Infant Sleep
The first two months of a baby’s life can be the most challenging for parents. This is especially true because parents generally have to get up every few hours to tend to their baby. Since every baby is different in terms of how long they will sleep and how long it will take them to sleep through the night, it is important for parents to understand infant sleep basics in order to help both parents and newborns get off to a great start.
Babies sleep a lot in the first two months of life. In general, healthy newborns sleep as much as 14 -18 hours a day, often in stretches of 2 to 4 hours at a time. In large part, this is attributable to the fact their tiny stomachs cannot hold enough breast milk or formula to keep them satisfied for very long. It is recommended that for at least the first two weeks of life, parents offer a feeding to their baby every 2-3 hours. Breastfed newborns need to feed frequently in order to stimulate their mother’s milk supply. Once a baby has regained his or her birth weight and the baby’s pediatrician says it is okay, parents can let their baby sleep longer.
Babies are born with their days and nights reversed, and it will take them about 2 to 4 weeks to normalize. To help your baby distinguish night from day, stimulate him as much as possible during the daytime hours. Also, during the day, interact with him as much as you can, keep the house bright, and do not worry about minimizing household daytime noises like phones or appliances. Also, to help establish longer nighttime sleep, it is advisable not to let daytime naps go longer than three hours at a time.
Nighttime, on the other hand, is a different story, and parents should try to keep things low key and relaxed. I tell parents to keep it “business only” during diaper changes and feedings. Resist the urge to spend a lot of time talking or playing with your baby. Keep the lights dim, the noise level low, and the interaction at a minimum. Put the baby right back to sleep after you are done. Before long, he should begin to figure out that nighttime is for sleeping.
An important rule to remember is you cannot spoil a newborn. Babies’ nervous systems are too immature and they lack the ability to settle down or fall asleep on their own. So during the first two months, parents need to do what they need to do to get their babies to sleep. That includes things like letting a newborn suck on a pacifier, nursing to sleep, wearing your baby in a sling, swaddling, rocking, using white noise, and even taking car rides. Do not worry; you are not setting up any bad habits for your child at this young age.
Your job as a parent is to pay attention to and respond to your baby’s cues. Watch your baby for signs that he is tired. Is he rubbing his eyes? Does he seem cranky? If you spot these or any other obvious signs of sleepiness, try putting him down to sleep. Overly tired infants often have more trouble sleeping than those who have had an appropriate amount of sleep during the day. So, keeping your baby up in the hope that he or she will sleep better at night will not necessarily work, and in fact, will likely have just the opposite effect. But again, do not worry, you will soon develop a good feel about your baby's daily rhythms and patterns, and you will instinctively know when he is ready for a nap.
It is never too early to start trying to establish some sort of bedtime routine. It can be something as simple as bath time, getting your baby changed for bed, singing a lullaby, or reading a book. Even though your newborn may be too young to get these signals, these routines will help get your baby to relax. Setting up the bedtime routine now will keep you on the right track for the upcoming months.
Typically, by age two months or so, babies have started to develop more of a regular sleep/wake pattern and have dropped most of their night feedings. Somewhere between 2 and 3 months, most babies are capable of sleeping through the night. Although, this is not the 8 to10 hours adults consider a good night’s sleep, you can expect a stretch of five or six hours. At this age, you can start giving your baby a chance to fall asleep on his own by putting him down when he is sleepy but still awake.
Of course, remember to always keep sleep safety in mind. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends against bringing your infant to sleep in bed with you. Although many cultures endorse co-sleeping, there is a risk that the baby can suffocate, and studies have shown that there's a higher incidence of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) associated with co-sleeping. The AAP also recommends that healthy infants be placed on their backs to sleep, not on their stomachs. Do not place anything in the crib or bassinet. This includes pillows, loose blankets, plush toys, and bumper pads.
If you're concerned about your baby's sleeping habits, or how much or how little your baby is sleeping, consult your baby's pediatrician for suggestions. Remember, getting your baby to sleep through the night is not a measure of your parenting skills. It's simply a goal to work towards. The result will be a good night's sleep for your entire family.