Day and Night Confusion for Babies
Newborn babies bring all sorts of fun… and all sorts of sleep deprivation 🥴
This is NORMAL~ you’re not doing anything wrong if your little one has trouble with sleep!
Brand new babies are born with an underdeveloped pineal gland which means they don’t produce sleep hormones right way– meaning, there’s nothing in their body that helps them differentiate day and night leading to….. Day and night confusion!
This is particularly difficult on new parents who definitely do NOT have day/night confusion and most definitely want to be sleeping during the night.
This typically resolves around 8-11 weeks when their circadian rhythm is fully developed but there are things you can do to help set the stage with environmental cues and minimize the effects of the confusion until their body takes over!
Signs your baby may have day and night confusion:
Super sleepy during the day
Hard to wake or keep awake during the wake window
They have prolonged periods of awake time at night
How can you help your newborn with their day and night confusion?
Follow a routine of wake, eat, play, sleep. This will help set the foundation for healthy sleep foundations for later on in your baby’s sleep journey. Waking frequently during the day can help to establish awake periods during the day and longer sleep periods at night.
Key building blocks for a healthy sleep foundation:
Keep wake windows no longer than 45-60 minutes
Exposure to daylight will help set your baby’s natural circadian rhythm ESPECIALLY first thing in the morning.
Day naps for the first few weeks can be in a bright room with normal day sounds can helpful (once they’re not awake for long periods at night, you can switch to a dim or dark room for naps if it helps them nap longer).
Make sure to keep awake time bright and interactive (but don’t keep a baby awake all day– sleep does beget sleep!)
At night reduce stimuli, use a amber color night light (ex. salt lamp) if light is needed
During night time sleep keep your room dark, cool and always make sure to have a sound machine for white noise.
Lastly, I want to say that this stage can be very hard on parents. You, your partner and baby are all learning from each other. Communicate with your partner if you need help, be patient while you all learn how to navigate this new road and don’t forget these steps to set a healthy foundation for sleep in the weeks and months to come.
My newborn guide goes into all the details about day/night confusion but also lots of other common newborn sleep troubles and how to help! Not to mention everything you need to know about sleep in those first F O U R months of life. It’s the newborn sleep bible for new parents!
