That is certainly the cry of every parent who is up at 2 AM due to a crying baby. You’ve tried bottles, diaper changes, toys, songs, bedtime stories, and enough walking around that is starting to make your legs fall asleep!
Sadly, the sleeping schedule that we want the babies to have is not always the one we get. In fact, they sleep all day, so why not all night? Well, the answer could be genetic, rather than a question of exhaustion.
Your Baby’s Genes
Much like us, babies have genes that can help them make sense of the world as newborns. They start out with two sets. The first set is what allows them to sleep, and the second set helps them deal with a 24 sleep schedule throughout the day. And of course, these genes are mixed between both the parents of the baby.
Because of this, that’s why babies tend to have erratic sleep patterns and tend to sleep during the day rather than at night. Plus, their sleep schedule is also experienced through the womb as their mother moves around.
Pregnancy and Sleep
Inside of the womb, your baby is starting to learn about the rhythm of the day and night cycle through the movement of the mother. Of course, everyone knows that sleep habits change all throughout pregnancy. Moms-to-be find themselves getting up to use the bathroom, napping during the day, not getting enough sleep, and dealing with all the changes having a baby makes for you.
Babies are often more active in the belly whenever you aren’t moving, but tend to be soothed whenever you move around during the day. So in order to get your child at least familiar with a good sleep schedule, then you need to try and keep one for yourself.
Sleep is very vital to a pregnant mother because if you are exhausted during delivery you tend to have a longer one. That fact alone should try and get pregnant women to sleep more!
How Do Newborn’s Sleep?
Well, at birth babies care about one thing and one thing only, food. They ingest their milk or formula, and that action makes them tired. Then they sleep, recover their energy, and then start the process over again. This takes about 4 hours or so, and that’s the cycle that they deal with for the first 2-6 months.
Then they reach the more traditional 24-hour timing and start to develop sleep patterns similar to us, but whenever babies are less than 2-6 months old they physically can’t sleep for more than 4 hours at a time in those cycles.
But once they are born, don’t rely on them to start napping through the night straight away, and maybe take advantage of their daytime naps to get a snooze yourself! The faster you can react to your child’s sleep schedule, the better.
How To Help Your Child Get Used To Daylight And Night
Of course, you can help coax your baby along by introducing them to night and day. Make sure they get some time out in the sun during the day and then giving them a dark room free from screens and lights at night. The more you can mimic a regular night and day in your child’s environment, the faster they can adjust.
Still, there are going to be some erratic hours and crazy sleep schedules, at least for the first few months. Just power through it and do your best to soothe your baby, and sooner or later they will sleep eventually!
Sleep Help For Your Child
Contact Louise from Petite Dreamers and you will receive a FREE 15-minute discovery call. Let her learn about your challenges and set a plan to help you and your family begin sleeping through the night.