Why won't my baby sleep at night? It's one of the most common - and exhausting - questions new parents ask. You've fed them, changed them, rocked them, cuddled them but still, they wake again. And again. And again.
Author
- Helen L. Ball
Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Durham Inancy & Sleep Centre (DISC), Durham University
Baby humans are born utterly helpless - unable to walk, grip, or regulate their own systems. From the very beginning, they are biologically wired to stay close to a caregiver, relying on your body for warmth, safety, food and reassurance. Their sleep, feeding and waking patterns aren't disordered - they're designed for survival.
My latest book tells you everything you need to know about your baby's sleep during their first year, but here's a brief explainer on what's really going on with baby sleep, why "sleeping through the night" is often a myth, and how working with your baby's natural biology - not against it - can help you both get more rest and feel less stressed.
Let's take a look at what science (and evolution) tells us about newborn sleep.
1. Comfort and calm
Unlike other baby mammals who are born able to see, hear, and call, baby humans have no muscle tone and no control over their limbs. They cannot cling to or follow you, and are completely reliant on their parents to keep them safe, warm, and fed. In fact, most babies crave being in physical contact with your body for comfort, warmth and safety. Letting them snuggle into you is a good way to calm them, and on your chest is where many newborns most want to sleep from the immediate postnatal period.
Spending time with your baby snuggled on your chest is common in the first few weeks or months of new parenthood, and there are some important things to be aware of. Make sure you are sitting upright or leaning back in a reclined position, so your baby's head is higher than their bottom. Do not lie flat on your back with your baby horizontal. This position can make babies work harder to breathe . Make sure their head is turned to one side and their chin is tilted upwards. This is important to keep their windpipe open - it can kink if their chin is down on their chest and the air cannot get through to their lungs.
Be sure to hold them in place on your body - don't assume they won't slip off - gravity affects babies too. Lastly, but most importantly, stay awake. Do not let yourself fall asleep in this position. Young babies are very fragile and when they are lying on you, you must monitor their safety. If you think you might fall asleep, move them to somewhere safe - a clear flat safe surface, on their back, or the arms of someone who can stay awake.
2. Safe bed-sharing
If your baby is breastfed they will feed frequently day and night , often every two hours or so. This can be difficult to cope with if you have to get in and out of bed for every feed. Many breastfeeding mothers find that safe way to share your bed for some or all of the night helps reduce the disruption of night feeds as you can feed lying down and both you and your baby can return to sleep quickly.
If you decide to bed-share learn how to make your bed as safe as possible for your baby. The Lullaby Trust , Unicef Baby Friendly Initiative and La Leche League all have good information on bed-sharing safety. If you are not able to do this safely (for instance if your baby was born prematurely, or you are a smoker) then a bedside bassinet is a good option.
3. Circadian rhythm
Newborn babies have no day-night rhythm. In the uterus they are under the influence of their mother's circadian cycle.
After birth, their own day-night rhythm takes several months to appear, and to begin with they sleep equally across day and night. Because it responds to external triggers such as daylight, noise and activity, you can support the development of your baby's circadian rhythm by starting daytime activities around them at a regular time (opening curtains, making noise etc) every morning. Taking babies outside in the daylight in the first half of the day also helps their body-clock to become attuned to daylight and nighttime .
4. Sleeping for longer
Over time all babies begin to spend a bit more time sleeping at night. This is called "consolidation of sleep into night-time", and babies will begin sleeping for longer periods between feeds as they get older. But babies often still wake in the night well into the second half of their first year - sometimes this is because they are still night-feeding, but in other cases they just need to know you are nearby. A third of babies who were studied in a New Zealand research study had never slept through the night by the time they were 12 months old.
5. Sleep consolidation
As babies consolidate more of their sleep into the nighttime they will begin to sleep less during the day . You can support this process by avoiding daytime naps in silent darkened rooms, keeping sleeping babies in the daylight and in midst of household noise and activity for daytime naps, or napping on the go. This prevents babies from taking prolonged naps and keeps their sleep pressure rising until the nighttime, which also helps with sleep consolidation.
When you understand and work with your baby's sleep biology it is unnecessary to try to train your baby how to sleep at night. Just be aware that throughout the first year and beyond, baby humans remain helpless baby mammals who need you for physical contact, comfort and safety. Their need to be close to you is vital for their survival.
Helen L. Ball has received funding from NIHR, ESRC, Lullaby Trust, Scottish Government, Northern Accelerator, Durham County Council, Northumberland County Council, and Durham University. She is currently affiliated with Lullaby Trust and Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative in voluntary roles.
