How to Put a 2 Week Old Baby to Sleep

In the first few weeks of life, newborn infants do not differentiate between night and day. They sleep many hours out of the day, but not always the same hours that their caregivers would like them to. Though nothing can teach a newborn the difference between day and night, regular bedtime routines can promote healthy sleep habits in very young babies and help them to establish good sleep patterns as they grow.

Things You'll Need

  • A crib, bassinet or other separate bed especially for baby.

Instructions

    • 1

      Make sure your baby's bed is safe. Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep. Doctors have found this to be the safest position for reducing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). For the same reason, never place plush toys, pillows or loose blankets in a baby's bed. These can increase the risk of SIDS or of smothering.

    • 2

      At two weeks old, a baby is still learning the difference between night and day. Help your baby learn this by keeping lights low and the household quiet during and after bedtime. If you must get up to feed or change a baby's diaper at night, do not play with the baby or talk to him or her. Instead, take care of the task as quietly and calmly as possible to help communicate to the baby that now is the time for sleeping.

    • 3

      Consider a bedtime routine. Though a two-week old baby is too young to understand a book, reading one in a rocker after a bedtime feeding can be way to establish a tradition as the baby grows. A warm bath before bed can help baby relax. A familiar lullaby can quickly become a comfort that lulls baby to sleep once the routine has been established.

      Keeping a regular time for bed is a good idea. Even if your baby doesn't quite sleep on schedule in her early weeks, before long, she will come to expect bedtime and be less likely to fight it if it happens at the same time each night.

    • 4

      Expect your baby to wake to eat. Newborns need to eat every two to four hours. Their stomachs are simply too small to hold enough food to keep them happy much longer than this. Your baby will probably need to eat several times during the night in his or her earliest days and weeks of life. Night waking and feeding like this is perfectly normal. Be sure to keep these night feedings calm so baby can return to sleep easily.

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