What can you expect with newborns and sleep? 

How much sleep does a newborn need?

Newborns sleep a lot! If you’ve read our post on how much sleep your child needs, then you know that newborns can sleep 14-17 hours in a 24 hour period. However, this sleep can often be broken up into short chunks. Sometimes, they are sleeping while you are feeding them. This can mean that although your newborn will be sleeping a ton, it may be hard for you to get the hours of sleep that you need.

Should we sleep train our newborn?

Know that with newborns, it is not recommended to do any sleep training. Newborns are not able to self soothe and we shouldn’t be expecting or working on independent sleep with them. Many newborns will often feed to sleep or need to be rocked to sleep, and this is perfectly fine.

Newborns need their caregiver to take care of them, so you want to respond to their needs right away. They will need feedings, diaper changes, cuddles, and outfit changes at all hours of the day. This is totally normal. Some newborns may be more laid back where other newborns may be more urgent when they need something. Again, totally normal.

You can set up the sleep environment so that it promotes sleep, but this isn’t even totally necessary yet. Newborns sleep cycles aren’t regulated by their circadian rhythms like ours are, which is why they get their days and nights confused. Exposing them to light during the day and darkness at night can be helpful for setting up the circadian rhythm. Babies also don’t produce melatonin, the sleep hormone our bodies produce as it gets dark which helps us fall asleep, until they are about three months.

So, in the newborn phase don’t worry about sleep schedules or sleep training. Pay attention to your baby’s sleepy cues and follow their lead with sleep.

Where should my newborn sleep?

For newborns, we recommend following the AAP guidelines of room sharing for  at least the first six months of life. The AAP recommends this as having baby close has been related with decreasing the risk of SIDS. Personally, I also think it is easier to have your baby close for taking care of them during the night.

You could have your baby sleep in a bassinet, a bedside sleeper, pack and play, or you could set the crib up right in your room if it fits. Baby should always sleep on their back, on a flat firm surface with nothing but a fitted sheet. It sounds bare, but that’s all your baby needs and it keeps them the safest.

What’s a good bedtime for newborns?

Many newborns tend to do better with a later bedtime. Anywhere from 7-9:30 pm tends to be a good bedtime. Their bodies aren’t run by their circadian rhythm yet and they also need more frequent feedings, so these are a couple of reasons why many families find success with a later bedtime.

How many naps should my newborn be taking?

Newborns nap a lot. They are generally in and out of sleep, usually with at least 4 or more naps a day. Newborns can take cat naps, snoozing for just 10-15 minutes, but their naps can also be as long as three hours. The only thing to watch for if your newborn does take long naps is that you don’t want them to go too long without feeding, so you may have to wake them up if their nap is getting too long. There’s not a lot of consistency in what to expect here, though you may find patterns in your own newborn’s sleep. If you want to learn more about what to expect with naps as your newborn grows, you can check out this post all about naps.

When will my newborn sleep through the night?

As discussed in this post all about sleeping through the night, I consider sleeping through the night to be a stretch of 5-6 hours. In general, most babies really can’t be expected to sleep more than three hours straight until they are about two months old or weigh at least ten pounds. Some babies may do this sooner and sleep longer stretches before then, but don’t be concerned if your baby isn’t. Many families will find their babies will start sleeping through the night, getting that stretch of 5-6 hours, around 6 months of age.

Why does my newborn cry so much?

Crying is how babies communicate and all babies cry. Some babies cry less, while other babies cry more. Generally, babies will cry when they need comfort or care. Some reasons that babies cry can include hunger, discomfort, being too hot or too cold, needing a diaper change, being tired, illness, being overstimulated, and more.

 

What is the Period of PURPLE Crying?

This is an acronym that some people use to explain more about babies and crying. It’s considered a phase that generally starts around 2 weeks and continues until 3 or 4 months of age. PURPLE stands for:

Peak of Crying – Baby may cry more each week with the most at 2 months and then decreasing

Unexpected – Crying can come and go without explanation

Resists Soothing – Your baby may continue to cry despite soothing

Pain-Like Face – They may look like they are in pain, even if they are not

Long Lasting – Crying can last for several hours a day

Evening – Crying may happen more in the evening or late afternoon

To learn more about the PURPLE crying, you can check out this website.

