How to Establish Nighttime Routines for Newborn

Although your newborn baby needs at least 16 hours of sleep per day, when he's first born he has no concept of day and night or of time. New babies need to eat every few hours, meaning they might only get a couple hours of sleep before waking again. Getting into a routine as soon as your baby is born will help him learn to go to sleep at night and fall back asleep quickly after a nighttime feeding.

Instructions

    • 1

      Play with your baby during the daytime only and save the nighttime for quiet activities. Your newborn needs to learn the difference between day and night. One way to teach him is to have activities for day, such as playing with rattles or stuffed toys, and activities for night, such as reading him a book or singing him a quiet song.

    • 2

      Turn the lights down and close the curtains when you start your newborn's nighttime routine. Too much light at night can be overly stimulating, keeping your little guy awake.

    • 3

      Establish rituals before bedtime each night when your baby is about 6 weeks old. In the first few months, you might have to be more flexible with the routine, but by the time your baby is 3 months old, he should be ready for a steady routine. Before bed, you might give your baby a bath, change his diaper and put him in his pajamas, and read him a quiet story.

    • 4

      Teach your baby to fall asleep on his own by placing him in the crib, on his back, once he starts to get drowsy. Babies need to learn to fall asleep by themselves, without being rocked or soothed to sleep by their parents. If you regularly rock your baby to sleep, he might have trouble falling asleep by himself if he wakes up in the middle of the night, according to the American Academy of Pediatricians.

    • 5

      Give your baby a few minutes to fall back asleep if he wakes in the middle of the night or if you hear him stirring. In REM sleep, your infant might move around a bit, making you think he's waking up. If your baby does really wake up and fuss, check on him, but avoid turning on the light. He might need to be changed or fed.

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