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Is my newborn sleeping too much?

Is My Newborn Sleeping Too Much?

August 11, 20245 min read

Many parents are often surprised to see just how much a newborn sleeps in those first few weeks of life. Some are even more surprised when they hear just how noisy and active those tiny little sleepers can be! Newborns cycle through two stages while they are sleeping: active sleep and quiet sleep. During active sleep cycles, newborns may be moving around, grunting and making noises, even crying out or briefly opening their eyes, all while they are still sleeping! There's a lot going on in your baby's rapidly growing brain and developing body while they are sleeping, which is why so much sleep is needed.

How long should I let my newborn sleep?

In order to answer that question we must first look at how much sleep does a newborn need?

Studies show us that newborns (0-3 months of age) typically sleep 14-17 hours in a 24 hour period. But what you need to understand is that these are just averages and the actual range for what's normal for each child can vary wildly.

How long can a newborn be awake for?

Newborns can be awake for only 60-90 minutes, however, if they are less than 4 weeks old it's common for that window to be even shorter, with some only being awake long enough to feed and go right back to sleep.

Also to keep in mind is that most infants need their days to be around 12-13 hours long of activity, naps and light exposure, in order to be ready to sleep at night. It's a good idea to start the habit when they are a newborn of waking and starting your day by 8am at the latest so they are ready to sleep by 7 or 8pm.

As a newborn, your baby will not have a circadian rhythm or internal clock helping them distinguish between night and day so keeping a consistent morning wake up will help with this day-night confusion. It's okay if they are not ready yet for a 7-8pm bedtime, some newborns do better with a 8-10pm bedtime, however, I still suggest waking and consistently starting your morning at a set time between 7-8am. Somewhere around 3-4 months when their circadian rhythm starts to develop, you can move their bedtime back to 7-8pm.

How long should you let a newborn sleep between feedings?

Many newborns only sleep from 20 minutes - 2 hours at a time. If your baby is sleeping longer than this I recommended that you wake them to feed them. Newborns need to feed every 2-3 hours. If you let your baby sleep through a daytime feeding then you may find them sleeping less and waking more at night to feed.

breastfeeding newborn

Should I wake my newborn at night to feed?

If there is any concern around your newborn not gaining enough weight or if your doctor tells you to wake your baby to feed at certain intervals then of course you should do so! If your newborn has gained back their birth weight and is eating well during the day then it's ok to let them sleep a longer stretch in the night. Most medical professionals, like B.C. Women's Hospital & Health Centre recommend allowing the baby to wake on their own at night to feed. They suggest if the newborn goes longer than 4 hours then offer them a feeding, while other medical professionals consider a 5 hour stretch to be safe.

It's also ok if your baby is waking frequently and not getting a 5-6 hour stretch of sleep at night until well past their 4th or 5th month. Remember, there is a huge variance for what is considered normal for babies and some are just not developmentally ready for long stretches of sleep.

When to worry about my newborn sleeping too much

If after reading all this information, you are still concerned your newborn might be sleeping too much, then you should share your concerns with your doctor and check in with them. Since there is such variety in normal newborn sleep patterns, excessive sleeping by itself isn't typically cause for concern but if the sleeping is getting in the way of your newborn eating 8-12 full meals a day or is combined with other symptoms then you should check with your doctor. Here are some things to look out for:

  • your newborn should have 3 or more wet diapers per day in the first few days of life and after that 6 or more in 24 hours.

  • the urine should be pale yellow, darker urine can indicate dehydration

  • not gaining weight or losing weight after having regained their birth weight is cause for concern.

  • baby is consistently difficult to wake

  • baby has difficulty or disinterest in eating while awake

  • fever of 38 degrees celsius or higher

  • jaundice (a yellowish discolouration to their skin)

  • vomiting

  • seems lethargic or weak

In Conclusion: How long should I let my newborn sleep?

There is such a huge variance in newborn sleep patterns and newborn sleep needs so don't obsess too much about how much sleep your baby is getting. Focus instead on the things you can control that will help your baby's sleep development:

  1. Keeping your newborns's awake windows to no more than 60-90 minutes (less if they are under 1 month old). Offer them soothing and a quiet, non-stimulating environment once their wake time is up.

  2. Consider waking baby and yourself up each morning between 7-8am to start your day. If there is a consistent time before 8am that your baby tends to wake naturally then choose that as your starting time, otherwise just pick one to help regulate your circadian rhythms.

  3. Feed your baby every 2-3 hours as needed during the day and wake them to feed if it's been 3 hours.

  4. Learn your child's sleepy cues so you can get them down to sleep before they get overtired. If your baby is yawning and fussy, they should already be in bed. Try and discover the earlier signs of tiredness they may portray like red eyebrows, staring off into space, disengaging, slowing down. Beware that some babies can move from the early signs of tiredness to sleepy and overtired very quickly, while others may have a slower progression.


    Ashika Morgan

    I am Ashika Morgan a Baby Sleep Coach for infants and toddlers.

    If you want some help establishing healthy sleep habits for your newborn right from the start, check out my Gentle Sleep Shaping Program for Newborns.

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