How To Get Your Newborn On A Sleep Schedule

14 Comments

  1. Taylor

    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!

    Reply
    • Ingrid

      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

      Reply
  2. Maiken

    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?

    Reply
    • Alyssa Taft

      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

      Reply
  3. Lauren

    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?

    Reply
    • Alyssa Taft

      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

      Reply
  4. Casey

    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?

    Reply
  5. jacqui

    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

    Reply
    • Leena Pasila

      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

      Reply
  6. Hilary

    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?

    Reply
    • Leena Pasila

      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

      Reply
  7. Samantha

    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??

    Reply
    • Jilly Blankenship

      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

      Reply

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