Sleep and settling in the first 6 weeks
Sleep and settling concerns are common issues affecting families. We recognising the importance of sleep for a child’s long-term development and for the health and wellbeing of families.
***Key Points***
You will find information to guide you but no single strategy but rather a number of safe evidence-informed options that allow you to adopt an approach that suits your individual values, preferences, beliefs and parenting style.
We cover only the first 6 weeks after birth here but further information in the resources below.
***Key Points***
***Our approach***
There is a large amount of unregulated advice, information and approaches that it can be difficult to navigate what information is reliable.
Attachment or bonding with your baby is key to your baby’s development and sense of security.
It allows you to understand your baby’s cues.
We support a family centered approach and base our information here on the guide developed by the Department of Health evidence- informed sleep and settling model of care.
***Our approach***
***Newborns and sleep***
- Newborns do often not know the difference between day and night.
- Newborns generally sleep 12 to 16 hours in a 24-hour period
- Newborns need regular feeding to grow and develop so they usually sleep in short periods.
- This means they will wake frequently during the night to be fed or changed.
You can help your baby to learn to sleep more at night by exposing them to light, being outdorrs in the natural light during the day and providing more stimulation by playing with them during the daylight hours.
At night create a quiet, dimly lit environment to encourage your baby differentiate between day and night rhythms.
***Newborns and sleep***
***Sleep cycles***
Sleep cycles
- They do not have established sleep-wake rhythms like we do.
- Newborns sleep in short bursts, known as sleep cycles which are usually around 20 to 50 minutes long.
- It is normal for your newborn baby to wake between sleep cycles. As they become older they will learn to settle themselves back to sleep
***Sleep cycles***
***Crying***
Crying
- Crying is the way babies communicate with you
- They may cry when they are hungry, need their nappy changed or are tired and need to settle to sleep.
- The early days and months of becoming a parent are a time when you are getting to know and understand your baby.
- The average newborn cries and fusses almost three hours a day until around 3 to 6 months of age.
- From approximately two weeks to three to four months of age, newborns go through a stage of increased crying, which will be at its worst at 6 to 8 weeks of age.
- They cry at times without a known reason, as long as your baby is growing, gaining weight and at other times happy then it unlikely a concern.
However if you are concerned call the MCHN line or speak to your MCHN about this.
***Crying***
Settling your baby to sleep
***Your baby’s tired signs***
When your baby is tired, they show signs or cues that they are tired. If you learn to recognise these signs, you can encourage your baby to go to sleep at the right time.
Babies from 0 to 3 months might start showing tired signs after 30 minutes of being awake.
These will include:
- jerky movement
- frowning
- clenching of fists
- yawning
- staring
- poor eye contact
- fluttering of eyelids
- rubbing eyes
- sucking on fingers
- back arching, grizzling and crying, which are late signs
***Your baby’s tired signs***
***A consistent approach***
Put your baby in their safe sleep space, such as a cot or bassinet when they are tired but awake
Use a consistent each time you settle your baby. Use a gentle and positive approach.
As part of a consistent approach your baby will usually benefit from cue to tell them it’s time to go to sleep. This may be swaddling, wrapping, dimly lit room or bath or massage.
A predictable routine before bed and settling to sleep will be calming for your baby and help prevent ongoing sleep issues.
***A consistent approach***
***Your baby’s sleep environment***
Your baby’s sleep environment
- reducing stimulation around your baby – for example, sit in a quiet room with dim lighting.
- swaddling or wrapping your baby (if they cannot yet roll over).
- giving your baby a bath in the evening in preparation for sleep
- giving your baby a gentle massage.
- creating a pre-sleeping routine, like singing lullabies, reading a book or repeating the same phrase, ‘it’s time to seleep’
Try to have regular bed times, nap times and wake times to help your baby develop a rhythm to their day and night.
***Your baby’s sleep environment***
***Safe Sleep***
To sleep your baby safely
- sleep your baby on their back
- keep their head and face uncovered
- ensure baby’s environment is smoke free
- have a safe sleep environment
- sleep baby in a safe cot in your room
- breastfeed your baby
***Safe Sleep***
Resources
- Your local maternal and child health service
- Your GP (doctor)
- Maternal and Child Health Line Tel: 13 22 29 – available 24 hours a day for the cost of a local call throughout Victoria
- Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) Tel. 03 9419 3000
- Parentline Tel. 13 22 89
- NURSE-ON-CALL Tel. 1300 60 60 24 – for expert health advice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Kidsafe Victoria Tel. (03) 9036 2306
- Red Nose (formerly SIDS and Kids) Tel. 1300 998 698 – for safe sleeping information, education, and all other enquiries
