Everyone has an opinion on newborn sleeping. Whether its how to establish a sleep routine, sleeping through the night or where the best place is for them to sleep. Every baby sleep book and expert will give you their own slightly different advice and it can all seem a bit overwhelming. Then once you think you have it sussed we go and change the clocks back or forward!
At Shnuggle HQ we have compiled our own list of newborn sleep tips based on our personal experiences as parents and what we have learnt along the way as well, as some tips on how to survive those first few sleep deprived months!
Try to stay relaxed
Easier said than done, right?! It really is true that every baby is different and especially with newborns the most important thing you can do is just ‘go with the flow’ and not worry too much about comparing what your baby is doing or not doing with other new mums and dads.
Find the routine, don’t force it
Yes, once baby is in a routine it does make life a little easier but don’t expect to get a routine straight away. Newborn babies don’t have a routine, they sleep when they want and feed often. What’s important is to just find your baby’s own routine at their own time and then work to that. Once a routine is established, stick to it as much as you can without letting it rule your life.
Embrace the noise!
This is something we discovered more so second time around. Try keeping a toddler quiet when a new baby is sleeping……mission impossible!!! But what you realise quickly is that a baby adapts well and doesn’t wake up at the sound of a pin drop because they are used to hearing their older brother or sister charging around the house. It really does make life a little easier if they are used to the noise of an active house during the day.
Night vs Day
The one piece of advice that sticks is to make sure that baby learns to recognise the difference between sleeping during the day and sleeping at night. When baby wakes to feed during the night keep the lights very low with either a night light or hall light, keep your interactions with baby to as little as possible and unless you really need to, don’t change their nappy. Having everything you need to hand will help with all of this and keep night feeds as quiet, calm and quick as they possibly can be.
Welcome support
Make the most of a partner’s or other family member’s support if you can! We know this isn’t quite so easy to do when breast feeding but having a ‘shift’ system in place will help ease the tiredness in the first few months. Take it in turns with the ‘night shift’ or the ‘late evening shift’. Or even just getting some uninterrupted rest in between feeds will help to manage the lack of sleep and keep everyone sane ?
Rest room!
Having another room with a spare bed whether it’s the baby’s nursery or another spare room means that there is somewhere else for you or your partner to escape to for some uninterrupted rest. We appreciate this isn’t always possible but don’t get rid of the spare bed for the baby’s cot just yet. ?
Let us know what worked for you or what tips have been shared with you!
