No doubt this is one of the most discussed topics for new parents: when does my baby settle into a sleep-wake routine?
Here’s the reassurance you need: newborns don’t have a routine, and they aren’t meant to. In the early weeks, babies sleep a lot – often between 14-18 hours per day. These periods can vary between longer stretches of 2-6 hours at a time, to shorter 10–30-minute naps. Their internal body clocks – called circadian rhythms – haven’t developed yet, so they don’t know the difference between day and night. You may have noticed this during pregnancy when they become party animals when you want to go to sleep!
Why are newborns nocturnal?
Newborns are quite often more active at night mainly due to needing to feed. At birth, a baby’s stomach is no larger than a marble, and it grows every day. This is why they feed little and often. It is also because post-birth – regardless of how you choose to feed your baby - the milk-producing hormones in the birthing parent are at the highest levels at night, so you’ll tend to find that babies will wake more often to feed during the nighttime more than the day to feed. It’s just in their natural biological instructions.
Why routines don’t work (yet)
Routines rely on predictability – newborns simply aren’t predictable. Their needs change by the hour as they adjust to life outside the womb. Rather than focusing on a “pattern”, think about starting to recognise and respond to your newborn patterns and cues – feeding cues when they are hungry, and sleep signs when they are tired and comfort cues when they simply need a cuddle/attention.
What normal sleep looks like:
- Wakes regularly for feeds
- Has periods of alertness between sleeping – these will get longer with age
- Feeds well and has regular wet and dirty nappies
- Is generally settled between feeds
When to seek support
- Your baby is very difficult to rouse or unusually floppy
- They are feeding poorly or refusing feeds
- There are fewer wet nappies than usual
- Your baby seems persistently distressed and won’t settle at all
- You are feeling overwhelmed, exhausted or are worried about coping
Babies don’t follow our plans or instructions (as much as we might want them to), but that doesn’t mean there is a anything wrong – it’s a normal stage of early life. By attuning and responding to your baby’s cues and seeking support when needed, you are contributing to your baby’s wellness, one step at a time.
