Working through day/night confusion
Babies aren’t born with their internal clocks set. That’s why they often seem to sleep a bunch during the day and then party all night!
Let’s get into HOW you can work to help your newborn differentiate between day and night:
- Get exposure to natural light during the day: if you can, get outside during the day! Or at least hang out near windows, keep the blinds up, etc. Spend some time soaking up that light to tell your babe its daytime.
- Keep the stimulation low at night: once nighttime rolls around, keep the lights dim and sounds quieter. This helps keep it zen and tell your babe that nighttime = calm and rest.
- Set up a predictable bedtime routine: it’s never too early to start a bedtime routine! This does NOT need to be elaborate. This is just a series of a few steps that help indicate to your baby that it’s time for sleep soon.
- Set up an optimal environment: at night, make sure the bedroom is relatively dark with white noise on. When you need to turn a light on for diaper changes/feeds, keep the light as dim as possible (try to avoid overhead lights if you can!).
Remember, your baby is in a MAJOR adjustment phase. This stuff takes time to sink in! Stay consistent with all of these things and stay patient. All of your efforts WILL make a big difference! But it doesn’t shift immediately. You got this!
