Sleep:Newborns

Rock a bye baby....

Newborns and sleep
Most newborn babies spend most of their time sleeping and eating. Newborn babies need to eat every 2 to 3 hours. You want to make sure that baby has a safe place to sleep and is put to sleep in a safe position.

A safe crib will have slats no more than 2 3/8 inches apart (6 cm) and corner posts less than 5/8 inch (1.5 cm) high above the rails.
Baby should sleep on a firm mattress that fits tightly in the crib, cradle or bassinet.
Do not put pillows, comforters or other soft padded materials in the bed under the baby.
Put healthy infants to sleep on their backs or sides.
Keep the sides of crib raised when baby is sleeping in it.
Try to keep sleeping newborns away from pets, other children and large overstuffed toys.
Don`t let people smoke around your baby. Your baby`s lungs are delicate. Babies are not as resistant to respiratory infections as their parents.

What are the sleep states of a newborn?
Babies, like adults, have various stages and depths of sleep. Depending on the stage, the baby may actively move or lie very still. Infant sleep patterns begin forming during the last months of pregnancy - active sleep first, then quiet sleep by about the eighth month. There are two types of sleep:

REM (rapid eye movement sleep)
This is a light sleep when dreams occur and the eyes move rapidly back and forth. Although babies spend about 16 hours each day sleeping, about half of this is in REM sleep. Older children and adults sleep fewer hours and spend much less time in REM sleep.
Non-REM sleep:
Non-REM has 4 stages:
- Stage 1 - drowsiness - eyes droop, may open and close, dozing
- Stage 2 - light sleep - the baby moves and may startle or jump with sounds
- Stage 3 - deep sleep - the baby is quiet and does not move
- Stage 4 - very deep sleep - the baby is quiet and does not move
A baby enters stage 1 at the beginning of the sleep cycle, then moves into stage 2, then 3, then 4, then back to 3, then 2, then to REM. These cycles may occur several times during sleep. Babies may awaken as they pass from deep sleep to light sleep and may have difficulty going back to sleep in the first few months.

What to Do When Baby Cries
Very young children need the comfort of knowing that parents will always help them, day or night.

Going to your baby when he cries is important. It will help him learn to trust you. The secret is to check on baby in a way that helps him go back to sleep. Here are some ideas to try with your baby:.

Wait for a few minutes before going in to see if baby goes back to sleep. If you go in too soon, she can't learn to comfort herself and go back to sleep on her own. Some parents wake up the minute the baby starts moving around. If that happens to you, you can move the baby's crib or turn down the monitor so you don't wake up so easily. If baby really needs you and cries loudly, you will still hear her and wake up.

If baby doesn't go back to sleep, check to see if there is any problem that you need to help with. Is baby being bothered by loud noise or bright light? Is he too hot or too cold? Is he hungry? Does he need a diaper change? Does he have a fever, an ear infection, or problems with teething? If you think one of these is a problem, take action and see whether baby goes back to sleep.

Be gentle and quick in helping baby so she doesn't wake up more. Leave a night light on when you put baby down at night. Then you won't need to turn on a light when you go in later. Try patting baby gently on the back for one minute instead of picking her up. Don't rock or play with baby This might encourage her to wake up more often at night because she likes rocking or playing with you.

If baby is well, dry, and not hungry, he may just need to cry a bit to fall asleep. But listening to a baby cry is hard work. A few minutes can seem like an hour! To help you wait, set a timer for 10 minutes. You might even want to wear ear plugs or close a door to help muffle the baby's crying. If baby is still crying after 10 minutes, go again to check whether something is wrong, then set the timer again.

Helping your baby fall asleep:
Babies may not be able to establish their own sleeping and waking patterns. Surprisingly, not all babies know how to put themselves to sleep, or are able to go back to sleep if they are awakened in the night. When it is time for bed, many parents want to rock or breastfeed a baby to help him/her fall asleep. Establishing a routine such as this at bedtime is a good idea. However, be sure that your baby does not fall asleep in your arms. This may become a pattern and your baby may begin to expect to be in your arms in order to fall asleep. When your baby briefly awakens during a sleep cycle, he/she may not be able to go back to sleep on his/her own.