Some newborns who cry a lot may be diagnosed with colic. 

What is colic?

Colic is typically defined as crying for at least three hours a day for three or more days a week for at least three weeks. That’s a lot of crying! Colic is intense crying that happens without a clear reason. In general, colic will often peak around when baby is 6 weeks old and then decline by 3 or 4 months old. Colic is stressful and I always recommend talking to your pediatrician if there are concerns for colic. Sometimes, there can be an underlying reason as to why your baby is crying so much so it is always good to check to see if there is a root cause.

Now that we’ve talked about crying, what are some ways to soothe newborns?

Many parents will figure out what their newborn likes naturally. It could be holding them and walking around, feeding them, bouncing with them on your yoga ball, turning the vacuum on, singing certain songs, taking a warm bath, sucking on a pacifier, and so on. There are countless ways to soothe babies.

A popular method for soothing newborns was developed by Dr. Harvey Karp, which he has named The 5 S’s. Quickly, here are what they stand for:

• Swaddle
• Side or Stomach
• Shushing
• Swinging
• Sucking

Each of these S’s can be used to soothe babies, and Dr. Karp found that combining all of these can really help with soothing. 

Swaddle refers to swaddling your baby snugly, either with a receiving blanket or with a specific swaddle like a halo swaddle sleep sack. With newborns, you want to start by swaddling with their arms in and making sure the swaddle is not tight around their hips. This is a great resource for how to swaddle from Aden + Anais. I loved their blankets for swaddling when my daughter was a baby.

 

Side or stomach refers to holding your baby on their side or on their stomach while you are soothing them. Remember, that we always want to put babies to sleep on their back throughout their first year. These positions can be helpful for soothing rather than being held where they are more on their back.

Shushing can be similar to white noise. Dr. Karp recommends shushing louder than you may think to, initially having your shushing as loud as your baby’s crying and then lowering your volume as your baby begins to calm. Dr. Karp recommends using ‘rumbly’ white noise.

Swinging refers to the motion, where you are swinging your baby in your arms or gently bouncing them. Movement can be very calming as newborns were used to moving around while they were in utero.

Sucking is the sucking reflex which is calming in itself. If your baby isn’t hungry, you can offer a pacifier for this part of the soothing.

Doing all of these things together can be almost magical for many babies. This video on YouTube features Dr. Karp and he explains his methods.

As with everything, these won’t always work but the 5 S’s are very popular soothing methods.

If your baby seems to be crying for no reason and you can’t soothe them, it’s okay to put them down in a safe space and take a break. 

I know how stressful and frustrating it can be when your baby is crying and nothing is helping.  If this is happening, I would recommend checking in with the pediatrician to rule out any discomfort, illness, or underlying issue that is contributing to crying. You can also get support from the Parent Stress Line at 1-800-632-818. This is a confidential and anonymous hotline that is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. 

Tips for surviving newborn sleep:

• Sleep whenever you can
  • This may mean going to bed earlier than you’re used to or sleeping at random times. We’ve all heard the advice to sleep when the baby sleeps, and I know this is not always realistic but sometimes if you can take advantage of it, it can be helpful.
• If you have a partner, consider taking shifts
  • You can break the night up into different ‘shifts’ where you each tend to your baby when they wake up. If you are nursing, your partner could bring the baby to you for feeding during their shift.
• Call in for help
  • This is one of those times where having a village can be hugely helpful. Call your friend or relative to come over for a couple hours and watch your baby so you can nap.
  • If you don’t have a support system available, postpartum doulas offer amazing services where they can come in and help you during the day

If you are still reading, thanks for sticking through with this long post! I know it is a lot of information, so if you have any questions at all you can leave a comment, send me an email, or reach out and schedule a discovery call.

Sources:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/colic/symptoms-causes/syc-20371074

Yates J. The long-term effects of light exposure on establishment of newborn circadian rhythm. J Clin Sleep Med. 2018;14(10):1829–1830.

The Happiest Baby on the Block; Fully Revised and Updated Second Edition: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer by Harvey Karp, 2015