It's easy to feel like your newborn never sleeps, but sleeping is actually how he spends most of his time. Parents magazine estimates that most newborns spend 16 to 18 hours every day asleep. The catch is that babies rarely sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time, and some of their sleep sessions may last for as little as 20 minutes, meaning new parents have to deal with their own sleep being constantly interrupted.
Try Swaddling
Being wrapped tightly in a blanket helps babies sleep more soundly, which can make them less prone to quick wake-ups, according to Parenting magazine. To swaddle your baby, fold down one corner of a lightweight blanket and lay your baby diagonally across it, with her head on the folded side. Wrap and tuck the blanket snugly around your baby, pulling one side across her body and tucking it under her arm, then folding the blanket's bottom over her body before tucking the other side around her.
Make Sleep Safe
Because the cause of sudden infant death syndrome, better known as SIDS, isn't clear, bedtime can be scary for new parents. In fact, though, there are several things that you can do to reduce your child's risk of SIDS, says Parents magazine. Always put your newborn to sleep on her back, turn the thermostat down at bedtime so your baby isn't sleeping in a stuffy room and keep your baby's sleep space clear of loose blankets, stuffed animals and pillows.
Create a Bedtime Environment
Newborns don't differentiate between night and day, so teaching your baby to recognize night time as sleep time encourages him to sleep for longer stretches at night. The Palo Alto Medical Foundation recommends keeping the lights low and being reassuring rather than playful with your baby when he wakes up during the night. It's also a good idea to establish a bedtime routine, such as a bath, feeding and story, that your newborn can begin to recognize as a signal that it's time to go to sleep.
Make a Little Noise
Your newborn has gotten accustomed to the constant rhythm of your heartbeat and the sounds of your everyday life in the womb, so a too-quiet space might seem--well, too quiet. If your baby's having trouble sleeping, try turning on a fan, a little quiet music or a white noise machine--a little noise may be just what she needs to sleep more soundly, according to Parents magazine.