Babies who feel secure are better able to handle separations, especially at night. Cuddling and comforting your baby during the day can help him/her feel more secure. Other ways to help your baby learn to sleep include the following:

Allow time for naps each day as needed for the age of the baby.
Avoid stimulation and activity close to bedtime.
Establish a bedtime routine, such as bath, reading books, and rocking.
Play soft music while your baby is getting sleepy.
Introduce a transitional object such as a blanket or soft toy that your baby can take to bed.
Tuck your baby into bed when he/she is drowsy, but before going to sleep.
Comfort and reassure your baby when he/she is afraid.
For night awakenings, comfort and reassure your baby by patting and soothing, but avoid taking your baby out of bed.
If your baby cries, wait a few minutes, then return and reassure with patting and soothing. Then, say goodnight and leave (repeat as needed).
Be consistent with the routine and your responses.

Comments: Sleep - Newborns

Comments 1 to 20 of about 20.
1

Ky44 - 736 days ago.
im completely confused. My baby has just hit two weeks old and isn't waking for feeds at all. i always have to wake her every 3 hours. is this normal? shes even starting to fall asleep only 10 mins into a feed and detaches and loses all interest. i always had the impression babies woke themselves for feeding and had a unsettled period. im concerned this may be a health issue. any advice?

kianoliverb - 956 days ago.
Help! ... is it ok to put my 8 wk old in his cot for daytime naps as he does not seem to be settling in the lounge of even in my arms throughout the day, or will this upset his night time routine?

kplum - 1214 days ago.
oh - and also...he will fall asleep on me durign the day, but as soon as i try to put him down, he screams! it seems that he just doesnt want to be alone at all. i am trying to not let him sleep on my b/c i need to get things done and i am returning back to work soon.

kplum - 1214 days ago.
rooey - I have a similar problem, except my 10 week old refuses to sleep during the day! He sleeps OK at night (which just started about 2 weeks ago), but since he doesnt sleep during the day, he is absolutely miserable by late afternoon. I wrote a blog about it asking for advice...if anyone can give me some, please do! I feel so bad for my baby because he gets so tired and miserabale.

zephyr - 1236 days ago.
rooey... have EXACTLY the same problem... am beyond myself, don't know what to do... especially since I have a very busy and uncooperative 21 month old, too, and NO HELP!!

Jody04 - 1274 days ago.
i agree with luckywhite...buy a woombie, they are awesome. My little boy is sleeping anywhere from 6-8 hrs straight then waking up for a feed then back to sleep for 3-4 hrs. They are the best thing cos they feel all snuggled and secure.

luckywhite - 1333 days ago.
you need one of these www.woombieuk.co.uk - they work, the first night alfie had his he went from waking every two hours to sleeping five hours for a feed then after a few weeks he was sleeping fine.. its only since he started teething thats hes a naughty sleeper again.xx

rooey - 1333 days ago.
Ladies I need some motherly advice. Does any one have any tips on how to get a three week old to sleep for more than ten minutes! my daughter has taken to staying awake all hours god sends! She actually fights to stay awake, then gets soooo tired, nothing will comfort her, and believe me I have tried most of the tricks. When she does sleep, I dont think it is deep enough, as she will wake up after 10minutes, and it starts all over again. I swear she has insomnia! The past two days have been tough, for the both of us. She is over tired, and I think I am the worst mum in the world for not knowing what to do or what is wrong or how to comfort her. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

oskygirl31 - 1334 days ago.
My sister has a problem with her son...He's 5 months old and he has a problem with taking his naps..Now I never had this problem with my kids..so I really can't help her. And I am hoping someone out there can...he will sleep through the night and with his naps...he will sleep any where from 10 to 30 minutes every once an awhile he will sleep for a couple hours..this has been a on going thing for the last few months and it is really stressing her out...she is a single mom...well in away...baby's daddy will be coming back he's just away for the time being. any adivce on how to help change this will be grateful..you can leave me a message or leave her one..he site name is damiansmom Thanks in advance..Take care ladies.

damiansmom - 1334 days ago.
My baby is 5 Months old.. He is my first child.. The first month he was born he would always sleep I had to wake him up to eat cause he wouldn't wake up for nothing.. Now he has a hard time taking Naps.. He has no problem going to sleep at Night sometimes he does but Not all the time.. I try everything to get him to take Naps and he just won't go to sleep and he cries all day long cause he is Tired.. Can anyone give me advice to help him go to sleep..

