3 Ways to improve your newborn’s sleep

Ah the fourth trimester. Your squishy, sweet newborn is here, and while it would do all new parents a huge favor for this time to be an easy one, it’s often the most difficult for many. Whether you’re an expecting parent or you’re reading this with your arms wrapped around your new babe, you have heard about sleep in the newborn days and how you can’t expect much of it. While it’s true newborn sleep can be unpredictable at times, you can definitely start to guide your newborn to healthy sleep from day one. Which often means more sleep, less tears, and more confidence in your days with your new baby.

Curious to know how to get better sleep in the first three months of your little one’s life? Here’s 3 ways to improve newborn sleep:

Do Your Best To Avoid Overtiredness

Okay I know you read that and went “uh.. ok how do I know when my baby is overtired?” If your baby is already showing tired signs like yawning, nuzzling into your chest, or getting fussy, they may already be overtired! Rather than waiting for your little one to show signs of tiredness, follow awake times to determine when it’s time for a nap or bedtime.

An awake time is the average amount of time it takes for your little one to build up enough sleep pressure that it’s time for them to go back to sleep. As a newborn, your baby can only handle about 45-90 minutes of awake time between naps and bedtime. Which means that you will be putting your baby to sleep only 45 minutes after they wake up in the morning or after each nap.

When babies are overtired, they often have a very difficult time calming, even with your help. Witching hours are longer and more difficult and falling asleep is much harder for your baby. By putting your baby down before they reach this point, you will allow for more sleep for your baby, less tears, and more well-deserved rest for you!

Start Establishing Age-Appropriate Bedtime/Naptime Routines

Many parents come to me asking for a schedule for their newborn. However, the number one thing that is constant between every newborn baby is that sleep is erratic and a schedule just isn’t possible at this age. Instead, you can start practicing routines to get your little one to begin to understand when it’s time to be awake and when it’s time to sleep. No need for anything fancy or extravagant here, just a few minutes to separate awake time and sleep time.

Start to establish short and sweet bedtime and nap routines. A bedtime routine for a newborn lasts about 20-30 minutes and can include a warm bath and/or feeding, putting a diaper and pjs on, reading a short story, turning the sound machine on, swaddling, and singing a song. A nap routine will be an abridged version of your bedtime routine. It will last about 5-10 minutes and can include a quick diaper change, a short story, swaddle/sleep sack, turning the sound machine on and/or singing a song. Overtime, your little one will begin to see the pattern and associate the routines with bedtime/naptime, eventually learning how to calm themselves in preparation for sweet sweet sleep.

Get Baby Practice Falling Asleep In Their Own Sleep Space

Remember above when I mentioned that your little one will take 4-6 naps during the day and go back to sleep every 45-90 minutes? That means that it’s unlikely that every single nap will happen in your baby’s crib or bassinet. Some naps will be on the go and THAT’S OK! Your little one is not yet capable of learning how to self-soothe, however you can definitely start getting them practice falling asleep in their own sleep space and guiding them in the right direction.

If possible, aim for 2-3 naps per day in your little one’s crib/bassinet and the rest let your newborn fall asleep wherever is safe! Wear them, hold them, rock them, or push them in the stroller, and then try and plan for the next nap to happen in their “ideal” sleep environment.

Still having trouble?

Still struggling getting your newborn to fall asleep and stay asleep in their own sleep space? Still suffering from multiple nightwakings or difficulty napping during the day? Let’s chat! Schedule a 30 min Newborn Coaching Call to discuss one-on-one YOUR newborn’s sleep struggles and get better sleep! Trust me, you deserve it!