Your baby's development at three weeks old You could start with a bedtime routine: bath, feed, sing/cuddle and sleep at the same time each evening. Do the last feed with dimmed lights, and also the night-time feeds. Keep night-time feeds low-key with not too much eye contact or stimulation.
Generally, newborns sleep about 8 to 9 hours in the daytime and about 8 hours at night. But they may not sleep more than 1 to 2 hours at a time. Most babies don't start sleeping through the night (6 to 8 hours) without waking until they are about 3 months old, or until they weigh 12 to 13 pounds.
Newborns generally sleep 12 to 16 hours in a 24-hour period and do not know the difference between day and night. Newborns need regular feeding, so they usually sleep in short periods. Newborns sleep in short bursts, known as sleep cycles which are usually around 20 to 50 minutes long.
Plus, newborns don't have enough of a sense of day and night to have any predictable patterns. But when your baby is around 6 to 8 weeks of age, you can try starting a bedtime routine. It should be very short at first — maybe just a cuddly feeding and a brief reading of a book.
Find your child's “sleep sweet spot”, then stick to it – for babies younger than 12 weeks, bedtime should be around 9PM to 10PM. Babies older than 12 weeks do best with bedtime around 7PM to 8PM.
The Perfect Bedtime for your Newborn
Because new babies do not have a developed internal clock and their melatonin levels are not as high earlier in the evenings, a bedtime for a new baby is going to be later. An ideal time to start their bedtime routine would be around 8:00pm, aiming for a bedtime of 8:30-9:00pm.
Very young babies have little idea of day or night and most wake regularly around the clock every 2 or 3 hours needing a feed and attention. In the first few months it is common for babies to wake regularly at night for feeds at least 2 or 3 times.
Generally, newborns sleep a total of about 8 to 9 hours in the daytime and a total of about 8 hours at night. But because they have a small stomach, they must wake every few hours to eat. Most babies don't start sleeping through the night (6 to 8 hours) until at least 3 months of age.
There are a few reasons why your newborn may be fighting sleep. It could be that they're not tired enough, they're hungry, they're overstimulated, they're unwell or they may have discomfort from gas or colic.
Experts disagree on when and how to establish a routine – and even on whether you need a set schedule for your baby. But many say that babies are ready for a general schedule between 2 and 4 months of age. Most infants' sleeping and feeding habits become more consistent and predictable after three or four months.
Breastfed babies feed often, about every 2–3 hours. Bottle-fed babies tend to feed less often, about every 3–4 hours. Newborns who sleep for longer stretches should be awakened to feed. Wake your baby every 3–4 hours to eat until he or she shows good weight gain, which usually happens within the first couple of weeks.
In the first few weeks, try tummy time for 1-2 minutes. Build up to 10-15 minutes several times a day.
Feeding, rocking, soothing, songs, or a story are all gentle cues that send your baby the message that it's time to relax (and hopefully, fall asleep). Introduce a basic bedtime routine. Similarly, a quick routine at night can help signal that it's time to sleep. Try the four Bs: breastfeed/bottle, bath, book, bed.
Your baby will go through many growth spurts in the first year. They can cause your baby to nurse longer and more often. These growth spurts typically happen when your baby is around 2-3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months old. But your baby's growth spurts may not happen at these exact times.
Most babies are able to sleep through the night – or sleep for at least six hours without waking up to eat – sometime between 3 to 6 months of age. Healthy babies who are born full-term are generally able to sleep through the night without a feeding starting at 3 months of age or when they weigh 12 to 13 pounds.
Waketime: Weeks 3-5
Around week three, waketimes start to separate as a distinct activity and may last up to 30 minutes. We are not saying your baby's waketime will be 30 minutes, but rather it may last up to 30 minutes in addition to feeding time. Waketime is usually followed by a 1½ to 2-hour nap.
0-2 months: babies this age sleep around the clock and have 4 or more naps every day. Bedtime in newborns is naturally late, usually around 9:00pm or later, but it is important to start moving the bedtime earlier around 6/8 weeks. By 2 months, baby's last nap should be ending by 6:30pm.
Most babies sleep longer with an earlier bedtime. Many parents are afraid to put their baby to bed so early, thinking that they will then face a 5 a.m. wake up call. But keeping your little one up too late backfires, and more often, a late night is the one followed by that early morning awakening.
Early bedtimes are an essential component of a well-rested baby. While it may seem like keeping your baby up late at night will lead to later wakeups in the morning, that simply isn't the case. Your baby will continue waking up early but will then be overtired and not able to sleep at night.