Getting your newborn to sleep through the night: what to expect and how to help

How much does a newborn sleep, and why do they wake so often?

In the first few weeks, a newborn sleeps more than they're awake: between 16 and 17 hours a day according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and around 18 according to the NHS, the health service in England. It's just that they sleep in short bursts, often one or two hours at a time, day and night alike.

They wake mainly because they're hungry. Being too hot or too cold can also disturb them, the NHS points out. And their internal clock is still developing: the AAP explains that regular sleep cycles arrive at around 4 months. So if your nights are broken, you're not doing anything wrong. It's simply how newborns sleep.

When will they sleep through the night?

There's no date that applies to every baby. The NHS guidance helps you form a realistic picture:

• First few months: they wake several times to feed, day and night.
• Between 3 and 6 months: they need fewer night feeds and some babies sleep for 5–8 hours at a stretch, or even longer. Not all of them, though.
• Between 6 and 12 months: night feeds often aren't needed any more, but teething or hunger can still wake them.

If your baby takes longer, it isn't a cause for alarm: every baby has their own rhythm. But if you have any doubts about how they're feeding, growing or sleeping, your paediatrician is the right person to ask.

How do you put a newborn down to sleep safely?

Even before helping them sleep for longer, what matters is helping them sleep safely. The rules are few, and they're repeated in similar words by the Italian Society of Neonatology (Società Italiana di Neonatologia, SIN), the Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità) and the AAP:

• On their back, for every sleep, at night and for naps. Once they start rolling over by themselves both ways, says the AAP, you won't need to turn them onto their back every time.
• Empty cot: a firm, flat mattress with just a fitted sheet. No pillows, blankets, duvets, soft toys or bumpers: if it's chilly, a baby sleeping bag is better, as you'll see below.
• In your room, but in their own cot: the SIN recommends keeping them in the parents' room and advises against sharing a bed; the AAP says for at least the first 6 months. If you bring them into your bed to feed or comfort them, put them back in their cot before you fall asleep.
• Never sleep together on a sofa or in an armchair.
• No smoking, during pregnancy and after the birth, at home and in the car.
• If they fall asleep in the infant car seat or pushchair, move them onto a flat, firm surface as soon as you can.

Breastfeeding, where possible, helps here too: the SIN and the AAP point out that it reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The same goes for a dummy, according to the AAP: offer it at naps and at night, even if it then falls out of their mouth, and if you're breastfeeding, wait until feeding is well established. Never hang it around their neck or attach it to their clothes, and if they refuse it, there's no need to insist.

Two things often bought with the best of intentions: swaddling doesn't reduce the risk and, if you use it, you should stop when your baby starts trying to roll over, usually at around 3–4 months; and there's no evidence that breathing monitors reduce the risk of SIDS, and in any case they don't replace these rules (AAP).

Before bedtime: seven checks

Go over them every night, including with anyone who puts your baby to bed in your place: partner, grandparents, babysitter.

• On their back, for every sleep, naps included.
• Empty cot: just a fitted sheet, no pillows, blankets, soft toys or bumpers.
• Cot in your room, next to your bed, not in it.
• Room between 19 and 21 °C: cool, not warm.
• Light clothing, head uncovered: no hat indoors.
• Smoke-free air, at home and in the car.
• No sofas or armchairs: if you feel yourself dozing off, put them back in their cot.

Checks based on the guidance of the Italian Society of Neonatology, the Italian National Institute of Health and the AAP, listed at the bottom of the page.

How should I dress them for the night?

More lightly than your instinct might suggest. The SIN recommends dressing them lightly, with their head uncovered, in a room between 19 and 21 °C, because overheating should be avoided. The AAP adds two practical points: no hat indoors once you're home from hospital and, if you're worried they might be cold, layered clothing or a baby sleeping bag instead of blankets, with at most one layer more than you'd need yourself. No weighted sleeping bags, blankets or sleepsuits.

To tell whether they're too hot, the AAP points to three signs: they're sweaty, their chest feels hot, their skin is flushed. If so, take off a layer.

Sleepsuits for the night

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Tutina in Cotone Caldo Panna con Orsetti Mayoral

€23.90

Tutina Rossa Natalizia in Cotone Caldo Mayoral

€29.90

Tutina in Ciniglia Fiore D' Incanto Rosa Deolinda

€53.90

Tutina in Ciniglia Rosa con Piccoli Fiorellini Mayoral

€25.95

What helps them fall asleep in the evening?

A small routine that's the same every night helps them understand that night-time is coming. You don't need anything special: the NHS suggests a few simple steps, so pick the ones that work for you.

• A bath, then clean pyjamas and a fresh nappy.
• Dim lights and a calm voice.
• A cuddle and a goodnight.
• A lullaby or some gentle music.
• Later on, once they come through, brushing their teeth too.

How the day goes matters too. During the day, open the curtains, play with them and don't worry about the everyday noises of the house. At night, keep the lights low, speak softly, don't play and only change them if needed. That way, little by little, they learn the difference between day and night.

And if in the first few weeks they'll only fall asleep in your arms, that's fine: the NHS describes it as normal at this age.

Can you teach them to fall asleep on their own?

Yes, at the right time. The AAP's guidance on this starts from 4 months: from that age, you can put them in their cot when they're drowsy but still awake, so they learn to fall asleep without being held. If they fuss at night, you can give them a few moments to settle back to sleep by themselves before stepping in. When they're hungry, need changing or are unwell, though, always respond.

Before 4 months, night waking is mainly about feeding, and the advice about waiting before stepping in doesn't apply at this age. If you're thinking about a method to get them used to sleeping on their own, talk to your paediatrician first.

And you: how can you get some rest?

Broken nights take their toll, and it's only right to say so. A few ideas from the NHS: sleep when your baby sleeps, during the day too, without worrying about keeping the house quiet. Share the nights with your partner: for example, they could do a bottle feed, or the early-morning change if you're breastfeeding. If you're on your own, ask someone close to you to come and stay for a few days.

If the crying feels like too much and there's no one to take over, put your baby in their cot on their back, leave the room for a few minutes, breathe, then go back: both the NHS and the AAP suggest this. Whatever happens, never shake them, because it can cause serious brain damage. And if tiredness turns into a sadness that won't lift, talk to your doctor: they'll know how to help.

The information in this guide comes from the sources below and is not a substitute for your paediatrician's advice: if you have any concerns about your baby, ask them.