Newborn Sleeping Tips

There are a lot of things you can do to prepare for having a baby. You can stock up on diapers, decorate the nursery, plan meals. But what you can't prepare for is the lack of sleep you will get once your little bundle of joy arrives.

What a lot of people don't know is that just like talking or walking, sleep is a learned behavior and something we have to teach our babies. We put together a few simple tips and tricks that can help you teach your baby how to rest better and longer, so you can also get that much needed sleep.

Keep in mind that from newborn to 6 weeks of age you shouldn't stress too much about a schedule. Babies are just trying to figure it all out, and whether they are breastfed or bottle fed babies will want to eat every few hours. 

We know it sounds cliche, but sleep when the baby sleeps! and enjoy all those newborn snuggles.

Here are some tricks to help your baby learn to sleep

Learn Sleep Cues

Every baby is different and every baby will tell you they are tired in different ways, but learning your babies sleep cues will help you know when to put them down. A few common sleep cues include

  1. Closed fists and rubbing eyes
  2. Pulling at ears
  3. Staring off into space sleepily and looking away
  4. Fluttering eyelids
  5. Rigid and tense hand and leg movements
  6. Frowning
  7. Looking worried
  8. Clenched fists
  9. Yawning

When your baby is showing signs of sleepiness, create a peaceful space for them to be able to fall asleep, such as a moses basket! 

Start a routine

Just like we follow our babies sleep cues, they also notice signs that it is time for bed. Having a consistent bed time routine helps babies learn to sleep better and longer. One tip we love is giving babies a bath before bed, the rising and lowering of their body tempature that occurs when you take them out of the bath helps their little bodies product melatonin. Find a routine that works for you and your family, wether its bath time or story time, baby will start to pick up on these schedules and sleep will come easier. 

Swaddle your baby

All babies are born with a startle reflex that wakes them up more often than we would like. Swaddling a baby helps to control this reflex and helps create the sensation of being held, and we know all babies love being held. You can shop our swaddles here.

Place baby in an enclosed area

Just like babies like being swaddled, they also like sleeping in an enclosed area where they feel snug and secure. This is why so many babies love sleeping in our Moses Baskets or Loungers. The sides of the baskets and padding of our loungers help baby feel like they are being held and safe.

Try a sound machine

When the babies are in mamas belly, it is not quiet! There is the sound of blood pumping, mom breathing and other functions going on all around the baby. Because of this, a lot of babies love white noise or shushing sounds. Try soothing your baby with a sound machine. Volume is suggested to be as loud as a shower.

Be Patient

Like we said, every baby is different and will respond differently to different sleep aids. This is a learning process for both your and your baby and we promise, it gets easier, this is temporary and you will sleep again. You got this mama!