10 tips to help your newborn sleep better

Dorothy Waide's top tips for helping your newborn sleep better.

1. You can’t spoil a newborn. Don't believe the saying that if you hold your baby you will make a rod for your back. Your baby belongs in your arms.

2. Use small movements to settle your baby in your arms. When you settle your baby in their cot these moves then can be easily replicated.

3. Newborn babies can be awake for approximately 45 minutes to an hour. From six weeks to 12 weeks they can manage an hour to an 1 hour and a half.   Sometimes it’s easier to look at the clock rather than looking for tired signs. You might be so sleep deprived you miss the signs!

4. Newborn babies do not have the ability to self soothe until they are 12 to 16 weeks old.

5. Newborn babies will feed anywhere from two and a quarter to four hourly during the day. Their sleep cycle dictates how often they will feed.

6. Every baby cries. It is their way of communicating so take time to STOP, listen and then respond

7. Once your baby has regained their birth weight and there are no medical reasons to wake them, don't wake them overnight, let them wake you, overnight instead of you waking them.

8. Swaddling your baby replicates the comfort of the womb and also controls the startle reflex.  Remember the swaddle should be loose from waist down so your baby can move their legs and hips freely

9. Light is for playing, dark is for sleeping.  Babies who are light sensitive will not sleep well in light rooms.

10. Most babies catnap, so do try and resettle them if they wake before their nap should ideally be over. If this is just not working start again at the next wake cycle.

Bonus Tip: The best white noise for you baby is your voice “shushing” It is familiar to them as they have been hearing your voice for nine months.

 Dorothy's website - babyhelp.co.nz
Dorothy's Facebook page - facebook.com/BabyWithin