For any new parent, one of the most confusing and often galling parts of parenthood stems from baby not sleeping, in general, newborn sleeping pattern. Sleeping is an essential part of early development for a child but getting them to fall into a sleeping pattern that is akin to your own is a challenge. This often presents a few problems, but the most common one is that you start to miss out on sleep.

Why is my baby not sleeping?

   When you find that your baby is sleeping during the day and being awake all night, it means you need to adjust your own pattern to match. Otherwise, you can find that you simply do not have the energy to help them out as you would have hoped for as they sleep. The trick to handling a newborn’s sleeping pattern, though, is that you first have to understand what causes their sleeping issues in the first place. For a parent, especially if this is your first child, getting to grips with the challenges of their sleeping patterns is absolutely essential.

So, let’s take a look at what you need to do if you wish to overcome this trying part of parenthood. 

When do babies learn to fall asleep on their own without being held?

   So, one common problem for most new parents is that their baby might not fall asleep without being held. This can often mean that you don’t get a chance to sleep yourself. Falling asleep whilst holding a baby might seem peaceful, but it does not take much for the little one to fall into a spot of bother. That’s why you need to be alert and awake when holding your newborn baby – even a five-minute snooze on your part could be dangerous!

For a baby, you should be expecting them to reach a period where they can sleep without your presence at around four to six months. This can vary from child to child, of course, but this is the common starting point for when you would expect a child to be able to get to sleep without having you there all the time.

Learning to fall asleep on their own is a vital part of the process of growing up and maturing as a baby. That’s a challenge to get across, though – especially when your baby is aged in months, not years. So, a baby will typically fall asleep on their own without you having to be there all the time after the 4-6 month range.

If you hear your baby crying, then it’s obvious that you want to go and check upon them. However, research shows that most toddlers can get to sleep whilst crying without it having a lasting detrimental impact on their health. A child who is loved during the day and given enough time, care, and attention before bedtime is almost certain to understand that you aren’t neglecting them – you are just not there.

So, if your newborn not sleeping is becoming a major headache for you then keep this in mind. After a few months of stress and frustration, you should start to notice that your child can fall asleep without having to be held after a period of a few months.

If you want to know how to make your baby not sleeping fall asleep fast, though, we’ve got some good ideas below that you should definitely look to try out. However, the sleeping patterns of a newborn can be confusing. Let’s look at them. 

 Reasons Why newborn awake all night and sleeping during the day 

So, one thing that might freak a new parent is to find out that their little one has actually been awake most, if not all, of the evening. If your child is one of the many babies not sleeping during the evening and instead sleeps during the day when you are typically awake, it’s likely that you’ll notice your stamina degrading pretty quickly. 

One of the most common reasons for baby not sleeping at night, though, stems from their inability to know if it actually is night or day. The best way to make baby sleep at night is to do the following:

1. Take them outside during the day. So long as you protect them from the sun but get them outdoors, it makes it clear to them that this is actually the daytime. Nothing quite sets the biological clock properly like daylight!
2. Try and make sure that windows are open, and that light can get into the rooms of the house during the day. This helps to really set a clear understanding that your child is to sleep later and that they should be awake just now.
3. Instead of letting them drift off for numerous naps during the day, try and understand that your baby needs to sleep in the evening. Playing with your baby for even a few moments after key times like feeding can be a brilliant way to help them fall asleep.
4. Just as making daytime pronounced is important, it’s vital that you do the same at night time as well. Try and give your baby a low-light area to rest in during the evening. The more obvious you make it that this is sleep time, the more likely that they are to go along with it. 
5. Try and get rid of anything that moves or makes the sound during the evening, too. While those cute little cot toys are great for keeping them busy during the day, it’s not so useful when you want them to sleep! 

However, another key reason why your newborn might be up at night is much simpler – hunger. If your child is needing to be fed, they’ll not be able to sleep. So, even a simple drink of breast milk and/or formula milk can be enough to get them soothed and off to sleep. Milk is digested quickly, which can mean hunger comes on during the evening leading to sleep regression. 

How can I get my newborn to sleep through the night?

    So, now that you can fully understand why your newborn might not be sleeping through the night, here are some useful tips to change that. We’ve explained above why they might not be sleeping and gave you a few tips to change that. However, here is a difference between a baby sleeping too much during the day and a newborn awake at night. You want your baby to sleep through the night, not simply for part of it.

So, if you find your baby not sleeping during the evenings, here are some great ways to change that quickly. 

 

Help your child to look after their own needs

While we are talking about a baby it’s obviously impossible to have them change themselves and feed themselves, it is possible to help them soothe themselves. If your baby is waking up during the evening and is crying all the time, you should go and check on them. However, don’t spend too long in there – many a parent will fall asleep holding their child for the whole evening.

Place your hand on your chest or hold their little hand for a moment or two. After 3-5 minutes, it’s best to leave. They’ll often appreciate the time spent long enough to go back to sleep without much difficulty. The sooner they learn that they can sleep without your presence, though, the better!

Play ambient sounds

A  fantastic way to help a child sleep through the evening, though, is to play some relaxing ambient sounds. Even something as simple as white noise can be a tremendous solution for helping your baby fall asleep and stay asleep. White noise can irritate an adult, but for a baby, it’s just enough relaxation to help them fade off and fall asleep.

Create a clear bedtime

A little baby will simply sleep whenever they need to. This can lead to sleep regression when you actually need them to rest, though. So, if you want to know how to make baby fall asleep fast, it’s all about setting a routine in stone.

From 3 months and beyond, start building a little sleeping schedule that is more akin to the schedule you live on. They won’t follow it perfectly, at least not at first, but they’ll get there sooner rather than later.

 

It could be a sleep regression, instead than baby not sleeping:

As mentioned once or twice so far, sleep regression is common. If you find that you are unable to get your child to sleep well, the one thing you need is patience. Whilst a lack of nighttime sleeping can come from teething or growth spurt pains, sleep regressions can last for 1-4 weeks. If you are wondering  What are the sleep patterns of a newborn? this article from CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA ( CHOP) will be helpful and useful.

So, if you can see your newborn or your baby not sleeping during the evening for a prolonged period of time, you might just need to grin and bear it. Is it tough? You bet. But there is nothing except trying to add in the routine and having plenty of patience that will help your child to overcome sleep regression.

Raising a child is tough, but with the above tips and tricks, you should have a better handle on handling their sleeping patterns. It might be some time yet until you get total harmony, but it’s essential that you try the above skills and tricks out. Before long, you’ll know how to get make baby fall asleep fast – and stay asleep!

How much should baby sleep?