Have you heard this advice? Or something else along those lines?

This is not advice I suggest, and it’s not advice that is evidence based. 

Let’s break it down and get into why this is not helpful advice.

Understanding sleep science can be helpful in understanding why keeping your baby up all day will not promote better sleep at night. 

Once we are around 4 months of age, our circadian rhythms become more established. Circadian rhythms help regulate so many different systems in our bodies, including our sleep. Around this same time, our bodies also start to produce melatonin at night, which helps us feel tired and supports sleep. 

Our homeostatic sleep drive plays a role in when we are ready to sleep. 

With our homeostatic sleep drive, our bodies build what is called ‘sleep pressure’. Sleep pressure makes us tired and cues us that it is time to sleep. Our babies build this sleep pressure more quickly, which is why they have shorter awake times and need to nap during the day.

So what happens when we push past our natural sleep pressure and circadian rhythm? 

Mainly, it does not support healthy sleep. When our babies are kept up too long, it is easier for them to become overstimulated and dysregulated. These factors alone make sleep harder. It becomes harder to settle to fall asleep.

For babies, and people in general, staying up too long can lead to us becoming overtired. When we get overtired, this can sometimes lead to a stress response in our bodies. Our bodies can produce higher levels of the hormone cortisol, which is a hormone that helps us to stay awake. If this is happening, then we aren’t producing melatonin which supports sleep. Like when we are overstimulated or dysregulated, when we get overtired it is harder for us to fall asleep and to stay asleep.

So, the advice to keep your baby up all day so they will sleep better at night just doesn’t work out. 

If you try this, it is very likely that your baby will fight bedtime and have difficulty falling asleep. Or, they may fall asleep extremely quickly but then will wake more frequently and not sleep well.

Now for older kids and adults, skipping naps can help with our sleep at night, but that’s because we don’t need as much sleep as babies do. We can all only sleep so much in a 24 hour period, so if as an adult you nap during the day, then that is likely taking away from your sleep at night. If this works for your schedule and you are able to get the sleep you need, then that is fine. 

What to do instead of this advice?

Instead of keeping your baby up all day to improve their sleep at night, there are other options you can consider. First, look at overall sleep hygiene.

Set their sleep environment up to truly support sleep. 

The sleep environment can really make a difference with how well we sleep. Keep it a comfortable temperature, use black out shades, and a sound machine.

Have a consistent bedtime routine.

Research has shown that routines before both nap and bedtime support healthy sleep. 

Consider awake windows and sleepy cues.

Offering sleep to our babies at the times that work best for them can help support them to sleep well. I often suggest tracking sleep patterns for a few days and looking for any trends to help figure out the times that work best for your child. You can also learn more about my suggested awake windows here.

Be intentional with light exposure.

Exposing our bodies to natural light during the day and then dimming the lights and turning off any screens 1-2 hours before bedtime will help support healthy sleep.

I also like to think about if there is anything that’s causing your baby to wake up.

It is normal for babies to wake due to hunger and to need feedings overnight, but if there are difficulties with feeding this can lead to more wakeups than you may expect. If you suspect this is an issue, I recommend talking with your pediatrician or IBCLC. Is your baby experiencing any discomfort? Are they sick? Do they snore? Again, these are all things I suggest bringing up to your pediatrician to rule out any other issues that may be impacting sleep.