New parents: Getting the sleep you need
Being a new parent can be exhausting. Try these strategies to fit more sleep into your days and nights.
By Mayo Clinic StaffIt's 2 a.m. and your newborn is crying. Will you ever get a good night's sleep again?
Although life with a newborn is a round-the-clock adventure, don't lose hope. By ages 3 to 4 months, many babies can sleep at least five hours at a time. At some point during your baby's first year, nighttime stretches of 10 hours are possible. In the meantime, a little creativity can help you sneak in as much sleep as possible.
Suggestions for the weary
While there's no magical formula for getting enough sleep, these strategies can help:
- Sleep when your baby sleeps. Silence your phone, hide the laundry basket and ignore the dishes in the kitchen sink. Calls and chores can wait.
- Set aside social graces. When friends and loved ones visit, don't offer to be the host. Instead, ask if they could watch the baby while you take a nap.
- Don't 'bed share' during sleep. It's OK to bring your baby into your bed for nursing or comforting — but return your baby to the crib or bassinet when you're ready to go back to sleep.
- Split up nighttime duties. Work out a schedule with your partner that allows both of you to rest and care for the baby. If you're breast-feeding, perhaps your partner could bring you the baby and handle nighttime diaper changes. If you're using a bottle, take turns feeding the baby.
- Give watchful waiting a try. Sometimes, middle-of-the-night fussing or crying is simply a sign that your baby is settling down. Unless you suspect that your baby is hungry or uncomfortable, it's OK to wait a few minutes to see what happens.
Products and Services
- Book: Mayo Clinic Guide to Your Baby’s First Year
See also
- Bathing your newborn
- Baby poop: What's normal?
- Baby sling
- Baby sunscreen
- Baby's head shape: What's normal?
- Breast-feeding and medications
- Signs of successful breast-feeding
- Breast-feeding nutrition: Tips for moms
- Breast-feeding support
- Breast-feeding twins
- Breast-feeding vs. formula-feeding
- Breast milk storage
- Choosing a breast pump
- Breast-feeding: Pumping tips
- Breast-feeding tips
- Crying baby
- Extended breast-feeding
- Newborn feeding basics
- Induced lactation
- Infant development: Birth to 3 months
- Low milk supply
- New dad tips
- Introducing a new sibling
- Newborn care: 10 tips
- Newborn feedings
- Pacifiers and your baby
- Caring for a premature baby
- Sagging breasts after breast-feeding
- Baby baths
- Birthmarks
- Breast-feeding positions
- How to swaddle a baby
- What a newborn really looks like
- Umbilical cord care: Do's and don'ts for parents
- Uncircumcised penis care
- Vaccination schedule
- Baby's soft spots