In the first months of life (typically zero to three months), rather than focus on newborn sleep issues, we concentrate on establishing basic rhythms and routines that will help babies learn to sleep better. You can gently shape some newborns’ sleep habits early on and hopefully prevent future sleep problems. We also learn a repertoire of soothing techniques that will help us become more confident parents, able to help our babies feel calm and secure, without relying exclusively or constantly on the breast or a bottle.
Consider this precious time a sleep-shaping phase and less a sleep-coaching phase. Cherish these first few months – which will fly by – as your gift of time to bond with your baby. There will be plenty of opportunities soon enough to worry about sleep. Your newborn sleep issues are just that – newborn issues. With time and appropriate parent coaching, a lot of issues will resolve with age.
While not all babies will experience sleep regressions, most families find themselves struggling with frequent night wakings around their baby’s 4th month, due to all the developmental changes. Perhaps just a few weeks ago you could easily nurse or feed your baby back to sleep, and now that no longer works. Frequent night wakings are really common during this sleep regression and you may find yourself holding, rocking, and shushing your baby A LOT more to calm them down and perhaps more than you used to!
Does your newborn baby nurse to sleep? That’s perfectly fine. She will only nap in your arms ? No problem. She wants to eat every 90 minutes during the day? We understand. You really are not going to create any “bad” habits in these first few months. Do what works for you and your baby now, so that you can rest and your baby can get the sleep (and feedings) she needs.
Newborn babies don’t start to develop a circadian rhythm until they are between 3-4 months old, which means that getting on a schedule might not happen yet. What you can do is focus on the quality and timing of sleep. First, focus on night sleep. Night sleep begins to develop between 6-8 weeks, which means you may see one longer sleep stretch between 4-6 hours at night. Around 3-4 months you will start to see a glimmer of a “schedule” for naps during the day.
As a new parent, you’re probably overrun with advice on newborn sleep issues – including opinions on swaddling. Swaddling is tightly wrapping your baby in a blanket to restrict limbs to recreate a cozy womb-like feeling. The main purpose behind swaddling is to try and get a baby to sleep a little longer by keeping themselves from startling awake. We will discuss the safe ways to swaddle your baby to help with soothing and sleep.
5 Newborn Sleep Tips To Support a Better Schedule Early On Putting your newborn on a sleep schedule isn’t as rigid as it sounds. I’m Kim, an expert on gentle, evidence-based infant sleep. It is possible to create small habits early on in your baby’s life to support their sleep — now and as…
Understanding Sleep & Surviving the First Few Months With Your Sweet Newborn You won’t get a lot of sleep with a newborn. (There, I said it. Better to set realistic expectations so you’re prepared!) It might surprise you that in my new book, The Sleep Lady’s Gentle Guide to Newborn Sleep, we focus on feeding…
Signs of The 4-Month Sleep Regression & 3 Simple Solutions To Help You Through It Whether you’re still sleep deprived or feeling like you’re finally getting a routine down — when the 4-month sleep regression hits, it rocks your world. You desperately need your baby to sleep at night, for everyone’s sake! If your…
Understand Why Your Baby Stays Awake All Night but Sleeps in The Day Your 4-week-old’s beautiful eyes are wide open, and they’re staring up at you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. It’s incredible gazing at your child, soaking up every tiny detail. Then, a wave of exhaustion hits and you remember… It’s 2 am. You suddenly feel…
The Gentle Newborn Sleep Guide: Your Top 12 Questions Answered Those first few months with your newborn are supposed to be a precious time – a time when you can begin to build a lifelong bond with your new child. That’s why I’m often disturbed by some of the misguided sleep advice floating around for…
In the first three months of life, we concentrate on establishing basic rhythms and routines that will help babies learn to sleep better.
As an author, podcaster and public speaker, Amber Trueblood brings clarity and inspiration to busy moms. She has developed a variety of tools to reduce overwhelm and increase fulfillment in daily life. Listen to learn her 7 tips for helping a new parent survive.
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The Sleep Lady.
“I just got “[The Sleep Lady’s Good Night, Sleep Tight” and dove right into it with my husband. I feel much more relaxed and optimistic after reading the first few chapters. My biggest reason for getting this book was to increase consistency in my 4-month-old baby’s sleeping interventions. I feel better equipped to help my kiddo sleep. ” – JA
Kims’ best-selling book can guide you when navigating newborn sleep and beyond. For newborns, the book helps you focus on setting yourself and your newborn up for sleep success. There is plenty you can do for your little sleepyhead now, even if they aren’t developmentally ready to be coached to sleep. The book will guide you to gently shape your newborns’ sleep habits by teaching soothing techniques, how to create a sleep friendly environment and a soothing pre-sleep routine. In the future, it will serve as a great guide to sleep train your baby when you are both ready.
I find crying it out (CIO) and Ferber to be rather brutal approaches and wanted something much gentler with minimal crying. This did the trick…
– Katclimber: AMAZON Top Contributor: Baby
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Creating an ideal sleep environment for your baby will make sleep much easier – the payoff is priceless! Here are some of our favorite products to help your baby get some sleep.
