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Biologically Normal Newborn Sleep

 Infants have many needs 24 hours a day. They will continue to expect your consistent loving care at all times of the day and night. And in fact, the data shows that responsive, loving attachment is essential for development.  However, it may be a new experience for you to learn how to manage less overall sleep or broken sleep while also caring for yourself and your baby.  It can help to begin to think of how you'll be able to continue to support yourselves in the early years with things like going to bed early, sleeping in later, taking naps or even pausing to close your eyes for 15 minutes at a time, asking for help and prioritizing getting enough to eat.  


Caring for a baby is not meant to be a single person's responsibility and it's much easier to ask another adult for help than it is to try and control a baby's sleep schedule. If you're feeling overwhelmed, ask for additional support from your partner, family, friends or hire a postpartum doula to give you support so that you can sleep for a solid chunk of time like 3-4 hours. It can be helpful to try 'shift sleeping' so that both partners are able to get enough sleep each night however this usually involves pumping which might be a great first step. Take the time you need now to slowly find your way and prioritize rest. 

Considering biologically expected sleep patterns: 


  • Babies will still need to eat at night, usually for the first full year of life and sometimes beyond. They may consolidate to 6-8 hours of sleep in time but not all babies will be able to and if they're forced they can have issues with weight gain or they can respond by asking to feed more often

  • Between 2-6 months, it may help to establish a rhythm to your day and night and offer sleep associations. That means that before baby goes to sleep, do the same few steps that include sleep associations (sounds, movement, sucking). While this doesn't always support babies to sleep independently, it can help everyone to have a routine for calming and regulation. 

  • Between 3-6 months, sleep begins to consolidate and a rhythm usually comes into view. However, sleep doesn't improve in a linear fashion. It's biologically normal for it to continue to fluctuate for the first few years as babies have needs like teething, physical development, illness, growth spurts and brain leaps. 

  • They will continue to borrow your nervous system for the first few years but in the first 6 months before their vagus nerve is myelinated they really need your support to settle. After 6 months, they can often soothe faster and can rely on the consistent sleep associations if you choose to incorporate them. 

  • 'Self-soothing' isn't something babies are developmentally able to do yet. Their neocortex is underdeveloped and they rely on co-regulation for at least the first year and likely longer. They are asking for your support to 'be soothed' and to learn how it feels to be safe and secure. The more soothed they feel, the better they will fall and stay asleep (assuming they don't have other needs). 

  • Circadian rhythm does not integrate until around 6 weeks so it can be common that newborns are awake more at nighttime.  Night time milk also has really important and helpful ingredients to support sleep: melatonin, tryptophan and several nucleotides supportive for circadian rhythm.

  • Babies tend to sleep better in close proximity to their caregivers 

  • Sleep training - there are some gentle methods to consider but please don't consider any sleep training before 6 months to be sure they are getting enough caloric intake. Infants are simply asking for their needs to be met, needs they cannot meet on their own and being responsive is key to your baby's sense of well being and secure attachment. In fact, the newer pediatric is to limit or avoid sleep training as it has been found to cause long term harm

Safe Sleep : 

  • Firm, flat surface for sleep is recommended

  • Ideally the temperature where they're sleeping is around 70-72 (a bit hard during a heat wave)

  • They don't have pillows, blankets or soft mattress toppers to negotiate

  • If bed sharing, they are not at risk for rolling into any spaces between a mattress and something else, parents are not smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol or taking medications that induce sleep. 

  • This might be a helpful site for more info: https://www.basisonline.org.uk/resources-for-parents/

After almost 30 years of supporting babies to sleep I can confidently tell you that all babies are unique and they are all asking for comfort and connection as well as support to get their needs met. Sleep behaviors have a lot to do with temperament and/or physical factors. For instance, if they're working through gas and reflux, they're likely going to need extra support to manage discomfort no matter what you do to support sleep. 


Nighttime parenting is a long term relationship that you're establishing now. The songs, stories, mantras, touch, environment and associations established early will be helpful and soothing for their entire childhood. In the meantime, please take care to fill your cup as best you can and team up. It's beneficial for babies if all caregivers participate in soothing behaviors and nighttime care. 

Here are some additional resources when/if you need more info about infant sleep: 


Infant sleep can be a hard topic to explore in community with so many varied experiences, needs and view points. It is one of those aspects of parenting that will ask you to carefully evaluate your parenting values, your child's temperament and your family's resources. Everyone's needs matter - asking your baby to adjust to help you meet yours is the hardest path possible. Hopefully these conversations support you to consider a variety of tools available to help you thrive through the first few years of your baby's journey.

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