Newborn Baby and Sleep

Newborn babies generally have different sleep needs then babies older then four months and tend to have different sleep patterns then them. You should be prepared for your newborn baby and know what to expect when it comes to their sleep schedule before you come home from the hospital. This guide to a newborn’s sleep schedule will help you prepare for your newborn baby and will help you develop some realistic prospects when it comes to their sleep schedule.

A newborn baby will sleep when it is tired and will wake when it has had enough sleep; there is little you can do about this as anyone who has tried to wake a soundly sleeping newborn can tell you. A newborn baby will not be awake very much, they generally only wake to eat and then they will go back to sleep, their hunger will determine their sleep schedule. For the first few months this can create a stressful environment because a newborn baby needs to eat every two to four hours so getting a solid night of sleep is probably out of the question for you.

Many of you have probably heard people talking about how their baby was perfect and slept through the entire night without getting up. This is true for a lot of people but you have to realize a full night of sleep for a baby that is two to four months old is only five hours. A far cry from what you would usually categorize a full nights sleep. Your baby probably will not sleep for seven to eight hours straight for about a year or longer.

There is almost nothing you can do about a newborn baby’s sleep schedule; he or she will wake you up in the middle of the night, that’s just what newborn babies do. Many new parents find this hard but you should keep in mind there is no point in getting stressed out or frustrated over this, there is nothing you can do about it. The best thing you can do is enjoy every minute of it and remember that it will only last for a few months.