Introducing Day And Night To Babies
Right after a baby is born, they do not have a schedule. They live purely on instinct. They are very small and can only eat so much in one sitting before they get full. Then after some time passes by, they get hungry again until they fill up fast. They do not have a body clock which is why newborns are up every 2 to 3 hours throughout the day and the night to eat and to get changed.
However, once they are closer to 6 weeks of age, they begin to distinguish the difference between day and night. Therefore, this is the time when they can start sleeping through the night which means they will be asleep for 4 hours in the night. It is longer than 2 to 3 hours.
However, there are steps that new parents can take for newborns to make that distinction between night and day clearer. It does not mean they will sleep through the night sooner than 6 weeks of age because they really cannot. By the time they are ready, they will understand the differences better. Therefore, if parents create the following steps and utilize them, then they will get their newborns used to the time differences easier.
What To Do During The Day With A Newborn
The one thing that parents want to do with a newborn is to help them understand that the daytime is when everyone is awake. Activities happen. This means to keep the blinds up so the sun is shining through. This means to put the volume of the television up higher. Additionally, when talking on the phone, parents should do it loudly. In other words, make daytime lively.
Babies still need their naps during the day which they will need to do. If babies don't get their naps, as counter intuitive as it sounds, they will not sleep at night properly. When the infant starts showing signs of tiredness during the day, then it is time to put him or her into a Moses basket for a nap. Once the baby awakens, then that is the time to make life active again.
Be consistent with this so that the baby will get used to the activity during the day and associate it with the daytime. At nighttime. things will change.
What To Do At Night With A Newborn
Once the sun begins to go down, that is when it is time to wind the day down. Keep the blinds closed and put the TV volume at a low setting as well. Speak very softly. Don't interact with the infant too much during evening feedings. The point is that everything has to be quiet and limit phone conversations at night as well. Stay very quiet if you must take a phone call in the evening.
Eventually, the infant will become drowsy. When he or she is showing signs of tiredness, then that is when it is time to put the newborn into the African Moses basket.
It is really important that parents are consistent with introducing the day and night to their newborns. Eventually, when the right time comes along for babies to start sleeping through the night, the day/night differences will click even easier.