Newborns eat and sleep around the clock, but starting around 2 to 4 months, you may start to observe patterns and establish a routine. Start by practicing a consistent bedtime routine every night, and plan to do roughly the same things at the same time every day.
Newborns can benefit from routines, but we don't recommend following a strict schedule until they're older. There's a lot of variability in what babies are developmentally ready for during this period, and much of the standard baby sleep wisdom doesn't always apply to babies under 3 months old.
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.
Most people find the first six to eight weeks to be the hardest with a new baby. And, although people may not openly discuss many of the challenges in these early weeks of parenthood (if at all), there are a number of common hurdles you may face at this time.
All babies are different — their eating and sleeping patterns often change, and it may take some time for them to settle into a routine. You may prefer that your day-to-day activities follow what your newborn does. Alternatively, you may like to start to establish a very simple routine.
Most spend a lot of time sleeping, but they'll wake up every few hours to feed during the day and night. Most newborns feed every 2-3 hours, and they have around 8-12 feeds every 24 hours.
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.
Always burp your baby when feeding time is over. To help prevent the milk from coming back up, keep your baby upright after feeding for 10 to 15 minutes, or longer if your baby spits up or has GERD. But don't worry if your baby spits sometimes.
A newborn baby will probably be tired if they have been awake for 1 to 1.5 hours. There are signs that will tell you when they're ready to sleep. Avoid stimulating your baby, such as talking loudly or playing with them.
You should stop swaddling your baby when he starts attempting to roll over. Many babies start working on this move at about 2 months old. Swaddling once your baby can roll over may increase the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and suffocation.
Should I let my newborn sleep all day? Wake your baby every 2 to 4 hours to give her plenty of opportunities to eat. Your newborn does need 14 to 17 hours of sleep per day, which means there isn't much awake time between naps. It can feel like she's sleeping all day when she isn't eating.
Yes, you should burp your baby even after a dream feed, which is a late-night feeding you wake your little one up for before you head to bed. The reason? Any feeding, including a dream feed, can create gas and/or cause your baby to spit up. So do your best to alleviate that pressure.
Support your baby's head and neck, make sure their tummy and back is nice and straight (not curled up), and rub or pat their back gently. You don't need to spend ages burping your baby, a couple of minutes should be enough.
If the baby does not burp after 5 minutes of trying, gently lie them down on their back, either in their crib or on another safe surface, such as a playpen. After a few minutes, carefully pick the baby up and try burping them again. Sometimes, lying down helps move the air bubbles around, making them easier to release.
How often does my newborn need a bath? There's no need to give your newborn baby a bath every day. Three times a week might be enough until your baby becomes more mobile. Bathing your baby too much can dry out your baby's skin.
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.
Babies have the right to be protected from injury and infection, to breathe normally, to be warm and to be fed. All newborns should have access to essential newborn care, which is the critical care for all babies in the first days after birth.
No one really tells you this, but the first couple of weeks with your newborn are HARD. And not just hard in a the-baby-is-crying-and-I-don't-know-what-to-do way. Sure, that's part of it and it factors in. But as a new mom, the hardest and most unexpected parts for me were the physical and emotional aspects.
Create a relaxing bedtime routine, like a bath
But even adding a few minutes to your bedtime routine could make a big difference. "It's also helpful for new moms to have their own relaxing bedtime routine to unwind after a hard day of taking care of their new baby," says Murray.
As long as your baby's essential needs are being met and you actively engage them in a loving way, how much or how little you hold them is entirely up to you. If you want to hold them, do. If you want to put them down, even if they cry, that's fine as well.
Play is essential for your newborn baby's overall development, learning and wellbeing. Through play, your baby learns about the world around them and how they can interact with it. New play experiences also help parts of your baby's brain connect and grow.
No. No, you definitely should not. Babies will have strong sleep needs and strong drive to sleep in those early days. Sometimes they'll try and nap for 4 to 5 hours even.
Not every diaper change may require a wipe. If your baby has only urinated, then you can probably skip wiping to avoid unnecessary irritation. However, always wipe after every poopy diaper, and always wipe front to back to help prevent the spread of bacteria.