How To Deal With Day/Night Confusion in Newborns

Does your baby have the sleep schedule of a vampire? Meaning, they love to sleep during the day but stay awake through the entire night. Are you going a little insane with all of the sleepless nights? You’re not alone! It’s incredibly common for newborn babies to mix up night and day. Often before babies are born, they are known to sleep during the day when they are in the womb and since everything in there is dark, there is no way for them to tell when it’s time for bed. Now that they are out and about, it might take some time before their circadian rhythm (otherwise known as their sleep/wake cycle) is confidently established. Keep reading to find out what you can start doing to correct your infant’s sleep pattern.

You Need A Solid Bedtime Routine

Establishing a solid bedtime routine for your baby as soon as possible is one of the most important key factors to getting your baby to sleep at night. Having a bedtime routine won’t only help them understand when it’s nighttime, it will also lead them down the path of sleeping through the entire night peacefully as they get older. A consistent bedtime routine helps your little one put together what’s going to happen next. Babies respond really well to consistency. If you do the same pattern of activities every night they will start preparing themselves for a good night’s rest. Some great activities to add to your bedtime routine could be:

• Warm Baths
• A White Noise Machine
• Singing to them or talking calmly
• Reading them a story
• Playing calming music

Stimulating your baby immensely during the day is a great way to get them excited and wanting to stay awake. The sun is out and high in the sky so use that to your advantage! Take them outside to play and really make the day as exciting as you can so that they understand that this is the time of day to be present. Even during naptime don’t be afraid to leave lights on and keep the noise level relatively the same. This not only helps them realize that daytime is when everyone is awake, but it can also help them develop comfortability with napping in an active environment. If you’re an on-the-go family, helping them develop this skill will be a lifesaver later down the line. Once the day is coming to an end, that would be the time to completely switch your behavior. You can calm the energy of the entire household and dim the lights. Start making it clear that everything is winding down now because it’s nighttime. Cut them off from any screen time and don’t be afraid to be super boring. Don’t actively engage with

your baby as much. Primarily stick to the necessities such as diaper changes and feedings. This will also help prevent them from wanting to stay awake after such an exciting day.

Don’t Let Them Oversleep During The Day

Naptime is so important, especially for newborn babies. Before the age of 3 months your baby generally should be sleeping for about 14-17 hours per day. However, allowing your baby to oversleep during their naps can lead to them being more awake at night. You could also risk missing a feeding time with long naps and that means even more times you would have to get up in the middle of the night to soothe your baby. You want to establish a proper nap time schedule and ideally don’t let your baby sleep anymore than 3 hours per nap.

How We Can Help

If you are trying every method you can think of and are still unhappy with how your baby is sleeping then it may be time to get yourself a sleep consultant. Sleep consultants are infant and toddler sleep experts that can help families get their nights back to normal by providing in-home or remote sleep training. In-home consultants are especially helpful if you have a busy schedule in your day to day life. They can provide both peace of mind and the supportive care needed for you and your baby to get back on track permanently.

SleepShop works with many certified sleep consultants that have developed a special approach to sleep training. We have made it our mission to spare as many families from the stress of staying up all night by sharing our tried and true techniques honed through study as well as years of personal experience. We tailor our techniques to each individual family’s unique parenting styles and goals. Sleep Shop offers a multitude of services to make sure you find the perfect fit for what you need in your home. We help families ensure they find peace and joy in what can otherwise be a very chaotic and stressful stage of life.