Congratulations! Your newborn has arrived and you’ve been getting to know each other for a few days or weeks now. You love the way he feels and smells. In fact, everything about him is adorable. But everything might also seem a bit scary. Especially how to get your newborn on a sleep schedule. (And whether he even needs one!)
Common concerns newborn moms have include whether swaddling is necessary, how to prevent SIDS, symptoms of colic, if it’s ok for baby to sleep on their chest and what the heck is “the witching hour?”
The questions are endless, because everything is new! Don’t worry, mama. I got you covered.
The truth is that your newborn won’t have consistent sleep patterns like older babies. He’s not developmentally ready for that just yet. But there’s plenty you can do to help baby sleep well.
This article will give you all the essential tips & tricks to get your newborn baby sleeping well, day and night.
This post may contain affiliate links.
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Newborn sleep schedule – What to expect
For newborns, sleep is pretty unpredictable. That’s the unfortunate truth. Your newborn’s body clock hasn’t developed, so he doesn’t understand the difference between day and night yet. It’s also normal for some of his sleeps to be long, and others really short.
In a time filled with such uncertainty, one thing’s for sure. Starting your newborn on a loose schedule (or routine) will help this phase go so much easier for you.
Routines give parents peace of mind. Let me explain- once your baby is on a fairly consistent daily routine you’ll know how to decipher his cries. If he recently ate but is fussy, he must be tired or gassy. If he recently slept, you’ll know he’s hungry, etc…
The best way to help your newborn fall into a predictable sleep schedule (as soon as he’s developmentally ready) is to follow the tips from this article.
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Newborn sleep tips
(click each topic below)
Awake times
Newborns can’t handle being awake for long periods of time. The world is full of new sounds, lights and stimulation, and your baby’s brain needs to “shut down” often during the day. Otherwise, baby runs the risk of getting overstimulated, which can make him fussy and hard to settle. He can only handle the world in “small doses” at this point.
Your newborn will want to sleep every 30 – 90 minutes, day and night. It’s perfectly normal for your baby to stay awake only long enough to feed, change a diaper and play a few minutes. Allow your baby to rest as often as he wants.
If your newborn gets fussy and the usual tactics aren’t working (like feeding, changing him and soothing) try taking him to the bedroom to settle. Bounce or walk him around the room. Babies often need us to help them “shut down” and go to sleep. They can’t always do it on their own.
Also, when you find yourself with a wide awake baby in the night, try not to freak out. Remind yourself that he’ll sleep again in the next 30 – 90 minutes (and so will you.)
Naps
Short and unpredictable naps are common in the newborn phase. Consider yourself warned! It’s perfectly normal for your baby to take a 20 minute nap and then a 2 hour nap.
Let your newborn nap in the stroller (flat, not upright), carrier, or your arms if it helps her nap well. Just make sure all naps outside the crib or bassinet are supervised by an awake adult.
Also try to have your newborn nap in her crib or bassinet at least once each day, to get her used to it. (You can try more often if you want, too.) But if you find that your baby rejects napping anywhere other than your arms during these first few weeks, that’s fine.
You don’t need to stress about forming negative long-term sleep habits at this point. Just do whatever works, as long as your baby is safe.
Remember, the most important thing is to let your baby sleep often. When she starts to get fussy it’s probably because she’s hungry or tired. Change her diaper, give her a feed, and put her down for a nap. (Then feed yourself and rest!)
I recommend you wake your newborn and feed her once a nap has reached 2 hours. This will help set her body clock as she grows. You’re slowly showing her body that daytime is for eating, being awake and sleeping periodically. And nighttime is for sleeping. (More details on “day/night confusion” below.)
Feedings
The best way to determine if your baby is eating enough is if he seems happy between feeds, has at least 6-8 wet diapers everyday and is gaining weight as expected.
Don’t allow more than 3 hours between feedings during the day. Wake your newborn from a nap to feed him. If he’s difficult to wake try undressing him, tickling his feet, and talking to him.
You don’t want baby having a 5 hour stretch between feeds during the day. You want this to happen at night!
Night wakings
Your baby doesn’t yet understand the difference between day and night. This means you’ll find yourself “hanging out” with your little cutie at 3 am. It’s par for the course.
There really isn’t a set number of night feedings that we can work toward just yet. Remember, your baby should feed every 2-4 hours around the clock. You can ask your pediatrician if you need to wake baby at night to feed or if it’s ok for baby to determine night feeds.
Total sleep in 24 hours:
Newborn babies typically sleep 14 – 18 hours each day. This sounds like so much! “Why am I so tired, then?” you might be thinking.
Well, although your newborn sleeps more than half of each day, her sleep will be broken. Which means your sleep will be broken, too. And that’s why you feel so exhausted. (It’s 100% normal.)
