How can I get my newborn to sleep at night?

You want to know how you can get your one month old little girl to sleep better at night instead of sleeping all day. This is a question that many new mothers ask. It's because newborn babies sleep about 16 hours out of each 24 hour period but it's never when we want them to. In fact, newborns frequently eat more at night and are more fussy and these patterns and habits are normal. It's normal for their development. Their feeding schedule has a lot to do with their sleeping schedule. Right now your baby has a very small stomach and it can't hold much volume and your baby is growing rapidly. She needs to eat smaller feedings more frequently throughout the day. It's normal if she's eating about every two to three hours and sleeping for small increments in between each feeding, like maybe one or two hours at a time. As she gets a little bit older she'll naturally start to understand the difference between night and day. This is called circadian rhythm and this understanding usually comes between six and eight weeks. By eight weeks most babies are sleeping about six to eight hours at night. Hang in there just a little bit longer and hopefully she will start sleeping better and so will you. In the meantime there are things you can do to encourage healthy sleep habits in the future. Every time you put her down whether it be for a nap or at night, put her in a crib on her back. This is the safest position for her to sleep in and will help to reduce the risk of SIDS. Keep all extra, soft, fluffy things out of her crib. This includes bumper pads, pillows, extra blankets, and stuffed animals. Develop some sort of routine before bedtime. She probably won't understand it now but as she gets older both of you will be on the right track. For example, this could involve rocking, it could be a story, you could give her a bath. As she gets older she'll learn that these activities mean that it's time for sleep. It helps her wind down and get ready to go to bed. Each time before you put her down for a nap also develop some sort of routine. When your baby wakes at night don't encourage wakeful periods by turning on lights, talking to her, or playing with her. Keep things quiet, keep the lights low, and feed her, change her, and put her back to bed. This will help her understand that this is time for sleep, not time for play. If your baby isn't sleeping through the night by four months of age talk with your pediatrician and they can give you advice on that. If you have more questions for me in the future, please feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/intermountainmoms and recommend us to your friends and family too.

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