Colin Snow
Newborns have their own sleep schedules and tend to sleep for 14-17 hours every 24 hours. They sleep in short bursts of 2-3 hours between feeds, both day and night, and need to be kept safe during sleep. It is important to learn about your baby's needs and follow their lead when it comes to sleeping and feeding. Newborns who sleep for longer stretches should be awakened to feed every 3-4 hours until they show good weight gain.
How to Rouse a Sleeping Newborn
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Sleep Duration | Newborns sleep 14-17 hours in every 24 hours, in short bursts of 2-3 hours between feeds. |
| Feeding | Newborns should be fed every 3-4 hours, and those sleeping for longer stretches should be awakened to feed until they show good weight gain. |
| Sleep Patterns | Newborns do not have a sense of day and night and will sleep and wake throughout. It can be helpful to establish a pattern, but it's important to be flexible and follow the baby's lead. |
| Sleep Environment | The sleep environment should be safe and free of hazards, with all products approved by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and meeting federal safety standards. Room-sharing is an option to keep the baby nearby, but co-sleeping in the same bed is not recommended. |
| Settling | It's important to help the baby relax and fall asleep, especially in the early weeks. This can include rocking, cuddling, and singing. |
| Sleep Position | Babies should always be placed on their back to sleep, not on their stomach or side. |
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What You'll Learn
Newborns sleep a lot, but they need to be woken for feeds
Newborns sleep a lot—on average, they sleep 14–17 hours every 24 hours, and this can be in short bursts of 2–3 hours between feeds, both night and day. They don't have a sense of day and night, so they sleep and eat around the clock.
Newborns need to be woken for feeds several times a night. If your baby is sleeping for longer stretches, wake them to feed every 3–4 hours until they show good weight gain, which usually happens within the first couple of weeks. If you're breastfeeding, your baby is likely to doze off during a feed, so carry on feeding until they finish or are fully asleep.
It's important to be flexible and follow your baby's lead. Their cues and body language will help you understand whether they want to sleep, feed or interact with you. Bonding with your newborn is a vital part of their development and wellbeing. In the first few months, get to know your baby and learn about their needs for sleep, feeds, play and settling.
It's important to know how to safely put your baby down for a nap or bedtime to help prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Make sure all sleep surfaces and products have been approved by the relevant safety authorities and meet federal safety standards. Always place your baby on their back to sleep, not on their stomach or side. Be sure to watch out for hazards, such as items with cords, ties, or ribbons that can wrap around a baby's neck, and objects with any kind of sharp edge or corner. Room-sharing is a good idea to keep your baby nearby and help with feeding, comforting, and monitoring at night.
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Learn your baby's sleep cues and body language
Babies communicate their needs and feelings through various signals and behaviours, known as newborn cues. These cues can be both verbal and non-verbal, ranging from cries and coos to facial expressions and body movements. As your baby grows, you will be able to rely more on verbal cues, but in the early stages, their cries and body language can be hard to decipher.
Common newborn sleep cues
Newborn sleep cues are the signs your baby uses to communicate that they are tired, ready for a nap, or overtired. Common sleep cues include yawning, fussiness, and decreased alertness. Fussiness that leads to crying usually indicates that your baby is overwhelmed and needs consoling before sleep. In this situation, a pacifier may be helpful.
Other sleep cues include "the stare", where your baby might fix their gaze before yawning starts, and eventually, they might start crying. Sometimes, your baby may seem to move from tired to overtired in a very short space of time.
How to respond to sleep cues
Learning to recognise sleep cues can help you respond promptly and assist your baby in transitioning to sleep. When you notice your baby's body language and respond to it, your baby feels safe and secure. This helps to build a strong relationship with your baby and is vital for their development.
You can help establish healthy sleep habits by creating a consistent bedtime routine, providing a calm sleep environment, and responding promptly to your baby's sleep cues. For example, if you notice your baby is showing sleep cues, you can try changing their environment by going outside or trying a different type of play. If your baby is still showing sleep cues after a few minutes, go ahead and offer them a nap.
Wake windows
Wake windows refer to the amount of time your baby is awake between one nap and the next. A typical wake window for a newborn is 60-90 minutes. Aiming for full, age-appropriate wake windows will help your baby fall asleep easily and stay asleep longer. However, be mindful of not pushing your baby to overtiredness.
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Bonding is vital for development and wellbeing
Newborns sleep a lot, and it can be hard to rouse them from their slumber. They have no sense of day and night and will sleep and eat around the clock. It is important to wake a newborn that has been sleeping for long stretches so that they can feed.
Bonding is vital for the development and wellbeing of newborns. Human babies are born very dependent on their parents, and the brain development of infants depends on a loving bond or attachment relationship with a primary caregiver, usually a parent. This bond provides the baby's first model for intimate relationships and fosters a sense of security and positive self-esteem. There is increasing evidence that neglect, parental inconsistency, and a lack of love can lead to long-term mental health problems as well as reduced overall potential and happiness.
Babies form their main attachments to the people who care for them most, and who make them feel safe. This can include grandparents, paid carers, and older children. Bonding with more than one person helps babies learn about trust and closeness.
