Baby Bedtimes: What to Do if Newborn Won’t Sleep
Being overtired makes kids wired! The Sleep in America poll found that overtired children take almost 20% longer to fall asleep. While that’s true, infants who go to bed too early put up good fight at bedtime as well.
To end the nightly struggle, you’ll want to figure out your baby’s ideal bedtime.
Baby Bedtimes
The average 3-month-old’s bedtime is around 9:30 p.m. Yet, as infants get older their bedtime gets earlier, dropping to 8:30 p.m. …and earlier.
Researchers found that newborns who went to bed before 9 p.m. slept significantly longer overall (13 hours) than those who went down after 9 p.m. (11.8 hours).
Most babies doze off easily and sleep longer when they’re laid down before they get tired and bug-eyed. But if you push for a baby bedtime that’s too early, your little buddy just may not be tired. Yup, you’re walking a real fine line here!
Clues a Newborn Bedtime Is Too Early
- He fights falling asleep for 30 to 60 minutes.
- He shows no sign of fatigue at bedtime.
- He wakes up in the middle of the night or very early the next day, refreshed and raring to go.
The solution: Try pushing your routine 15 minutes later every 2 to 3 nights to nail the right bedtime.
Clues a Baby Bedtime Is Too Late
- She fights falling asleep for 30 to 60 minutes.
- She’s moody and irritable and falls asleep during the day in the car or stroller.
- She takes naps over 2 hours long.
- She’s clearly overtired at bedtime (rubbing her eyes, blinking, yawning, cranky).
How to Get Your Newborn to Sleep
If you’re having difficulty getting your newborn to sleep at night, then the solution might be starting the bedtime drill 15 minutes earlier every 2 to 3 nights until you settle on a time that works for your little one. Creating a newborn bedtime routine can be challenging, and there may be some trial and error before you find the right bedtime. But this sample bedtime routine may help get your baby on track—and get you both more sleep each night.
How Long Does it Take to Get a Newborn on a Bedtime Routine?
With these approaches, your bedtime battles should end within 1-2 weeks—and you may be able to end your bedtime struggles in a matter of a few nights.
Newborn Won’t Sleep? No Problem.
If you’re still struggling to get your newborn to nap, then it might be time to try SNOO. SNOO Bassinet is the safest baby bed ever made! It helps stretch babies’ sleep longer (which means the whole family sleeps more) by automatically rocking and using white noise to lull your baby to sleep. Want to learn more? Click here to find information on SNOO.
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