Video: Understanding Your Newborn’s Sleep Needs

This video was produced by S.K.I.P. who have an amazing website, packed with resources, and an app, for parents of under 5’s. Make sure you check them out.

Viewing time: 6 minutes

What you’ll learn: 

• Babies generally sleep for 2 – 3 hours and wake up hungry, so lying-in on a Sunday is out!
• Baby’s body language and mood often changes when they are tired, which you’ll learn in the first 3 to 6 weeks
• In baby’s first week you may find the feeds are short and the sleeps are long. By 8 weeks, they may want more playtime and interaction
• Signs of tiredness include ‘jerky’ movements, which can be confused with being more awake
• Wrapping them up (swaddling) prevents them from frightening themselves with the startle reflex which last for about 3 minutes
• Getting baby to sleep is more difficult when they are over-tired or you miss the opportunity to get them to bed
• Keeping them awake a bit more each day and giving them a bath and a good feed in the evening works a treat!