Because your baby’s circadian rhythm is not quite developed in these early weeks, you may notice that your infant may have his days and nights mixed up. Parents will notice that their newborns will be quiet and sleepy most of the day and up, awake and active in the middle of the night. In order to kick start their day/night sleep/wake cycles – you can implement these strategies:
Keep your baby’s daytime sleep environment calm and restful so your baby is not habituating to get rest.
Make sure his sleep environment is quiet and calming. Dark – Cool & Quiet
Regardless of how challenging the previous night was, do your best to start your day and wake your baby at the same time every morning between 6-8 am. Try to keep this wake-up time consistent because it will help shape your baby’s sleep/wake cycles throughout the day and also help to sync up mom/baby sleep cycle.
Take your baby outside for a walk so they can get some sunlight. Exposure to daylight in the early morning hours and between 12 pm-4 pm has been proven to help in improving sleep cycles. Aim to have at least one hour of outside time a day. If weather does not permit and you are inside – make sure the areas where your baby is while awake are light and bright (open blinds, curtains and let the sunshine in that way).
Wake your baby for regular feedings at least every 3 hours during the day. Your baby will only take one long stretch in a 24 hour period without a feeding and you want this stretch to be at night. feeding regularly throughout the day will help this stretch be consistent at night.
Posted in: Month 0-2: Challenges & Solutions