Newborn Sleep: Understanding Your Baby's Daily Sleep Needs

Newborns generally sleep between 11 and 19 hours a day, waking up every few hours to feed. Their sleep patterns are unpredictable, and they don't know the difference between day and night. Their sleep cycles are usually around 20 to 50 minutes long, and they may sleep for longer stretches at night by the time they are three to six months old.

Newborns sleep 11-19 hours a day

Newborns sleep a lot—anywhere between 11 and 19 hours a day. In the first few months of their life, a baby's sleep pattern is irregular, and they wake up frequently to feed. They also have small stomachs, so they need to be fed every few hours.

Newborns sleep in short bursts, or sleep cycles, which usually last for around 20 to 50 minutes. They don't know the difference between day and night, and it can take a few weeks for their brain to learn this distinction.

Newborns sleep for around 8 to 9 hours during the day and about 8 hours at night. However, this varies, and some babies don't sleep through the night until they are closer to one year old.

You can help your baby sleep by learning to recognise when they are tired. Signs of sleepiness include crying, fussing, or rubbing their eyes. It's also important to establish a bedtime routine, which could include giving them a bath, singing a lullaby, and feeding them before putting them in their crib.

It's also important to keep your newborn safe while they sleep. The safest way for them to sleep is by themselves, lying on their back, in a crib or bassinet that meets federal safety standards. Their sleep space should be clear of any soft objects such as pillows, toys, or blankets, as these can increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

They wake up every few hours to eat

Newborns sleep a lot—anywhere from 11 to 19 hours a day. But because they have small stomachs, they need to wake up every few hours to eat. Breastfed babies feed often, about every 2–3 hours, while bottle-fed babies tend to feed less often, about every 3–4 hours. Newborns who sleep for longer stretches should be awakened to feed. Wake your baby every 3–4 hours to eat until they show good weight gain, which usually happens within the first couple of weeks. After that, it's okay to let your baby sleep for longer periods at night.

Newborns don't have a sense of day and night and don't have established sleep-wake rhythms. They sleep around the clock, and because their tiny stomachs don't hold enough breast milk or formula to keep them satisfied for long, they wake up frequently to eat, no matter the time of day or night.

In the first month, newborns need to eat every 2–3 hours. In the second month, this stretches to every 3–4 hours. As they get older, they won't need to eat as frequently. Most babies will be able to go through the night without a feeding from anywhere between 3 to 6 months old.

Newborns sleep in short bursts, known as sleep cycles, which are usually around 20 to 50 minutes long. These sleep cycles consist of active sleep and quiet sleep. During active sleep, the newborn may move, groan, open their eyes, cry out, or breathe noisily or irregularly. During quiet sleep, they will lie relatively still and their breathing will be more even. It is normal for newborns to wake between sleep cycles. As they get older, they will learn to settle themselves and fall back to sleep.

It may take a few weeks for a baby's brain to know the difference between night and day. To help them learn the difference, keep things quiet and calm during middle-of-the-night feedings and diaper changes. Try to keep the lights low and resist the urge to play with or talk to your baby. This will send the message that nighttime is for sleeping. During the day, when the baby is awake, keep them in a room where the lights are on or light can come through the windows. Let them hear plenty of everyday noises while they are awake, such as talking or cars going by outside. The environment should be dark and quiet when the baby is sleeping.

They don't know the difference between day and night

Newborns don't know the difference between day and night and this can be a challenging time for new parents.

Newborns sleep a lot—generally around 12 to 16 hours in a 24-hour period. However, they don't have established sleep-wake rhythms, so they sleep in short bursts, known as sleep cycles, which are usually around 20 to 50 minutes long. This means newborns sleep around the clock, waking every few hours to feed.

This can result in day and night confusion, where newborns sleep for long stretches during the day and then wake up regularly at night. This is because they haven't yet developed a sense of day and night, and their body clock hasn't set itself.

There are a few things you can do to help your newborn regulate their sleep:

• Expose them to indirect sunlight when they're awake during the day by positioning them near a window, for example.
• Keep their room very dark at night, with white noise playing.
• Limit daytime sleep to two hours at a time, or 90 to 105-minute naps, to encourage longer stretches of sleep at night.
• Keep stimulation to a minimum at night, keeping things quiet and calm.
• Make sure their awake times during the day are bright and interactive.
• Have a consistent bedtime routine, such as a warm bath, a feeding, a book or song, and then placing them in their crib.

By about four months old, your baby's day and night confusion will likely have subsided, and they will start to develop more regular sleep patterns.

They sleep in short bursts, or cycles, of 20-50 minutes

Newborns sleep in short bursts, or cycles, of 20-50 minutes. This is because they have small stomachs and need to feed frequently, waking every few hours. They also haven't yet developed their circadian rhythm, the internal 24-hour clock that tells our body when it's time to be awake and when it's time to sleep.

Newborns sleep for short stretches of time, usually just a few hours, and wake frequently to eat. They sleep around the clock, and because their tiny stomachs don't hold enough breast milk or formula to keep them satisfied for long, they wake often to feed, no matter the time of day or night.

Newborns' sleep cycles consist of active sleep and quiet sleep. During active sleep, they may move, groan, open their eyes, cry out, or breathe noisily or irregularly. During quiet sleep, they will lie relatively still and their breathing will be more even. It is normal for newborns to wake between sleep cycles. As they get older, they will learn to settle themselves and fall back to sleep.

Newborns' sleep patterns can be unpredictable and vary from baby to baby. It's not uncommon for a newborn's sleep pattern to change from day to day. They may sleep substantially less than usual one day and then "catch up" by sleeping more the following day.

Newborns' sleep is also segmented because they need to eat often during the day and night. They feed about every two hours when breastfeeding and every three hours when bottle-feeding. They may feed even more frequently when going through a growth spurt.

Parents and caregivers may get some relief after the first four to six weeks, when newborns begin to develop a more consistent sleep-wake cycle, spending around four hours asleep and four hours awake at a time.

They sleep in two positions: active and quiet

Newborns sleep in two distinct positions: active sleep and quiet sleep. During active sleep, newborns are in a light sleep state, characterised by rapid eye movement (REM) and dreaming. They may move around, groan, open their eyes, cry out, or exhibit irregular breathing patterns. On the other hand, during quiet sleep, newborns lie relatively still with more even and quiet breathing.

Active sleep is a period of heightened brain activity, with the brain processing and consolidating information from the day. This type of sleep is crucial for cognitive development and memory formation. The irregular breathing and movement associated with active sleep can sometimes be concerning for new parents, but it is a normal and essential part of a newborn's sleep cycle.

Quiet sleep, on the other hand, is a period of deeper sleep where the body and brain can rest and recover. Newborns spend about half of their sleep time in active sleep and the other half in quiet sleep.

As newborns mature, their sleep patterns gradually change. Over time, the proportion of active sleep decreases while quiet sleep increases. This shift indicates the development of their nervous system and the establishment of more mature sleep cycles.

It's important to note that newborns don't initially have a sense of day and night, so they sleep and feed around the clock. Their sleep patterns can be unpredictable, and they may sleep for shorter or longer periods on different days. Newborns typically sleep for 12-16 hours in a 24-hour period, with their sleep cycles lasting around 20-50 minutes.

During the first few months, it's recommended to focus on responding to your baby's cues and needs rather than trying to impose a strict sleep schedule. This includes feeding on demand and creating a calm and soothing environment during nighttime feedings and diaper changes. Exposing newborns to light and gentle interaction during the day and maintaining a dim and quiet environment at night can also help them start to distinguish between day and night.

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