5 things I wish all parents knew about their newborn sleep: as a pediatric sleep consultant & mom of 3

5 things I wish all parents knew about their newborn sleep: as a pediatric sleep consultant & mom of 3 1. Newborns need LATE bedtimes, not early. So many new parents hear that babies should go to bed around 7, but that isn't until they are 5+ months old. Most newborns are only capable of getting 8-9 hours of consolidated sleep (not including feedings), so aiming for an 8 hour night for those first 3 months is your best bet at getting only 1-2 wakings to eat (and maybe even 0 once your pediatrician approves it) 2. Closeness all day long = more independence at night Newborns have very high touch needs, so if your goal is for your baby to sleep in their own space at night, you're going to have to meet those touch needs during the day. I encourage parents to babywear and contact nap as much as possible all day long so their baby's cuddle bucket is full by bedtime & they are content to be in their own safe sleep space 3. Newborns should be awake for 90 minutes MAX This means that they should only be awake for 30-90 minutes at any given time. If you go over 90, they will get overtired and be even HARDER to put to sleep. Watch for sleepy cues beginning at 30 minutes to figure out the best timing to put them down, and if they don't seem to show any, get them to sleep at 90 minutes 4. Frequent day feedings will reduce night feedings/wakings If you're breastfeeding, try to feed them every 2 hours on average & never go past 3 hours during the day time. If you're formula-feeding, try to feed them every 3 hours on average and don't go past 4 hours during the daytime. At night, wake them to feed until your pediatrician says you no longer need to (usually once they regain their birth weight). All of my babies started sleeping in 4-6 hour stretches when I fed them often enough during the day. 5. Swaddle for nights ONLY Swaddling will make your newborn so comfy & cozy, because it mimics how they felt in the womb & suppresses the startle reflex, which tends to wake them up. Try not to swaddle during the day because the startle reflex is something that needs to integrate, meaning they have to experience it over & over for it to go away faster. Plus, swaddling tends to make them so cozy that they nap for too long—you don't want naps going over 2 hours or they'll sleep through feedings & be up more often at night. For ALL of my newborn sleep tips, head to the link 🔗 in my bio or hhsleep.com to download my FREE Newborn Sleep Guide I promise your baby will be sleeping better after just a few days! ",