Newborn Sleeping patterns

Your newborn will be asleep almost whole time on the first day and you would feel how calm my little one is and it is very easy to handle the baby. But as days progress the baby starts staying up more and sleeping less.

Newborns patterns keep changing every other day till they come to an age where they start to learn to adapt to a sleeping pattern. But then again you cannot be sure how long your little one would like to follow that same routine.

Some days they remain very calm and sleepy throughout the day and at night they stay up and keep you up whole night and the next day they might decide to stay up or sleep whole day.

You might not be able to sleep for many nights and days continuously because your baby keeps crying and not settling down. It is very exhausting for new mothers and many of them get stressed out and end up crying out loud.

It is very difficult for them to understand the needs of the newborn and handle them properly till mothers start learning the meaning of their clues and fulfil their needs and demands accordingly.

You can settle the baby down slowly by making the baby follow a routine that is suitable for you. But remember it will not happen immediately, as baby will take his/her time, so keep your cool and be kind to the baby as you getting frustrated would not help you or your baby.

Newborns usually need to be fed every 2-3 hours and rest of the time baby should sleep specially during 1-2 months, but do not worry its not necessary that the baby would sleep as he/she is supposed to.

The schedule also depends upon whether you are breastfeeding the baby or formula feeding or you combine both ways if your baby does not get enough milk from you.

Reasons newborns change sleeping patterns

As the baby keeps growing his/her sleeping patterns keep changing a lot during 1st year as they are learning lots of things such as sucking, feeling their body parts, the rollover, smile, crawl, walk and little talk is also possible.

As our little ones grow their needs also keep changing because of which their sleeping patterns change. For two main reasons babies cry. First is when your baby is hungry and the second is when there is need to change the nappy. As their body grows they start feeling hungrier and need more milk which keeps them more active, they feel less sleepy and they wet nappies more often, which is a good sign that your baby is growing normally and is healthy.

How to settle down a baby

· Try to make a baby’s routine of eating, sleeping and playing.

· Do not start playing with your baby at the middle of the night if he/she gets up. The baby must be taught that its night time and he/she is supposed to sleep.

· Do not disturb the baby to feed him/her while he/she is sleeping. If he/she would be hungry he/she will cry loud enough to convey his/her message.

· Do not pick up the baby immediately if he/she makes any sound, its normal as he/she is not crying but just making little normal sounds.

· Many people choose to use pacifier to calm the baby (it’s a personal decision).

· Get your baby immunized well on time to prevent baby from any infections and diseases.

· Keep the baby’s private parts clean and dry to prevent rashes as they cause the baby to become restless sometimes.

· If your baby is not settling down at all then he/she might have some health issue for which you must seek the doctor’s help.