The Best Newborn Sleep Habits to Start at Birth

Did you know that there are certain techniques you can start with your baby from the moment they are born which can help them become great sleepers? I had no idea when I was pregnant the first time and my baby had a rough time sleeping at night. I did nothing to encourage good sleep.

When my second and third babies were born, I did everything I could so they could start sleeping through the night as soon as possible.

When I got the green light from my pediatrician, my babies slept 6 hours by the time they were 1 month old, and by 2 months they were sleeping over 8 hours. It was awesome because I love my sleep a lot!!

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Before we get started, lets cover the most important step:

Talk to Your Pediatrician

This is a HUGE one!! Every baby and circumstance is different. I always followed the advice of the medical professionals that I personally encountered. They knew me, they knew my baby, and they knew what was best for us.

The best question you can ask at every well check visit with your pediatrician is… “How long can I let my baby sleep for until I need to wake them up for a feed?”

The answer will depend on a variety of scenarios. I was lucky enough to have all 3 of my babies at term (one was a little late even), and they were all big babies (well over 8lbs). All of them were able to gain the necessary weight so that they could sleep longer at night.

Once you get your recommendation, be sure to follow it.

Ok, now we got that out of the way, here is what I did to encourage good sleep from the time they were born:

Feed More Frequently During the Day

So if you plan to breastfeed your baby, you will need to feed them on demand. When they start showing signs of hunger, feed them right away. Otherwise, you will need to breastfeed them every 2-3 hours for the first few days. This is counted from the start of your feeding session (sadly not the end!).

If your baby is hungry every hour, you’ll need to feed them every hour. It sucks I know, but this is temporary. Once their stomachs get bigger, they are fuller for longer.

Try to feed your baby every 2 hours (or less) during the day and every 3 hours at night. If your baby wakes before 3 hours, feed them and put them back to sleep. When your baby is born, they are typically unable to wake themselves to let you know that they are hungry. It is important to wake them and feed them so they don’t get dehydrated. Once they get older, they will be able to wake themselves and let you know that they need your milk!

When your baby gets older and your pediatrician has given you permission, you can let them sleep longer at night.

Use Shorter Nap Times During the Day

If your baby is sound asleep during the day and it is time to feed them, gently wake them up and feed them. This will prevent them from taking really long naps. When they take long naps, they won’t feel as tired at night.

At night, let them sleep a little longer. This gives them a signal that they can sleep longer at night.

Make Noise During the Day

This is easy to do when you already have kids. They already make a ton of noise during the day and when it is nighttime, everything is peaceful. Your baby will be able to sleep better when the atmosphere is peaceful.

If you don’t have any other kids around the house, don’t be afraid to do laundry, vacuum, play music, or anything that makes a little noise. At night, be peaceful.

Make it Bright During the Day and Dark at Night

One of the best ways to help your baby sleep at night is to help them differentiate between night and day. When your baby arrives and you’re settled into your room, turn off the lights at night and keep your room well lit during the day.

While you’re in the hospital, make sure your baby stays with you (if possible). While it may be tempting to ask the nurses to look after your baby at night, it can become a lot harder to train your baby. When your baby stays with you, you have more control over when they eat, when they are held, lighting, and the general atmosphere.

Once your baby is at home, keep your rooms well lit during the day and dark at night.

Feed Longer Before They Go to Bed

If you can, try to encourage your baby to eat more for their last feeding. This may take a while before this method can work. Once they know they can sleep longer at night, they typically feed longer on their last feed of the day.

If they fall asleep, wait 5 minutes and offer them more milk. If they take it, awesome. If not, don’t worry, just put them to bed as they are full.

Set Up a Good Night-Time Routine

Now, there are books out there with crazy strict schedules. As a mom of 3, I found it impossible to get my baby to sleep at a specific time. Also, you tend to juggle a lot so it can make it difficult for anyone!

One thing I did stick to though was a night-time schedule. I would start by dimming the lights and making it “quiet time”. If it was bath day, we would then give our baby a bath. If it wasn’t (as you don’t want to bathe your baby every day while they have their cord still attached), I would change them into their pajamas.

I would also differentiate their clothes from night and day as another way to help them know when it’s night and day. I loved these pajamas at night and these simple onesies during the day.

Once they were in their pajamas, I would nurse them, burp them, then put them to sleep.

Use a Sound Machine

Babies tend to sleep better when a sound machine is used (source). Personally, I love this sound machine as there is a heartbeat setting that sounds like white noise with a gentle heartbeat playing. This mimics the womb helping your baby to sleep peacefully.

Burp Them Before Putting Them to Sleep

If you put your baby to sleep when they haven’t released any gas, they will wake up in pain. They will then struggle to get back to sleep. If your baby struggles to burp at night (because they fall asleep while nursing and don’t burp no matter what you try), use gas drops! They are amazing.

Gas drops help your baby to relieve any gas so they go to bed comfortably. This typically leads to a good night’s sleep. Be sure to check with your pediatrician before offering gas drops to be sure it is safe for your baby.

So there you have it! Hopefully, these strategies will help you train your baby to sleep well at night. Be sure to check out this post that can help you train your baby to sleep better if you are looking for more tips!