You don’t have to keep track of your newborn’s sleep patterns. I only recommend this if you’re concerned about something. The Glow Baby App is a favorite among parents for tracking sleep, feeds and lots more!
Total sleep in 24 hours
Newborn babies typically sleep 14 – 18 hours each day. This sounds like so much! “Why am I so tired, then?” you might be thinking.
Well, although your newborn sleeps more than half of each day, her sleep will be broken. Which means your sleep will be broken, too. And that’s why you feel so exhausted. (It’s 100% normal.)
You don’t have to keep track of your newborn’s sleep patterns. I only recommend this if you’re concerned about something. The Glow Baby App is a favorite among parents for tracking sleep, feeds and lots more!
Bedtime
Bedtime for newborns is naturally late, usually falling between 10pm – midnight.
Remember, your baby doesn’t yet know the difference between night and day. We’re going to start gently teaching his body that nighttime is for sleeping and daytime is for being awake, playing, eating and napping (using the tips below.)
The first “nighttime” you want to establish for your baby should fall between midnight – 5 am.
This means you want to treat all wakings between 12 – 5 am as “night wakings” to encourage your baby to fall back asleep. Keep the room dark with minimal stimulation.
When your baby wakes- change his diaper, put his sleep sack back on and feed him in the dark. Then cross your fingers and hope he falls back asleep!
Once your newborn has consolidated his first “nighttime” between midnight – 5 am, he’ll start adding hours as he grows each month. He’ll add hours in the evening and early morning, and before you know it he’ll be sleeping longer at night.
Does your baby only want to sleep on your chest? Here’s what to do!
RELATED: The best time to start a bedtime routine for your baby
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How To Avoid Day/Night Confusion
(click each topic below)
Your newborn’s circadian rhythm starts developing during the first three months of life. This is your baby’s “body clock” and it’s what causes her to sleep more at night and less during the day.
Much of this development is pre-programmed, but there are certainly things you can do now to help your baby establish healthy night sleep patterns. You can start the following tips as soon as your baby is born!
During the day
- Keep the lights on & curtains open.
- Allow normal household noises.
- Take your baby out for errands, stroll, and play dates. Include her in your daily routine.
- Keep baby awake during feeds to encourage her to take big feeds.
For naps
- Dim the lights & close the curtains when napping. Baby doesn’t need silence and complete darkness, though. Just reduced stimuli.
- For naps on-the-go (stroller, baby carrier) you may need to reduce noise and natural light. But it depends on your baby.. Some little ones can nap in a noisy restaurant just fine!
- Wake baby after a 2 hour nap and feed her. Try to keep her awake at least 30-60 minutes until her next nap. (This may not be possible for your newborn, but by 2 months old you want to start working on it.)
During the night
- During night wakings, keep the room dark. I walk you through the details of how to set up your baby’s bedroom for sleep in my Exhausted Mom’s Starter Kit.
- Speak or sing softly to your baby during the night. Aim for minimal stimulation.
- When baby wakes, first change her diaper. Then put her sleep sack back on. Finally, feed her in the dark so she can easily fall back to sleep.
RELATED: New Mom Must Haves: Your Postpartum Essentials Checklist
Is this normal newborn fussiness, colic or the “witching hour?”
Many newborns go through a period of increased fussiness. This often happens around the same time each day (usually evening.) This fussiness can start at 2-3 weeks old and peak around 6 weeks. It’s also called the “Witching Hour.”
Sometimes it’s caused by a growth spurt. Your baby fusses because he’s hungry and wants to feed often. Other times it’s caused by cognitive development. Your baby is becoming more aware of his world and taking in more. But, by the end of the day he’s overwhelmed and overstimulated and can’t help but have a meltdown. His neurological system is still immature and it’s difficult for him to process so much stimuli from his new world.
Colic is different than normal newborn fussiness. Colic is often diagnosed by the “rule of three.” Your baby cries for at least: 3 hours each day, 3 days per week, for 3 weeks. (Pass the wine, please!)
It’s important to rule out other causes of discomfort or crying in your newborn, so speak to your pediatrician if you’re concerned.
Pediatrician Dr. Harvey Karp has helped thousands of parents learn how to calm their crying babies, using a the 5 S’s method he developed. These 5 S’s are Swaddle, Side-Stomach Position, Shush, Swing, and Suck.
What’s causing my newborn’s fussiness?
“The Witching Hour”
⇒ Baby is fussy only at certain times of the day, otherwise she’s fine.
What to do:
⇒ Cluster feeding, baby wearing, skin-to-skin, strolling, quiet & dark room, try the 5 S’s.
How long?
⇒ Typically lasts a few days/weeks.
A Schedule Issue
⇒ Baby is fussy all day. Grizzly, grumpy, cries throughout the day.
What to do:
⇒ Follow awake times & make sure baby sleeps every 30-90 mins.
