what are normal newborn sleeping patterns ?

Question

i just had my baby two weeks ago and he sleeps through most of the day and sometimes the nite today he was up almost all day taking maybe half hour breaks to sleep is this normal and how can i encourage longer sleep? and how i can i prevent it happening again

Answer 1

The average newborn sleeps much of the day and night, waking only for feedings every few hours. It is often hard for new parents to know how long and how often a newborn should sleep. Unfortunately, there is no set schedule at first and many newborns have their days and nights confused - they think they are supposed to be awake at night and sleep in the daytime.


Generally, newborns sleep about eight to nine hours in the daytime and about eight hours at night. Most babies do not begin sleeping through the night (six to eight hours) without waking until about three months of age, or until they weigh 12 to 13 pounds. Newborns and young infants have a small stomach and must wake every few hours to eat

Answer 2

This is totally normal. Normal standards say that a baby can not PREDICTABLY sleep through the night until they are 5 years old!! Pretty much any kind of sleeping pattern at this point is normal.

Some babies will nap for half an hour at a time, others will go for 2-3 hour stretches. This goes the same for night-time sleep. Some babies will sleep thorugh the night at 2 weeks old. Other babies won't sleep through the night until they're 2.

I found my baby slept longer during the day if I napped with her in bed. And at this point, you still need to be getting daytime naps anyway, so this can be very helpful.

As a general pattern, most bottle fed babies will sleep longer stretches than breastfed babies because breastmilk digests faster. Dont' let this discourage you, if you are breastfeeding! In the grand scheme of things it is still easier, even if you do have to feed him more often.

You can try and keep baby awake to get a longer stretch out of him but I have seen mixed results with that for my own. I have found that sleep begets sleep - the more he sleeps, the more he will sleep. While he is awake, try and stimulate him as much as you can - carry him with you, hold him in your arms, talk to him, sing to him, take him outside in the shade if you feel comfortable with that. Try not to confine him to a bouncy chair/swing/carseat/stroller. Parents do babies a real dis-service by letting their baby sit in a sterile environment while they go and do their thing - and in the long run it does show. If baby is always sitting in a carseat or something of the like, they are less likely to make eye contact with others, to have others talk to them as much, to feel the warm loving tenderness of their loved ones. The best place for a baby is in your arms or in a baby carrier - this is a great way to get a good nap out of a little one that age, as well. If you have a baby carrier (there are some very affordable ones out there) after a while you can get the hang of it and get all sorts of things accomplished while baby is sleeping happily on your chest. Babies of all ages (mine is 10 months and still loves it) love being in carriers and being involved in what you're doing.

Good luck. The adjustment to a newborn can sometimes be a rocky one. Remember this time is very, very short, so enjoy it while it's here because it's gone in a heartbeat!

Answer 3

Newborns don't have a sleeping pattern. They wake when they want and sleep when they want. You just have to deal with the odd hours until they are a little bit older. My grandson is nearly 3 months old and he is staying awake more in the day now and sleeping for longer periods in the night. It will get easier, so hang in there.

Answer 4

you really arent going to be able to change the sleep patterns but if you chart the babys sleep patterns for like three days and it is semi consistant i would say take a nap with the baby during the day when he or she takes the LONG nap ( not that there is such a thing with new borns)

Answer 5

They sleep a lot, but never at the same time. its normal for newborns to sleep all day, only waking up to eat. there is no such thing as a schedule for a newborn baby

Answer 6

My daughter woke up every two hours to feed, until she was 3 months old and started sleeping through the night. Unless hes is sick.

Answer 7

About three months old they can get into a normal sleeping pattern.

Answer 8

Welcome to motherhood. You can actually start him on a a schedule when he's about 3 months BUT until then, you are at his mercy. I used to think people were nuts when they said "sleep when the baby sleeps" - but you have to if you want to be a good, patient mom.

Answer 9

From a mother, the posts above are correct. They will sleep when they want to. Their bodies know what they need, and they will follow that need.

Answer 10

if he looks happy sleeps well, no pain, way over 12 hours of sleep a day, i would say dont worry.