Settling a newborn to sleep

Newborns cry to express themselves. Crying is a normal way for a newborn to communicate.

A newborn will cry mostly because they are hungry, thirsty, hot or cold, wet or soiled, overtired, excited, frightened or they are just in need of a cuddle.

In the early weeks a newborn will need help to settle. This is particularly key with settling a baby to sleep.

They will need some help in the beginning to soothe and settle.

A newborn can sleep from 10-18 hours a day.

This can be in short spurts or longer naps.

Sleep for a newborn baby can range from long sleep periods of 3 hours or short cat naps of only 30 minutes at a time.

Some (and we stress it is only some, and not all) babies can be ‘sleeping through’ the night by 6 months,.

Some babies may even seem to start sleeping through the night as early as 6 weeks old.  Some babies can still be waking through the night constantly even when they are 12 months or older.

Your newborn is unsettled and you need some guidance on what to do. There are some strategies that work and it really is down to learning your babies cues and what works for you and your baby.

• Hold your baby till they fall asleep. No, this isn’t spoiling them or setting you up for issues. A newborn requires comfort and cuddling your baby until they fall asleep provides that comfort they are seeking and the reassurance.
• Have darkness: Some babies equal darkness with sleep. If they sleep well at night this maybe worth trying in their day sleep if you are having any trouble settling them.
• Try to get your baby into a routine as quickly as possible: It will settle them as they will be more contented, as will you. It is not usually that possible in the first few weeks, but even developing a bedtime ritual (i.e. bath, bottle, and bed) will help in the development of day routine and familiarize them with a sleep pattern.
• Change of scenery: Sometimes a baby is just in need of new surroundings. Go outside, go for a walk, or even just go to another room.
• If they display tired signs, put them to sleep: The sooner you catch these signs and put them down to sleep the less you will have to struggle with over-tired babies. A baby’s signs of getting tired can include grimacing, yawning, grizzling, frowning, sucking, staring, snuggling in, jerky movements, becoming over active, clenching fists, rubbing eyes, fussiness or crying. If you are able to acknowledge and respond quite quickly to these tired signs it will assist in settling your baby. The more tired a baby becomes the more at risk of your baby becoming distressed.
• Burp them well: A lot of babies swallow air when they are feeding. A nasty pain may wake them and disrupt their sleep.
• Swaddle: A lot of babies like to be swaddled to be comforted. This is known to assist in settling a baby. Swaddling is where you wrap them firmly in a blanket with their arms inside the blanket. It helps to give them the feeling of being held. It minimizes the ‘Moro’ reflex newborns have, where they throw their arms and wake themselves with a fright. Ensure their head is uncovered and they are not overdressed. Be aware that it is recommended to stop wrapping your baby when they are able to turn onto their tummy during sleep or play. This is usually around the 3-6 months mark.
• Don’t tiptoe or have no noise: Babies are constantly hearing noises in the womb; therefore they may struggle to go to sleep in quiet. It also means you can continue to go about doing things.
• Shorter distances between feeds: Some babies sleep better with the ‘feed-on-demand’ type of feeding, whereby the clock is forgotten, and you take the cues from your baby. You will generally find they will be more settled, rather than trying to make them last till the 4 hour mark.
• Talk quietly and soothingly to your baby. This may help to calm them.
• Stay with your baby until they fall asleep.
• If your baby is upset or distressed picking them up and soothing them before placing them back down to sleep will aid in the time it takes for your baby to fall asleep.
• Comfort your baby. This can be through ‘shhh shhh shhh’ sounds, a gentle had on their body, gentle rocking or patting, stroking. The repetitions will help to settle them and signal relaxation and sleep.