How To Get Your Newborn Baby To Sleep Through The Night

Night-time Survival Guide For Mom’s With Newborns

Probably one of the biggest things you’ve heard throughout pregnancy is to enjoy sleeping while you can before the baby comes because you won’t be sleeping after the baby arrives.

The thought of not getting any sleep might sound overwhelming! No sleep… really?

What is night-time really like with a newborn?

I’m going to clear the air and fill you in on what it’s really like to take care of a baby through the night. Don’t worry you will get sleep!

I’ll also give you tips so you can make it through the night with a newborn baby.

I like to think of this as the night-time survival guide for moms with newborns. Let’s get started!

What To Expect At Night With Your Newborn Baby

One of the things that helped me most as a new mom was to understand what makes my baby tick. It gave me a proper perspective of how my little one works and that is how I framed my expectations.

Can’t Tell The Difference Between Night And Day

Do you know how babies eat, sleep, and poop all day long? Well, they really do because they don’t know the difference between night and day! Makes sense, they’ve been in your womb for 9 months where the lighting was the same 24/7.

Two in the morning is the same as two in the afternoon. If your baby is hungry at 2 am they are going to let you know they need to eat! Newborns also eat every 1-3 hours so more than like they will be up 2 to 3 times a night.

Don’t Stick To The Same Routine

Since babies don’t know the difference between night and day it makes sense that they don’t stick to a routine.

In a perfect world, it would be nice to think, “I’ll feed her, sing a song, rock her to sleep and put her down.” It’s perfectly ok to do that every night but don’t expect the same outcome.

In the first few weeks of life, newborns are adjusting to everything around them. Their five senses are getting acclimated to new surroundings. Their bodily functions are still developing. Some days they may be really gassy. Other days they may eat a lot more because of a growth spurt.

All of these factors contribute to them not sticking to the same routine. One night you may find them sleeping for a 5-hour stretch and then the next night they are up 5 times!

Don’t Always Like Their Sleep Environment

You spent hours planning out the perfect nursery and picking out the cutest crib. While you have the best nursery theme your baby more than likely doesn’t have a preference. Some babies do have an opinion though and will let you know!

I knew a first-time mom whose baby cries anytime he is placed in the crib. Aren’t babies supposed to sleep in a crib? Babies can be sensitive to their surroundings and don’t easily fall asleep if things don’t feel right to them.
Newborns Are Still Used To Life In The Womb
Your baby’s reflexes are still not fully developed and that affects their behavior and ability to sleep. After being cramped in your belly for 9 months your baby will naturally remain in the fetal position for a while.

They don’t have control over body movements which contributes to how they sleep. The startle response, a quick reflex can jumpstart your newborn out of sleep. Babies have a grasp reflex and if they fall asleep holding an object that can wake them if it drops on them. When babies turn their next to the side their reflex makes the arm move to the side, which eventually becomes uncomfortable.

Newborns’ eyesight isn’t fully developed. Generally when you cradle your baby the distance between their head and yours is as far as they can see. Otherwise, they just see movement and contrast between light and dark.

Unpredictability Is The Norm

So what does all of this mean and what should you expect every night with your newborn? Life is unpredictable!

Your daytime routine is probably unpredictable, you will find you shower or eat at different times during the day. The same holds true for the evening hours.

One night your little man may be easy to put to bed and sleep for 4 hours. The next night your little lady might cluster feed all night long!

You will get to sleep through the night, but how much will vary. Your sleeping time will be done in chunks. Some nights you will get 3-hour stretches, other nights it will be one hour at a time. Your body will quickly adapt to this new schedule, a 4-hour sleep will feel like a blissful 8!

If you learn to expect unpredictability you will know what to do, which is to keep your baby fed and comfortable the first few weeks of life.

There are things you can do though to help you and your baby survive the late-night parties though!

5 Ways to Make It Through The Night With A Newborn Baby

Your newborn baby doesn’t know much about proper night-time etiquette. You can show them how and that’s the main point of this survival guide! As a mom, you are your child’s best teacher and your baby is never too young to learn.

1) Teach Them The Difference Between Night And Day

The first step in getting your baby and yourself some good shut-eye is to teach them the difference between night and day. Daytime is for being awake. Night-time is for sleep. If only we can simply tell our babies that!

