Promoting Good Sleep in Newborns

Hello. I’m Dana, the creator of the Sleep Sense Program. Today, I want to talk a little about newborns. There are some steps you can take right from the start with your baby to guide them on the right path to good sleep. Now, people email me and say things on Facebook. I’m not talking about staying up all night here. No, of course not. This baby wakes up many times during the night for food. Let’s just cross that off the list right now. I’m not talking about that.

I’m not talking about sleep training in the sense that most people think about what they mean by sleep training. I’m not talking about that either. I’m talking about creativity. I’m talking about helping a baby learn other skills, so that as they grow and become better at these, sleep will come naturally. Sleep is a natural phenomenon. Let’s be honest here. It’s a living thing, but if we help to promote the right skills, then the child will start to sleep amazingly from the beginning.

I’ve done it with my two kids when I start sleeping. They were all pretty sleepers, pretty much from day one. Obviously, having dinner at night. I want to give you a few tips here today to get you started. Something to think about. The first is that newborn babies can’t stand being awake for long periods of time. I did not know this fact. I remember with my first child, he would stay awake for hours and I would try everything; hitting him, shaking him, driving him around, feeding him, desperately trying to get him to sleep and he refused. He was getting more and more tired as time went on.

Then inevitably we… And it’s a great joy to cry at the end, because he’s so tired that he can’t take it anymore. I see that mostly with newborn babies. Newborns can handle about 45 minutes of awake time. That’s right. It’s amazing isn’t it? This is very short. Basically, you get a feed, a diaper change, a little cuddle and playtime, and it’s time for the baby to go to bed.

If you remember this and keep an eye on the clock and set it correctly, putting the baby down in less than 45 minutes is easier than waiting an hour or two. Now a lot of tiredness has started and the baby starts shaking so it is difficult for the baby to sleep at that time. I just encourage you to try it sometimes, well it’s been 45 minutes. Let’s put him in the bassinet and see what happens.

You’ll be surprised that sometimes, he just sleeps peacefully in that little bassinet and sleeps until his next turn. Then you can try again. Look at the clock. 45 minutes, boom, let’s try another nap, and off I go. That’s the best little tip I can give you for getting your baby on the right track.

Another thing to remember, another tip would be that bedtime is a good thing from day one. It is a system that supports our body and our brain. It prepares us for the night to come. If you start that road with your newborn, then they will know that I take a bath, I have a jammy change, I get a meal before bed, maybe we read a story. Now, it’s nighttime. It is different from day to day. You will find that just by giving him a little physical and mental conditioning and getting everything connected to it, he will start to sleep longer and longer at bedtime.

I like to start with a shower. I know the first two swimmers with a baby, they don’t like it. The more you do it, the more you can handle it and the more you enjoy it. It’s something so different from anything else that happens on a baby’s birthday that it’s a great experience. It’s a great first step, so I encourage you to do this as well.

I also want to encourage you to get as much sunlight as possible for your baby throughout the day. Walking tour, great idea. Even sitting near a window to let the sunlight in. This will help your child’s body to be more alert during the day and sleepy at night. Obviously, there will be more daytime sleep as well, but only to help keep his body clock in sync with cortisol levels and melatonin levels. It will really help your baby’s body clock to tune in with yours.

Many people say that their newborns mix day and night and some do for the first week or two, so lots of exposure during the day really helps with this. Then turn off the lights, calm down about an hour or so before bed, so that the melatonin kicks in and you can get the baby to sleep soundly through the night. A few tips. Try them. You may find that it helps your child move better. Thank you very much for watching. Sleep well.