How long?
⇒ Typically resolves immediately.
Colic
⇒ Baby cries at least 3 hours per day, 3 times per week, for 3 weeks.
What to do:
⇒ Cluster feeding, skin-to-skin, tummy compress, 5 S’s, sling, massage, warm bath.
How long?
⇒ Typically resolves around 3-4 months.
Download my Newborn Fussiness Guides below!
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Can I prevent SIDS?
SIDS is the unexplained death of a seemingly healthy baby while sleeping.
It’s one of the biggest fears of every parent. (It definitely kept me awake and worried many nights when my daughter was a newborn.)
The good news is that you can reduce your baby’s risk of SIDS by more than 50% when you follow a few basic guidelines. First, make sure your baby’s sleep space is safe (this article tells you how.) Then, make sure your baby uses safe sleeping positions (explained more here.)
RELATED: Your Baby Shouldn’t Sleep in a Rock n Play. Here’s Why & What to Do
Should I swaddle my baby for sleep?
Your baby just entered the world from a tight and cosy space- the womb! Some babies have difficulty settling easily and sleeping well without tight boundaries. You want to ease your baby’s transition from the womb by making her sleep space cosy and comfortable.
Swaddling does this remarkably well. My years working as a NICU nurse taught me that the majority of newborns loved swaddling for sleep.
This is because the startle reflex wakes babies. But a cosy swaddle dampens your baby’s startle reflex, preventing it from waking him. So yes, I recommend you swaddle your newborn for naps and night sleep.
I also recommend you use a swaddle blanket that has velcro or snaps. Babies can wriggle out of swaddles made from a loose blanket, becoming a safety risk. (See my favorite swaddle blankets below.)
If you’re worried that swaddling could interfere with your baby’s hip development, make sure that your baby’s swaddle blanket allows the legs to bend up and out at the hips. This position allows for natural development of the hip joints. Don’t swaddle baby’s legs straight down together.
Your baby can be swaddled for sleep for several months, which is exactly how long his startle reflex is present. If you’ve tried swaddling your newborn and he didn’t seem to like it, try a tight and cosy sleep sack instead. It keeps baby feeling snug but isn’t as restrictive as a swaddle blanket.
Popular Swaddle Blankets
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Related: When to stop swaddling
Your newborn’s sleep schedule
Although it’s too early to begin formal sleep training, this article gives lots of tips for creating healthy sleep habits for your newborn. Following these tips will help your newborn (and you) sleep better.
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Are you struggling with your newborn’s sleep?
Ask me anything in the comments!
Hi! My 5 week old is an easy sleeper throughout most of the day, taking 1-2hour naps 4-5 times daily and with a bedtime of 7:30p and dream feed around 10:30p. This usually gives us a 4 hour stretch until 2-3 when she wakes and feeds again. After she feeds, I put her back in the bassinet and she appears to be sleeping with eyes closed, but every couple of minutes she is squirming, grunting, seemingly uncomfortable. I have considered this being just active sleep, but the minute I pick her up, she settles, so I am thinking not? I have allowed this to go on until her next feed, but of course I am not able to sleep with all of the noise, and I’m afraid she’s not getting restful sleep either. Any guidance on this would be much appreciated!
Hi Taylor! Thanks for your question. At 5-weeks old, sleep is still very disorganized and unpredictable, that’s totally normal. The fact that you’re seeing so much good sleep during the daytime and longer stretches at night is AMAZING! Does she have issues with gas that could be causing the squirming and grunting? When you pick her up, does she burp, or is she more comfortable because she’s not lying flat and is elevated when you pick her up? Babies are loud sleepers, so I would definitely encourage white noise while she is sleeping- this will help your sleep, too!
Please let us know if you have any additional questions 🙂
Best,
Ingrid, BSMS Support Team
Hi. I was early to introduce my newborn to heathy sleep habits and avoid sleep associations, and everything seemed to work out fine, until she was about 4 weeks old. At that time she started to fuss both at day and night and refused to sleep on her back in her crib. It got worse and worse, at the end the only thing that helped was to wear her. Now she is almost 6 weeks old and doesnt seem to want to sleep in her crib again. I do everthing I should at bed/nap time: dark room, noise machine, swaddle. I’ve tried putting her in the crib awake, drowsy, patting/shushing/rocking her before I lay her down or while she lays in the crib. I made sure that she is fed, burped, changed and stimulated during wake times and have appropriate wake windows. But nothing seems to work, she only wakes up after a few minutes in her crib, and almost sleeps immedietly everytime I pick her up. Should I continue to try to have her sleep in the crib again even if I will cost her the amount of sleep the next few days? Should I just let her cry it out in her crib? How should I continue with this?