Beautiful Bre - 1337 days ago.
1st baby on the way-411- i had my 2nd baby on the 12th. and she has her nights and days mixed up. so i try to keep her up more when she wakes in the day. to maybe try and help her be more tired at night. its hard because i also have a two year old so i cant sleep with her during the day! but try to keep them up more during they day when they wake to eat. thats what im trying

manda-may - 1337 days ago.
SherB my babies went through that at about 7 months. They suddenly would fret every time I put them down to sleep and I had to back step to bouncing then to sleep in the bouncinet!!, Aaarrgh! It was so defeating. One of my friends told me that this was a normal thing that babies go through, sort of an instinctive thing going back to caveman days or something. I don't know whether that is true or not, but whatever it was, it was a bit of a phase that lasted for a few weeks and then went away again. I say settle bubs the best way you can for you and your little ones sanity and don't beat yourself up over it. Then after a few weeks when she seems to be getting through it, you can start to try putting your old routines back in place. My twins changed their going to sleep patterns every so often and I just had to go with it, and then when they were ready I would have a go at putting them back into a routine that I wanted. Just when you think you have them all sorted the 'little sweethearts' go and change the rules on you! lol! ...ALL the time!!! Good luck! :-)

1st baby on the way-411 - 1337 days ago.
Hi ladies-new to the baby section. My daughter was born at 37.5 weeks on Sept 13th and she seems to have her nights and days mixed up...she sleeps wonderfully during the day and she up at night. Any suggestions??

pygmalin - 1473 days ago.
My son was the same at first I swear he didn't sleep unless I was holding him..finally with the help of the car seat he now sleeps on his own at 6 weeks..I had to go cold turkey on the sleeping with us or on us..It was hard he would scream and scream..but now its so much better and he is sleeping 5 hours straight at night..no crib yet he hates laying flat too it seems he strauggles to breathe and he spits up more..so the car seat or swing is where he is comfy..and when I am awake he sleeps on his side or tummy right next to me on the couch.

maddiesmom09 - 1474 days ago.
Happy Mothers Day to all!

maddiesmom09 - 1474 days ago.
thanks JAndrews. Your lil one is adorable too! I can hold out for a ;ittle while longer so maybe I will get as lucky as you!

Mrs.jandrews - 1474 days ago.
My son did the same thing when he was just a newborn. He would wake up and cry when I put him in his pack n play after he feel asleep in my arms. It was so frustrating, so gave in and let him sleep in our bed. I know it's not the best thing to do but if it ment I could get sleep in between nursing him I just had too. It only lasted til he was about 7 weeks and he has been in his pack n play ever since. :) He will turn 6 months on May 21st. I am now thinking soon he will have to move to his bedroom to his crib but I am not rushing it!! So don't worry she will get use to it. Just follow how she feels. I would also try just sitting next to her while she is in her crib/ pack n play and let her know she's ok. You little one is so cute!!!! I peeked at your profile :) Have a Happy Mother's Day!!!

maddiesmom09 - 1474 days ago.
how long do you all let your babies cry it out before you realize that she is just not going to sleep in her crib? My baby is only 12 days old and she hates her crib and the pack n play. she only wants to sleep with me or on me

jandsdawes - 1547 days ago.
Lilymae my LO is almost 5 weeks and he has almost always had periods of awakeness that were 4-5 hours...

lilymae - 1595 days ago.
My daughter is 4 weeks old and has wake periods of 4 or 5 hours, Normal?