The newborn sleep phase can be a very tricky time for parents. After the whirlwind of pregnancy and birth, you start off with a newborn who might not sleep more than 30 minutes at a time, requires numerous naps, and doesn’t sleep through the night. It can be a drastic change for new parents and seasoned parents alike, going from sleeping eight hours consecutively at night to being up and down with a crying baby.

The question that most newborn parents would like to know is “What can I do to improve my newborn’s sleep?”

The truth is, not much. It is perfectly normal for a newborn to sleep for 30 minutes to a few hours at a time, have a wake window of 30 minutes, and be up and down all night. Here’s why.

Newborns need time to adjust to the world outside the womb. Before birth, they had been sleeping on and off for nine months in the warm, dark embrace of their mother’s body. They enter a world where they are no longer constantly held and are adjusting to the light. On the inside, they were being rocked to sleep throughout the day as Mom went about her daily life, and they were awake all night when the motion stopped and Mom was trying to sleep. It’s no wonder that your baby would have a difficult time sleeping in any other place but your arms, and wants to sleep all day and be awake all night. Hormones also play a role in a baby’s inability to sleep through the night. Unlike adults, babies are not born with melatonin in their bodies. It can take up to three months for this hormone to start being produced in your child’s body.

Feeding is another factor that affects your child’s nighttime sleep routine. As a newborn, your little one may require 8 to 12 feedings a day, which calculates to being fed every 2 to 3 hours. This need to feed does not stop just because it’s bedtime. Most babies require nighttime feedings up to 3-6 months of age.

With newborns, sleep training is not feasible until at least four months old. But there are still things that you, as a parent, can do to start your kiddo along the path to good sleep.

  1. Lay baby down awake: As hard as it might be, it’s important to try and lay your baby down while they are still awake. However, there is no need for your little one to cry-it-out before you pick them back up. It’s important to give them the chance to fall asleep in their bassinet or crib, which could mean letting them fuss for a few minutes before going and picking them back up. As a parent, if you continuously put your child down while still awake, they will soon learn how to fall asleep outside of your arms.

  2. Don’t feed baby to sleep: It’s important not to feed your baby to sleep, then lay them down in their bassinet or crib. Feeding your baby to sleep will cause them to become dependent on feedings to help fall asleep and stay asleep. Some tips you can try for keeping your child awake during feedings: feed in a bright space, constantly adjust your body position, talk to them or feed in an area that has background noise, tickle their feet or ears, if breast-feeding, you can try switching breasts. Even after trying all these tips, if your baby still falls asleep, then you can try burping or changing their diaper to wake them up before putting them down for bedtime or nap time.

  3. Keep sleep space dark: As your newborn is adjusting to being awake in the day and sleeping at night, it’s important to make their sleep space as dark as possible. Even the smallest amount of light can mess with their sleep.

  4. Swaddle: While in mommy‘s belly, baby was constantly being provided pressure, so it’s no wonder they might continue to crave the same pressure when learning to sleep in the outside world. Swaddles can be very helpful, providing that sense of pressure. It’s important to note that by eight weeks of age, or once your baby has learned to flip from back to tummy, swaddling should be discontinued for safety reasons.

  5. White noise machine: When the baby was in the mom‘s tummy, they were constantly being lulled to sleep by the lullaby of her body. Some babies can have a difficult time falling asleep in a quiet room. A sound machine can be just the ticket to help your little one fall asleep and stay asleep.

No matter how you look at it, the first few months of your newborn’s sleep journey can be rocky. And while you may not be able to sleep train them just yet, these helpful tips will start your little ones on the path to good sleep.