What an expert wants you to know about newborn sleep

Livia Gamble

Bringing home a newborn baby for the first time fills parents with so much excitement and joy … but at the same time, it’s also completely terrifying.

Speaking to TMB TV, Carmel Morabito from Calm Babies says many parents don’t realise that newborn babies don’t know their day from their night – which can be a terrifying thought for some.

“When you bring your newborn home, they don’t know their days and nights,” says Carmel.

She has advice on how to encourage your baby to eventually sleep for longer stretches during the night. 

“The way you can help encourage them to learn day from night is have them in lots of bright light during the day. And making sure you’re waking them three to four hours regularly throughout the day for feeding,” she says. 

“Babies usually have a longer stretch of sleep in a 24-hour period. And we want that to be at night. So if we’re feeding them three to four hours through the day, we can encourage them to have that five to six hour stretch overnight.”

Born to feed

That said, for at least the first six weeks, a newborn’s main priority is feeding. This is because they have tiny tummies and need to feed more frequently (even through the night). 

Raising Children says, “Most newborns feed every 2-4 hours, and they have around 8-12 feeds every 24 hours. Sometimes feeds might last up to an hour, especially if your newborn is breastfeeding.”

And while most newborns will wake for feeds, some may need to be woken. 

Newborn sleep patterns

To help parents get a better idea of their newborn baby’s sleep pattern (remembering that all babies are different), here’s what they might expect. You can also read more about baby sleep.

• The amount of sleep varies, but newborns usually sleep about 16 hours every 24 hours in short bursts, with feeding and changing in between.
• Newborns have two sleep cycles – active sleep and quiet sleep – and it takes around 40 minutes to move through both cycles. At the end of the cycle, your baby might wake up for a little while and need help settling into the next cycle.
• There’s no such thing as night and day for a newborn yet. But don’t worry, exposing your baby to light and playing during the day can help them adjust. At around three months, your baby should start sleeping for longer stretches through the night.
• It’s common for babies to need night feeds to help them settle.

Importantly, hang in there: you’re doing a great job – and this phase won’t last forever.

Read more:

• Swaddling your baby: a sleep expert answers common questions
• ergoPouch vs Love to Dream: baby sleeping bags compared
• 7 best sleeping bags to keep your baby comfy