby sleep lottery, you can help your baby develop good sleep habits by creating a sleep schedule and learning the basics of baby sleep.

 

Babies need a simple sleeping space!​​

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A generation ago, a good crib would have had a soft cushion, a few warm blankets, and a pillow or two. But things have changed. It has been determined that it is much safer for babies to sleep in a more modest environment. The safest sleeping position and place for babies is on their backs, surrounded only by a flat sheet and a tightly stretched sheet.

A bed without blankets or pillows? This combination, which sounds cold and uncomfortable to an adult, is perfect for a properly dressed baby. You can learn how to keep your baby warm and comfortable without a blanket.

Remove any items from the sleeping area that could suffocate, overheat, or otherwise cause breathing difficulties, such as blankets, cushions, stuffed animals, or blankets. This will reduce the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), the most common cause of death in babies between the ages of 1 month and 1 year.​​

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Is your baby getting the sleep he needs?​​

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Bu soruya yanıt vermenin bir yolu, bebeğinizin uyku düzenini takip etmektir (bebeğinizin ne zaman uykuya daldığı, ne kadar sıklıkla ve uzunlukla uyandığı ve gündüz şekerlemelerinin uzunluğu ve sıklığı). Ayrıca, bu bilgiler çocuğunuzun kendine özgü uyku düzenini anlamanıza ve gece sık sık uyanma ya da tutarsız uyuma saatleri gibi sorunları kötü alışkanlıklara dönüşmeden tespit etmenize yardımcı olacaktır. Buna ek olarak, sadece basit bir tabloyu doldurarak, hayatınız üzerinde biraz daha kontrol sahibi olduğunuzu hissedebilirsiniz. Özellikle bebeğinizin gece talepleriyle başa çıkmakta zorlandığınızı düşündüğünüz hallerde, bu kontrolü hissetmeniz çok önemlidir.

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Tabloyu nasıl dolduracaksınız?

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Black out the boxes that show when your child is asleep. Mark the times when he or she wakes up from a nap in the morning and a nap during the day with a “U.” Mark the times when you put your baby down for a nap or nighttime nap with a “Y.” After filling in the chart for a few days, you’ll see a routine emerge. Use this information to help you determine if you need to make any changes to your baby’s sleep schedule. Or, if you’re concerned about your child’s sleep habits, you can take this chart with you to your next pediatrician appointment. You can download a printable version of this child sleep chart for home use.

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How much sleep does your child need?​​

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As a new parent, this is probably one of the biggest questions on your mind. Below are some general guidelines for the amount of sleep an average child needs at different ages. Of course, every child is different. Some may need up to two hours less or more.
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Age Night Sleep Day Sleep Total Sleep
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*Note: The number of naps is in parentheses.

Remember that most children need long naps. If a child has poor sleep habits or refuses to go to bed before 11 p.m., parents often assume that they don’t need much sleep. That’s probably not the case. It’s more likely that a child is actually sleep deprived, says Jodi Mindell, author of Sleeping Through the Night .

 

To determine if your child falls into this group, ask yourself these questions!

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• Does your child fall asleep almost every time you get in the car?

• Do you have to wake your child every morning?

• Is your child irritable, restless, or overtired during the day?

• Or does your child sleep much earlier than usual at night?

• If you answered yes to any of these questions, your child may be sleeping less than he or she needs. To change this irregularity, you will need to help your child develop good sleep habits and establish a proper sleep schedule. This way, “your baby will get the sleep he or she needs to face the day with bright eyes,” says Mindell.

• Eventually, your child will stop napping and start saving his or her sleep for the night. Preschoolers and younger elementary school students still need up to 11 hours of sleep a night, but this will gradually decrease. As your child moves into adolescence, he or she will need only nine or 10 hours of sleep a night.