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

Practical ideas for those starting sleep training for the first time.

by Babywise.life
Dec 05, 2018

Thank you for reaching out to us at Babywise.life with your question and congratulations on your little one.

This is the heart of our team; we want to help you and baby get to a routine where you are sleeping through the night.

Here are some thoughts that may help. First, keep an accurate log of baby’s routine for one week. Make sure you include the following:

The length of time for each feeding
The length of wake-time after each feeding
What signs the baby is giving that mom is using to determine it is time for baby’s nap

It is common when reviewing the routine to find that baby is not starting his first feed of the day at the same time at least 3 days a week. If this is the case, then there is too much flexibility in the daily routine. Part of the solution will be bringing consistency to the timing of the baby’s first feed of the day.

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Tips for bringing stabilization for a baby under 8 weeks old:

Place baby back on a consistent, round-the-clock 2.5 to 3-hour routine (Remember, timing is from the start of the feeding to the start of the next feeding.)
Determine a set “first feeding” that you can be consistent with. Suggesting 6 a.m. for the first feeding will provide you the option of treating this feed as a nighttime feeding with no wake-time so you can go back to sleep if you choose.

You may also want to take a look at our Babywise Boot Camp and Sample Sleep Schedules to help you get started.

We hope that helps and recognize sometimes this can bring up even more questions. If that's the case, please feel free to continue the conversation in the comments below.