By Jo-Anne Dietrich
Sleep Consultant

The first weeks as a new parent are spent bonding with your baby, getting to know each other, and figuring out how to handle your baby’s feeding and sleep.

Understanding what is realistic with your newborn’s sleep can help you feel more confident during this magical, but overwhelming time. It is important to understand that a baby’s sleep can be erratic. There are days when your baby may sleep a lot: while on other days, they may hardly sleep at all. Sometimes you may not have enough time to change their nappy and feed them before your baby falls asleep again.

Awake windows

Your baby’s wake window is small during the first six weeks, anywhere between 45 – 60 minutes. From 6 weeks to 3 months, the wake window can be from 60 – 90 minutes. It’s extremely helpful to watch out for those early sleepy signs to prevent overtiredness, especially in the afternoon to early evening.

Sleepy cues

Identifying your baby’s ‘tired signals’ is not always easy, so don’t feel bad if you miss them sometimes. However, learning to recognise your babies tired signs will help to reduce overtiredness.

Early signs of sleepiness include staring into space, looking away, and pink eyebrows. When it’s sleep time your baby may show big yawns, pull at their ears, rub their eyes, and become fussy.
If your baby becomes overtired, they may exhibit signs of inconsolable crying, rigid body, and arching back.

Orchid

Your baby’s sleep cycle at this age is made of two parts: quiet sleep and active sleep. Quiet sleep is typically peaceful, while active sleep can include lots of movement, and grunting, and is often confused with waking up. From 3 – 5 months, your baby’s sleep cycle increases, and sleep moves into the next phase.

Day and night confusion

Your baby’s circadian rhythm doesn’t develop until around 3 – 4 months old, therefore until this develops there will be day and night confusion during this time. In the meantime, encourage sleep in a bright room during the day and a dark peaceful room during the night time sleep.

Newborn sleep can be unpredictable, and there is no set routine to follow. Sleep will become easier as your baby grows older. Understanding what is realistic in terms of sleep during the first three months can help manage expectations and help parents feel confident in these precious early months.

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About the author.

 

Jo-Anne has three boys who now all sleep well, but this wasn’t always the case. Her middle child found sleep difficult, but Jo-Anne was able to improve his sleep with gentle techniques. As she continued to work with families, she realised that she wasn’t the only parent who was struggling with sleep deprivation, so she decided to learn more about the science of sleep and did extensive training to become a sleep consultant. Jo-Anne is a member of the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants, a member of the IPSA and founder of Happy Nights Infant sleep. Book an appointment with Jo-Anne today By listening to families and getting a complete understanding Jo-Anne helps families in a way that they feel really supported.