So how do you teach them the difference between night and day? Here’s how:

• During the day keep light and noises at a normal day-time level
• Be active during the day, meaning do normal day-time rituals
• Keep rooms light during naps
• At night darken the rooms
• Lower activity level
• Lessen noise volumes

Over time your baby’s internal clock will catch on to the activities surrounding him and will behave accordingly.

2) Establish A Flexible Routine

You already know babies don’t stick to a routine. That doesn’t mean you can’t introduce them to the concept. That’s where flexibility comes into play. In the first few weeks, your life naturally won’t follow the same routine day-in and day-out. You can still set the stage though by loosely doing the following:

• At night, create a mini routine. The time that you put your baby down for the first time for the night might be 7 one day and 10 the next. The mini routine can be simple like feeding, and singing the same song every night or handing the baby off to dad for a bottle every night.
• When laying the baby down for the first time each night, even if the time varies, do things like changing diapers, putting on jammies, and nursing in the same room the baby will sleep.

Diaper changing routine lifesavers:

• Change the baby before you nurse so if she falls asleep you can just put her down. Doesn’t matter if they just go #1 because
• Disposable diapers can last a long time! Unless your baby goes #2 you don’t have to change a diaper with every feeding. Your baby will stay dry.
  Get in the habit of putting your baby down when they are drowsy rather than fully asleep.

3) Create An Environment That Promotes Sleep

In the first few weeks of life, babies want to be kept warm and cozy. Sometimes cribs are too uncomfortable. Other factors that affect how babies sleep come into play. To set your son or daughter up for sleep success try the following:

• Let the baby sleep in a pack and play or bassinet that helps them feel secure.
• Check lighting, temperature, and sound and set them at a level that promotes sleep.
• Check on safety standards but let babies nap in a swing or bouncy seat if that is where they get their best slumber.
• Keep your baby close by so you can get to them sooner. Let your baby sleep in a bassinet in your room so you can attend to their needs quickly so they don’t fully wake-up.

4) Recreate The Womb

The first three months of a newborn’s life is called the 4th trimester. The outside world is still new to them and giving them the comforts of the womb helps them adjust and sleep better. You can recreate the womb by doing the following:

• Swaddle your baby: This helps limit their reflexes, regulates their temperature, and helps them feel secure
• Use a pacifier: Giving them something to suck is a soothing reflex that helps them fall asleep and feel comfort
• Use white noise similar to womb sounds: Radio static works just fine, otherwise, you can find a CD or an app that has sounds that are similar to what they heard in the womb.
• Rock your baby with a swaying motion: You baby naturally was rocked from your movements, which were mostly swaying motions when you walked. Mimicking this motion helps them fall asleep.

5) Dealing With Unpredictability

It can still be stressful not being able to plan out your day or night. Unpredictability can be a life-changer if you’re not used to it. Adjusting to this new schedule along with learning to live with little sleep and taking care of a newborn can be overwhelming.

Additional Tips and Tricks to Surviving Night Time with a Newborn

We all have our tough moments so don’t feel like you have to do everything or know everything. When you are stressed try to:

• Ask for help. Let your spouse know you need a break. Ask a friend to come over to take care of your newborn so you can nap.
• Sleep when the baby sleeps. Honestly, I hate this one because naptime might be your only chance to shower or fold laundry. If you are sleep deprived though don’t let the chores nag you.
• This too shall pass. This is a season of life and you will get your sleep back. As your baby grows they will become better sleepers.
• Give yourself grace. Motherhood is hard, feeling guilty about things is easy. Try not to beat yourself up if your baby isn’t sleeping.
• Go with the flow. On days you didn’t get much sleep plan for an easy day. On days you have a lot of sleep, celebrate with fun outings or productivity.
• Ask your pediatrician for guidance if you feel your baby needs extra help with sleep.
• Take a Class. There are amazing newborn sleep courses out there you can take if you really want to get all the information and help you. can get with getting your newborn baby to sleep through the night. My highly recommend Newborn sleep course is by Mommy Labor Nurse and is named “Baby, We’re Home! Now Let’s Sleep.”

Last Thing You Need To Know About Night Time Survival With a Newborn

You will rock at this mom thing! Through all of the exhaustion and challenges, everything you experience will make you the best mom for your baby. With this night-time survival guide for moms with newborns, you and your baby will make it through the night!

As always, Sharing is Caring! Don’t be selfish, share this amazing content with friends and family! Don’t forget to share on social media (Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Reddit, etc). Share your night time with baby experiences in the comment section below!

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