How to Get My Newborn to Sleep At Night

In episode 63 of the Learning to Mom Podcast, I sat down with Sleep Consultant Brittany Sheehan to discuss how moms can optimize their newborn’s sleep.

Sleep isn’t a simple task for adults, but it’s even harder for babies.

Have you ever tried strategies to soothe your newborn at bedtime, but they just don’t work? Here’s some ways to help your newborn have a good night’s rest.

Practice Full Feeds

Sometimes it can’t be helped if a newborn needs something to fall asleep. You may have to give them a bottle a few times at night during the first weeks, and that’s okay. 

Still, not establishing a baseline time for feeding will eventually interrupt your baby’s sleep.

Your newborn might need that nourishment to grow, but the repeated interruptions to their sleep schedule makes it hard for them to fall back asleep. 

One way to solve this issue is by doing “full feeds.” Full feeding allows your newborn to get the nourishment they need without losing a full night’s sleep.

Age & Night Feeds

Age is an important factor when thinking about full feeds, as a baby’s age determines how much food they need. 

• Since a baby’s stomach grows as they age, a newborn will need more consistent feeding because their stomachs are smaller. 
  

• Long story short, a younger baby needs more night feeds.
  

As your newborn gets older, it’s important to adapt their sleep with how many times you feed them. 

If a bottle’s part of your newborn’s sleep routine, be careful to feed them at roughly the same time each night (every 3 to 4 hours, for example) so you don’t interrupt their rhythm.

Newborn Sleep Cycle & Feeding

Consider naptime with full feeds. 

• If your newborn naps for 3 or 4 hours straight during the day, then they obviously won’t rest as much at night. 
  

• More naps means more night feeds, making it even harder to create a sleep cycle. 
  

• Keep track of how much your baby naps during the day to prevent those frequent night feeds.

As your baby grows, play around with some changes to the nightly feeding routine. After a while, you’ll find the perfect balance!