Hello and thank you for your post! It is completely normal for LOs at this age to need help falling asleep since they are still in the “fourth trimester”. It is okay to rock your LO or help your LO fall asleep at this age. We really see babies become able to fall asleep independently around 5/6 months. Don’t overly stress about sleep associations at this early stage! 🙂 Alyssa, BSMS Support Team
My 7 week old boy has been taking his longest stretch of sleep starting at 7:30pm/8:00pm. Is there a way I can help move this bedtime later so he’s not waking up ready for the day around 5:30am every day?
Hi Lauren,
Thanks so much for your message and congratulations on your newest addition! Since your LO is still in that “fourth trimester” it is completely normal to not have a solid schedule. There is so much growth and development and it can be tough for LO’s. This is one of the reasons why babies nap so much during the day. You can try to push back bedtime later by gradually moving it back every 10 minutes over 3 days. Just don’t stress if your LO still has trouble given his age. We often see LO’s do better with a more solid schedule around 5/6 months! Alyssa, BSMS Support Team
My 2 And a half month old has now gone back to waking every 3 hours to feed again, he was close to sleeping 8 hours a night. Any suggestions on how to get him to sleep longer at night again?
Hi Casey! Thanks for your comment! It always tough when sleep is good and suddenly derails! Luckily it is usually due to a developmental stage that passes 🙂 Since you are between two guides, I’ll link both of them for you. The guides will help you with sleep problems and help manage expectations on sleep at this stage.
Here is the 2 month old guide: https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/how-to-help-2-month-old-baby-sleep-well
Here is the 3 month old guide: https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/3-month-old-sleep-problems
If you implement the tips consistently for 2 weeks, you should see improvements 🙂
Hope it helps! / Leena, BSMS Support Team
Hi I am a mum of twin boys now age 4 months (corrected 8 weeks old as born at 29 weeks). Would you advice using your methods with twins or any adaptations? Thanks
Hi Jacqui, thanks for your question!
Congratulations on your two boys!
I will link our 2 month old guide to see what challenges or actions that might be of help.
https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/how-to-help-2-month-old-baby-sleep-well
When working with twins, we still make sure that we go by their adjusted age, individual personality and your parenting preference. Most moms that we work with choose to work on both babies’ sleep at the same time. Of course, it helps to have a supportive partner too. Once your babies are 5 months old and if you’re considering sleep training them, you can contact us for recommendations about sleep training twins.
Hope this helps! / Leena, BSMS Support Team
Hi Jilly,
I have a 5 week old who fights sleep, especially during the day. He will only nap once or twice – sometimes for 30 minutes or 2 hours but generally no more. We regularly attempt naps and although his eyes will get heavy and he appears to be starting to fall asleep, he will wake himself up and then refuse to fall into a sleep. He is very fussy throughout the day, likely because he is overtired. We do swaddle him and although it cuts down on him jerking himself awake once asleep, it doesn’t seem to help get him to sleep. Even with reduced stimuli, he still fights sleep and I struggle trying to get him to sleep! Any suggestions?
Hi Hilary!
It can be so tiring having a baby that wants to sleep, but can’t. Wearing baby in a carrier facing inward toward you (and going for a walk) might help him settle easier and be able to sleep? Also lying him in the stroller and going for a walk outside can help as well. Sometimes overstimulated babies need a change of scenery to be able to unwind and relax. And many find it easy to sleep outside! If you suspect gas or tummy troubles might be bothering him, try bicycling his legs for a few minutes throughout the day or doing a few minutes of “tummy time” to relieve trapped gas. Plus LOTS of burping. And some moms swear by probiotic drops for their fussy babies (ask your doctor first.)
I hope these tips help. / Leena, BSMS Support Team
Hi Jilly,
My baby boy is 6 weeks old. He started off sleeping decently at night, waking every 2-3 hours to est then going right back to sleep. At this time he slept in the “sleeper” part of our pack and play, and even when we first transitioned him to the pack and play itself he did fine. However, in the last week and a half if I lay him on his bavk to sleep he immediately wakes up. If I wait until he is in a deep sleep before laying him down, he still wakes up. He cries and screams until I pick him up. And when I do get him to sleep, he wakes up every 30-45 minutes at night and doesnt settle himself back down. Do you have any suggestions or tips??
Hi Samantha,
I highly recommend swaddling your newborn. Swaddling works wonders for helping young babies sleep longer stretches. You can see swaddle blankets I recommend in this article above.
Also, keep an eye on his awake times during the day. If he’s awake for too long in the day, he can become overtired which makes it harder for him to settle and worsens day and night sleep. Keep his awake times always under 2 hours, all day long. (Ideally under 90 minutes.)
You can put the Pack n Play right next to your bed. That way, you’re still close to him and can shush or give hands-on soothing when he wakes but he stays in his bed.
This plus all the tips in this newborn guide should definitely help to improve his sleep.
Good luck,
Jilly