In recent years, there have been many changes in the way new moms and dads handle getting their newborns on a regular eat/sleep schedule. Pediatricians used to push hard for parents to get baby on a schedule as soon as they brought them home from the hospital. This thinking has evolved over the last several years into waiting to see what the baby's schedule is, and then making smaller adjustments that best suit the family. It's much better not to upset the pattern of natural rhythms the baby began before birth, and then ease them into the schedule your family keeps.
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The first thing to do when baby comes home from the hospital is simply to become aware of your baby's patterns for eating and sleeping. This schedule will be the basis for your baby's personal schedule. The four important things to note when observing this schedule are when he eats, how long he sleeps, when he is alert and the one many new parents forget to make a note of, when a bowel movement occurs with relationship to the other three. Another very important thing to remember for the first couple weeks is to be sure you build trust by tending to your newborn when they awake from sleep. The security of your baby knowing his needs will be met, is the first thing to establish before any routine is changed.
Make only small adjustments in the beginning. If you wish to go to sleep at 9:30PM but you know the baby will awaken at 11:00PM, go ahead and wake the baby early. This is the first step in establishing a schedule that can work for both of you at nighttime.
During the day, try to feed your baby every four hours. If your baby generally naps longer and is far too asleep to eat, then your baby may not be ready for four-hour intervals. Wait a week or so and try again. By the same token, feed baby more often if your baby requires it. Many babies need more time to adjust to life outside the womb before adjusting to the family schedule.
If your baby falls fast asleep in the middle of a feeding, then wakes up after a short nap, you must find a way to prolong the feeding until the baby has had enough to eat. Changing your baby's diaper mid-feeding will surely get his attention. If you're breast feeding you may decide to feed for a shorter period of time on each breast, at the beginning, to insure your baby has had enough milk before falling asleep. Putting your baby to bed only when he is comfortably full, dry and burped. Burping is important to insure a restful sleep.
Finally, make your schedule predictable for the new baby. The baby will quickly get used having a bath or a walk at the same time each day. Establishing a routine for your baby coupled with sleeping and eating schedules will make for a much happier adjustment for the entire family.
Comment on this page...
Blans on 11/14/2009 5:03:38 PM
I to am a teacher and it hasenīt the same effect on me, can I suggest you get a life and leave the woman alone.
Bren on 11/8/2009 8:00:45 PM
liz- I would like to know how many languages you speak and are able to write. It would be very interesting if you only had English to fall back on. I also wonder if you would be able to type anything in another language...g ahead, give it a try!
MAY- I feel your pain! My 6 week old also has been confused on his sleeping schedule. It is difficult to tend to him at night, which makes days very hard! Anyways, it is getting better. We are trying to keep him up during the day...taking walks, giving him tummy time, changing diaper when he gets sleepy too early etc. He does takes naps but we do limit the time so that he is able to sleep longer at night. I hope this helps!
Felisha on 11/5/2009 6:20:44 AM
Since our son was about 5 wks old, we began forcing him awake at night so that we could put him to bed around the same time we go to bed. For the most part, it has worked out very well. It can make for a fiesty evening when he is tired and we won't let him sleep. But when I do give him his bath, put him in his pj's, and then feed him...he sleeps better. I am SO jealous of the mom's that wrote that their 7wk kids are sleeping through the night. My 3 month old has only slept through the night once. But he also only wakes up once (2:30-3:30 am) before I wake him for daycare. Routines help. I can completely see the difference in my son when we deviate from the routine - visitors, friends over, caving and letting him go to bed earlier, etc.
Karen on 10/27/2009 7:56:38 PM
I agree with baby having a routine at night, a bath is a good way to start.
Our Olivia is sleeping through from 7-8pmish till 6-7am in the morning without a feed. She is 7 weeks old.
