New parents often wonder why their baby will not sleep all night, even after they have been fed, changed and comforted.
Why doesn’t my baby sleep at night? It is one of the most common – and tiring – questions that new parents ask.
You fed them, changed, she rocked, she hugged, but they still wake up again. And again. And again.
Baby people are born completely helpless – unable to walk, grip or regulate their own systems.
From the very beginning, they are biologically wired to stay close to a caregiver and to rely on your body for warmth, safety, food and reassurance. Their sleeping, nutrition and awake patterns are not unordered- they are designed to survive.
My newest book tells you everything you need to know about your baby’s sleep during their first year, but here is a short explanation about what is 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 opposed – cannot help to get more rest and feel less stressed.
Let’s see what science (and evolution) tells us about newborn sleep.
Comfort and calmness
Unlike other baby mammals born to see, hear and call, baby people have no muscle tension and no control over their limbs.
They cannot stick to or follow you, and are completely dependent on their parents to keep them safe, warm and nourished.
Most babies even feel like physical contact with your body for comfort, warmth and safety. By letting them nestle in you is a good way to calm them down, and on your chest is where many newborns want to sleep the most from the immediate postnatal period.
Spending time with your baby that you nest on your chest is common in the first few weeks or months of new parenting, and there are some important things to be informed.
Make sure you sit upright or lean back in an over -approaching position, so that your baby’s head is higher than their buttocks.
Do not lie flat on your back with your baby horizontally. This position can cause babies to work harder to breathe.
Make sure their head is turned aside and their chin is tilted up. This is important to keep their wind pipe open – it can nod if their chin is on their chest and the air cannot endure to their lungs.
Make sure you keep them on your body on your body – don’t assume that they do not slip away – gravity also influences babies.
Finally, but above all, stay awake. Don’t let yourself fall asleep in this position. Young babies are very vulnerable and when they are on you, you have to follow their safety.
If you think you can fall asleep, move them somewhere safely – a clear surface safe surface, on their backs or the arms of someone who can stay awake.
SAFE SAFE TRAINING
If your baby is breastfed, they will often feed day and night, often every two hours or so. This can be difficult to deal with if you have to get in and out of bed for every feed.
Many mothers who are breastfeeding believe that a safe way to share your bed for some night helps to reduce the disturbance of night food because you can feed and both you and your baby can sleep quickly.
If you decide to share to bed, 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 about sharing safety.
If you cannot do this safely (for example if your baby is born prematurely, or you are a smoker), then a basinet is a good option.
Circadian Rhythm
Newborn babies have no daily rhythm. In the womb they are under the influence of their mother’s circadian cycle.
After birth, their own day-night rhythm takes a few months to appear, and to begin with they sleep the same amount during the 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 through daily time to start during the day during the day (open curtains, make noise, etc.) every morning.
Taking babies outside of daylight in the first half of the day also helps their bodies to be tailored to daylight and at night.
Sleep longer
Over time, all babies start spending a little more time at night. This is called “consolidation from sleep to night”, and babies start to sleep for longer periods between feeds as they get older. But babies often still wake up at night well into the second half of their first year-moms because they still give night food, but in other cases they just have to know that you are in the area.
A third of the babies who were studied in a NEW -Zeeland research study had never slept all night by the time they were 12 months old.
Sleeping consolidation
As babies consolidate more of their sleep at night, they will start sleeping less during the day. You can support this process by avoiding day naps during the day in silent dark rooms, keeping sleeping babies in the daylight and in the midst of household noise and activity for naps during the day, or napping on the way.
This prevents babies from taking long -term naps and keeps their sleeping pressure until the night, which also helps with sleep consolidation.
When you understand and work your baby’s sleep biology, it is not necessary to try to train your baby how you can sleep at night.
Please note that during the first year and then helpless baby mammals you need for physical contact, comfort and safety during the first year and then helpless. Their need to be close to you is vital for their survival.
Published on May 31, 2025
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