How To Help Your Newborn Sleep Through the Night

The newborn stage can be a challenging and exhausting time for many new parents. Every sleep-deprived parent longs for the day when their little one will sleep through the night. If you don’t get enough sleep at night or have concerns about your baby’s sleep schedule, you’re not alone.

It is not an easy task to get your newborn to sleep during the night. The good news is that your baby can sleep for extended periods at night. Your Baby Club understands that it is all about trying and discovering what works best for your baby.

Understanding a Newborn’s Sleep Cycle

Babies’ sleep requirements differ based on their age. Most of the time, newborns sleep, however, they sleep in short bursts. Newborn babies sleep 8 to 9 hours during the day and 8 hours at night, however, it is only 1 to 2 hours at a time.

The total amount of sleep your newborn gets decreases gradually as they grow while the duration of sleep during the night increases.

When Do Babies Start Sleeping During the Night?

Until they are roughly 3 months old, most newborns do not start sleeping through the night without waking. By the age of six months, around two-thirds of newborns can sleep through the night consistently.

Why Doesn’t My Newborn Sleep Through the Night?

Consider whether any of the following variables are at play if your infant isn’t sleeping long enough:

Is Your Baby Hungry? 

Babies frequently wake up and scream because they are hungry.

Refraining from sleeping on his back

When your baby is lying on his back to sleep, he fusses or refuses to sleep. Although babies feel more secure resting on their stomachs, this sleep posture has been associated with a much greater rate of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). 

Noisy environment

Background noise or excessive activity, such as noisy neighbours, older siblings playing noisily, or you watching TV in the room where your baby naps, may disrupt your baby’s sleep.

The Room Is Too Hot or Cold

The temperature of a baby’s room has an impact on how well he or she sleeps. Whether your infant seems to be waking up more than usual, check to see if the room they sleep in is too hot or chilly.

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How To Help Your Newborn Sleep at Night

It is vital to remember that newborns have varying sleep cycles. Sleep is crucial to a baby’s cognitive development. So parents need to learn how to best support adequate sleep for their babies. 

Develop a Bedtime Routine

It’s never too early to create a nighttime routine for your newborn. A defined bedtime routine should be realistic and easy for you to follow each night. A slight change in your baby’s schedule may throw them off and lead them to wake up more frequently at night. 

Swaddling and shushing are not only relaxing, but they are also soothing gestures that your baby will respond to. Establishing a consistent routine at night might help your infant build healthy sleep associations.

Allow Your Baby to Self-soothe

Although it is perfectly okay to go check on your infant if they wake up screaming in the middle of the night, do not rush in when you hear a whimper. Allow your infant to self-soothe and fall asleep again. Attempt to spend as little time as possible with them.

Try Dream Feeding

Before you go to bed, give your baby a dream feed. A dream feed is a concept that if you gently wake up your sleeping baby before bedtime and encourage a feed, they will sleep longer at night. 

The goal is to encourage their instincts to latch on rather than completely awaken them. Babies can typically do this without ever opening their eyes, allowing them to remain drowsy.

Consider Your Baby’s Preferences

Whether your baby is a night owl or an early riser, the key to a good routine is to adapt it to their natural sleep cycles and habits.

Consistency Is Key

Create a simple, comforting bedtime ritual for your baby, which will function as a signal to sleep. Maintain a routine sequence and repeat it in the same succession before bedtime. Your little one will learn to identify the soothing ritual with sleep.

Trust Yourself

Try to be patient with yourself and your little one if you’re reading this through a veil of exhaustion. The first few months of parenthood may be exceptionally exhausting. Before you know it, you’ll have a toddler that bounces off the walls all day and sleeps for extended lengths at night. Just know that with a little patience, it is possible to lengthen your newborn’s nighttime sleep.