Is It Possible To Create A Sleep Schedule For A Newborn?

Setting up a sleep schedule for a newborn might seem like a challenging task for first-time parents. Inconsistent sleeping patterns can have ill effects on a baby's health and affect a parent's good night's sleep as well. In the initial years of your little one, nobody can predict his sleeping patterns, and it takes at least 4 months for the natural sleep pattern to develop.

Getting your baby on a sleep schedule is important and could be the key to good health in the future. The sleeping cue of every baby is different, and the best thing one can do is anticipate the natural sleep patterns and stick to them. Here's a guide on how to create a sleep schedule for a newborn.

Learn When to Start

Timing is everything when it comes to planning a bedtime routine for your baby. Newborns can't follow a sleep schedule, but as soon as he turns 2 months old, one can regulate his internal clock to implement healthy eating and sleeping patterns.

Maintain a Sleeping Log

The best way to create a sleep schedule is to maintain a sleeping log of your baby and track his wake windows. It can help you schedule naps and develop a more consistent routine for him. Typically, babies need three naps in a day, one in However, all babies are different, and sticking to natural rhythms will always help.

Sleeping Cues Works

Cues are nothing but a sign your baby gives when he is ready to sleep. Best naps occur when you pay attention to these sleeping cues. It includes yawning, rubbing of eyes, or clockwork crankiness. Surprisingly, these cues change from time to time, and you need to have lots of patience to deal with them.

Be Flexible and Readjust

As they say, rules are not for babies. Your little one may prefer natural things and would like to go with the flow at times. Adjusting the sleeping pattern with his natural rhythms can work for both you and your baby. Babies evolved with time and one needs to adjust accordingly.

An infant's sleep schedule is unpredictable, which might cause you to worry during his initial years. However, anticipating your baby's sleep schedule and planning the bedtime accordingly paves the way for your baby to fall asleep early, so you both get the rest you need.

Author Bio: Prapti Chauhan is a professor of Genetics in Bangalore. She has contributed to several online research papers. However, she passionately develops contents on pregnancy, childbirth, childcare and stem cell preservation, umbilical cord lining and more.