Newborn Sleep Solutions: Tips From A Sleep Consultant

The Motherhood Kit

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To all of the exhausted, sleep-deprived parents, this episode's for you. The picture-perfect schedule for feeding an infant or sleeping does not exist. All of the frustration new parents may feel trying to care for newborns is normal. Yamel is joined by Cara Walker to discuss the sleep patterns, factors that influence sleep quality and developmental stages of newborns.

Developmental Stages

Even newborns who are the same age will show differences in sleep and feeding patterns. One child might weigh less or have a stomach that's not able to tolerate over a certain amount of milk and requires more frequent feeding than another. Newborns need around 17 hours of sleep in the beginning, which is often broken up into many little chunks. Their first weeks of life are spent getting to know you and their surroundings, making it very likely for them to wake up more often rather than sleep through large portions of the day at one time. Release the expectations you may have of this tiny human to know how to be on a schedule and give them and yourself some grace to figure it out. As the saying goes, comparison is the thief of joy. Rather than focus on a schedule, focus on routines. Understanding that this process is a day-by-day journey and essential to setting yourself up for success.

Sleep Environments

There are many controversial opinions on what the best atmosphere for a newborn to sleep in is, but Cara suggests going back to the basics. This means creating an environment that can remain similar to the womb that the baby just left. A dark space is most important because newborns do enjoy light sleep and will wake every 40 to 50 minutes. Keep the area at a cool 68 to 72 degrees with the sound machine on so they remain comfortable in their swaddles. Laying babies down before they are asleep will also help them develop their own soothing techniques, but if they happen to fall asleep while feeding, stick to the routine of placing them down in the crib. Take advantage of the opportunity for a quick nap as well.

Devices: SNOO Smart Baby Sleeper and Bassinet

The SNOO can be an amazing tool for babies in their first three months. It helps with those nighttime wakings that are part of the sleep cycle transitions (different than nutritional wakings). One thing to keep in mind? The crib will not make all of the fancy adjustments that the SNOO will, and may make that transition a bit difficult.

Regression Cycles

Regressions happen because the baby is progressing. These periods will begin to happen where newborns want to stay awake longer, are learning more and are beginning to cluster feed. It feels frustrating for new parents who want to maintain the same routine, but try to reframe these months as developmental markers. The increase in rolling in the crib, interest in crawling, etc... is going to affect their sleep and that's okay. Babies who sleep through the entire night may look good on paper, but could be suffering from a lack of stimulation or energy to stay awake from not getting enough calories during feeding times.

Tips For New Parents

1. Add postpartum care if it's accessible
2. Understand the babies ability to stay asleep from a nutritional aspect. How many nightly feeds do they need to support their development?
3. Implement dream feeds
4. The better babies sleep during the day, the better they'll sleep at night.
5. Four months and up is an appropriate time to start strategic sleep training.

It is completely normal to seek help from a professional sleep consultant to get your newborn and well-being into a more sustainable routine. If the current routines or tools being used are working for new parents, do not feel obligated to change. Every family's path is differ