The routine starts with being awake from approx 4pm and cluster feeding (I breast feed), mat time etc till bath about 6-7pm. Is well tried by then! She settles well to sleep, she is put to bed awake and we don't hear from her till morning.
melissa on 10/15/2009 5:13:45 PM
i started a routine for my 2nd daughter since reading this.she is now 7wks old.at night time when i am ready 2 sleep i put on her long sleeve sleepwear, take off lamp, switch on night light and feed her.she sleeps 4 six hours,feeds again and back 2 sleep till the sun comes up.wish i had this info 4 my 1st daughter.tha alot.
Laura on 10/11/2009 6:22:25 AM
She didn't ask you to edit her comment....s was seeking advice. Some people are not born speaking English. Your children are so lucky to be learning from you. I'm sure they will never make a grammatical error (without your criticisms!)
Caroline on 10/7/2009 12:23:19 PM
My 7 weeks old doesn't go to sleep until about 11:30pm every night. We've established her bedtime routine and begin around 8pm to get her to fall asleep earlier but it doesn't seem to work out. She still cries and fight herself until late at night! Should I wake herup earlier in the morning to help her or maybe wake her fromher naps during the day? I wouldnt think waking her up is a good thing, but I need her to go to bed earlier at night since I only have a bout 1 more month before we go back to work. She sleeps till 10am if I let her sleep all she wants! HELP!
niez on 10/6/2009 7:02:14 PM
my 3 months old Zara already has her own sleep schedule. she sleep at 12 every night & wake up at 5-6 am. anyhow, i still have problem with her eat schedule.. she wont eat untill she feel really hungry. the worsen is, when we are a little bit late to prepare her drink, she wil crying all the time and refuse to drink anymore
margaret on 10/5/2009 11:50:32 AM
very helpful thanks !!!
Lenice on 9/25/2009 11:35:53 PM
Liz if u got nothing good to say just shut.
paramom on 9/22/2009 11:53:23 AM
My 5 week old is sleeping 6hrs at night. I do not feed him to sleep. I feed him then change him and give him a bath. Usually around the same time at night, then I dress him and sing to him, then lay him down to go to bed. He will look around for a while and then will fall asleep. The bath at the same time each night really helps to let him know it is bed time. consistancy works well with babies. they like to know what to expect. Try giving your baby a bath before bed each night. I got this routine from the book "Secrets of the baby whisperer" there is some really good stuff in there.
cyn on 9/22/2009 11:06:19 AM
wooooow! some people really need to get a life! The poor woman is asking for advice and she isn't writing a term paper! soooo "english teacher" Save the comments for the classroom!
Anonymous on 9/16/2009 5:54:35 AM
very helpful advise.
Its not about the spelling and grammar!
Kim on 9/11/2009 11:28:43 AM
It was very rude to comment on the grammar of the last entry! I'm a lawyer and have my teaching license, so lay off on touting your credentials and let people voice their concerns in peace. Sleep-depriv mothers should be given a break!
Ann on 9/3/2009 2:57:47 PM
One of my children were like that with thier days and nights mixed up...it was a hard road to switch it, but we did it. What we did was (as cranky as it made our son) we fought to keep him up during the day, let him only have cat naps, and would wake him....as for the evening we would make sure it was dark, no stimulants around to attract his attention. It seemed to work for us. Good luck!
I have a 3 month old baby now that I am trying to get onto a schedual since he hasn't really been on one at all since birth, but am unsure how to go abouts doing that. Any suggestions anyone?
Leslie on 9/2/2009 12:31:52 PM
She must be incredibly sleep deprived!
May on 9/01/2009 12:30 am on 8/31/2009 9:47:41 AM
your informative was very helpful to all readers of this subject, but i have a problem in my baby mikee was a 4 months and 3 wiks old baby my problem to her in scheduling her sleep she wake up at 12 am in the morning and she return to sleep about 7 am in morning it so very stressful because her time to sleep is not good, it difficult to us to company with her in the middle of the night there was a saying her day turns to night and her night turns in daytime that why it's hard to me how to handle in that problems i hope you will give me a advice to what will i do to make my baby changing her sleep
LIZ on 8/26/2009 3:29:13 PM
I don't have any comment about the content here, but geez...the spelling and grammar mistakes drives this English teacher CRAZY! Don't you have an editor or proofreader?????
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