Tips to Help a 6-Week-Old Sleep Through the Night

New babies often bring sleepless night with them. Babies have a lot of needs at night, and these can leave parents exhausted by the time morning comes. Your baby will sleep all night when she is ready; however, there are things you can do now to help her sleep through the night or at least for longer stretches of time.

  1. Swaddling

    • Small babies have a natural startle reflex, and this is often what prevents them from sleeping for long periods. Swaddle your baby tightly to help him stay settled. Not every baby will enjoy being swaddled, but most do. If your baby seems to fight swaddling, try swaddling just his body and leaving his arms free.

    White Noise

    • A newborn is used to constant sounds in the womb, so utilize white noise in her room. You can download white noise sounds to play, such as a dishwasher or washing machine. Or, place a room fan near your baby's crib, taking care to point it away from her.

    Routines

    • Even small babies appreciate routines. Have something that alerts your baby that bedtime is coming soon. It might be a bath, a special song or perhaps infant massage. Try to start the routine every night at the same time. If you are out at your normal time, still do the routine, but do it later and quicker.

    Suck to Sleep

    • Babies naturally like to suck, and many can be soothed to sleep by sucking. When you put your baby to sleep, it is normal to feed him right before. When he is done eating, though, you can allow him to keep sucking by either comfort nursing him to sleep or using a pacifier. If you let him sleep with a pacifier, he might go back to sleep on his own when he wakes up and finds he can still suck.

    Considerations

    • A 6-week-old's stomach is quite small, so she still needs to eat every few hours. If your baby is waking frequently to eat, this is normal because she is probably hungry. In addition, most babies go through a growth spurt around the sixth week, so this could make her want to eat more, too. Make sure you have realistic expectations for what your newborn can achieve, and be happy with even a five-hour stretch. If your baby is not gaining weight well or is small, it might even be a good idea to wake her to eat. Talk with your doctor about your baby's situation before encouraging her to sleep through the night.

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