Bonding is a process that takes time, and it can be delayed if a baby has health issues or if a parent is struggling with their mental health. It is a complex, personal experience, and there is no magic formula. For many parents, bonding builds out of everyday caregiving. Babies respond to skin-to-skin contact, and eye-to-eye contact provides meaningful communication at close range. Babies also respond to touch, talking, singing, and gazing into each other's eyes. These interactions make a baby's brain release hormones that help it to grow, and as a baby's brain grows, they start to develop memory, thought, and language.
It is important to spend time with your baby and get to know them. Be flexible and responsive to their needs, especially in the first three months.
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Keep your baby safe by learning how to put them down
Newborns have their own sleep patterns and don't have a sense of day and night. They sleep around the clock and wake up frequently to feed. It is important to learn how to safely put your baby down for a nap or bedtime to prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Here are some tips to keep your baby safe by learning how to put them down:
Safe Sleep Environment
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends using sleep surfaces and products that meet federal safety standards. Ensure the sleep surface is firm and flat, and cover it with a snug-fitting sheet. Do not place anything else in the crib or bassinet, including plush toys, pillows, blankets, and quilts. Dress your baby appropriately for the room temperature to avoid overheating, and avoid covering their head while sleeping.
Feeding and Changing
Before putting your baby down to sleep, ensure they have been fed and their diaper has been changed. Newborns who sleep for longer stretches should be awakened to feed every 3-4 hours until they show good weight gain, typically within the first few weeks. After that, it's okay to let them sleep for longer periods at night.
Proper Holding and Support
When picking up and putting down your newborn, always support their head, neck, and bottom with one hand and their bottom and back with the other hand or your arm. Hold them close to your body for security. When setting them down, get as close to the surface as possible and continue supporting their head, neck, and bottom until they are fully resting on the surface.
Establishing a Routine
Try to put your baby down as soon as they show signs of tiredness to prevent them from becoming distressed. While it's good to have a pattern, be flexible as every baby has a unique sleep pattern. Remember that growth spurts, teething, and illnesses can affect their sleep, so be prepared to adjust your routine as needed.
Safe Bed-Sharing Practices
While room-sharing is safe, putting your infant to sleep in the same bed as you is not recommended as it increases the risk of SIDS. Always place your baby on their back to sleep, not on their stomach or side. It's good to get your baby used to sleeping through a certain amount of noise, so don't worry about keeping the house silent while they sleep.
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Room-share with your baby, but don't bed-share
Newborns follow their own schedule, sleeping around the clock and waking up repeatedly at night to feed. It is important to feed your newborn every 3-4 hours until they show good weight gain. While it is recommended to sleep when your baby sleeps, it is not advisable to keep them awake during the day in the hopes that they will sleep better at night. Instead, try to put your baby down to sleep as soon as they show signs of tiredness. Before putting them to sleep, ensure they have been fed, changed, and are comfortable.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends room-sharing with your baby for at least the first 6 months of their life, and up to 12 months if possible. Room-sharing is when your baby has their own separate sleeping space, such as a bassinet, crib, or play yard, in the same room as you. This arrangement has been shown to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by as much as 50% in the first 3 months.
However, it is important to note that room-sharing does not always result in better sleep for the baby or the parents. Babies who room-share beyond 4 months of age are more likely to be pulled into their parents' bed during the night, increasing the risk of SIDS. Additionally, room-sharing can lead to less nighttime sleep and more night wakings for infants and parents, which can contribute to sleep deprivation and associated risks such as poor bonding, marital struggles, and depression.
To make room-sharing work for your family, consider the following tips:
- Ensure that all sleep surfaces and products used for your baby are approved by the relevant safety authorities and meet federal safety standards.
- Create a separate space within the room by using a decorative screen or a tent-like structure, such as the SlumberPod, to provide separation and darkness while maintaining breathability and ventilation.
- If one parent is off duty or needs to wake up early, they can sleep in a separate room to ensure they get uninterrupted sleep.
- Avoid turning on the lights or using a loud alarm clock when you go to bed or wake up in the morning. Instead, use a vibrating watch or sleep on the couch if you need to set an alarm.
- Practice having your baby take at least one nap a day in their nursery to get them used to the space.
- Establish a bedtime routine and stick to it.
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Frequently asked questions
Newborns typically sleep for 14-17 hours every 24 hours, in short bursts of 2-3 hours between feeds.
Newborns will show tired signs, and it is best to put them down to sleep as soon as they start showing these signs. Signs that your newborn wants to sleep, feed, or interact with you can be understood through their body language and cues.
It is important to learn how to put your baby down for a nap or bedtime safely to prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Always place your baby to sleep on their back, and ensure that all sleep surfaces and products have been approved by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and meet federal safety standards. Remove any hazards, such as items with cords, ties, or ribbons that can wrap around a baby's neck, and objects with sharp edges or corners.
Newborns should be fed throughout the day and night, and they may wake up repeatedly during the night to feed. If your newborn is sleeping for longer stretches, they should be awakened to feed every 3-4 hours until they show good weight gain, which usually happens within the first few weeks.
In the early weeks, your baby is likely to doze off during a feed. Carry on feeding until they fall asleep, and then try leaving the room before they fall asleep. You can also try doing calm activities, such as reading a story or giving your baby a warm bath or a massage.
