After a couple of months with your baby, you've probably begun to notice a rhythm falling into place. You know when they tend to be playful and awake or when they prefer to sleep.
Moreover, you've likely also heard that it's essential to establish a sleeping schedule for them to help foster healthy sleeping habits.
However, the truth is an 8-week-old sleep schedule isn't that strict of a schedule because they're still too young — and their routine will vary each day and each night.
But there are certain variables you can still count on from the estimated number of naps they'll take every day to the total number of hours they'll spend sleeping.
Let your baby mattress specialist at Polysleep tell you what needs to be known about your baby's 8-week-old sleep schedule.
What Is a Baby Sleep Schedule?
There isn't one baby sleep schedule that fits all babies. Babies will vary in how much time and when they sleep each night.
You might end up with a naturally early riser who seems to like waking up before the sun and wanting to eat immediately, or you might be lucky and have a baby who sleeps a bit later.
As your baby starts growing, you'll become familiar enough with their sleep and hunger cues to start developing a sleep and feeding schedule that will work for your family.
When Can You Get Baby on a Sleep Schedule?
When your baby is around 8-weeks (two months) old, their internal clock will become a little more predictable. This means you might be able to get them to follow a more regular sleeping schedule.
Between three and six months, your newborn's naptime, bedtime, and wake-up times will growingly fall at about the same time every day.
You'll start anticipating your newborn's natural sleepy times and start working toward putting them down when they're still awake and drowsy, which teaches them the skill of falling asleep by themselves.
if you plan on sleep training your baby, keep in mind, a baby’s sleep-training in any form (self-soothing training) shouldn't occur until your baby is around four to six-month-old,
8-Week-Old Sleep Schedule
8-Week-Old Full Day Planning
Here is a sample of an 8-week-old sleep schedule.
The best sleep schedule for your 8-week-old newborn will ultimately depend on their own individual requirements.
While you shouldn't expect their sleep schedule to be consistent or predictable, you might find a typical day might look a little like this:
-
They'll be awake at 7 AM
-
Take a nap at 8:30 AM
-
Awake at 9:30 AM
-
Take a nap at 11 AM
-
Awake at 12 PM
-
Take a nap at 1:30 PM
-
Awake at 3 PM
-
Take a nap at 4:30 PM
-
Awake at 5:30 PM
-
Take a nap at 7 PM
-
Awake at 8 PM
-
Bedtime routine starts at 9 PM
-
Bedtime is at 9:30 PM
Now this, as said previously, is just a sample schedule and assumes your newborn takes a few one-hour naps during the day and stays awake for 90 minutes.
In reality, however, it's essential to keep in mind your baby's awake times might range from 60 minutes to 90 minutes, while their naps might be as short as 30 minutes and could be as long as a couple of hours.
How long will my baby nap?
Your baby will most likely take a lot of smaller naps.
The daytime cycle is one to two hours of them being awake then one to two hours of napping. In their second month, if their nap goes over an hour and a half to two hours, it's probably a good idea to wake them up to feed them.
Your baby will likely settle into two to three naps daily, which will total about four to eight hours of sleep.
What time should they go to bed?
Sleeping at night shifts a little earlier with your newborn beginning to unwind at about 9 PM. They'll also sleep longer but will still wake up during the night for a feeding or two.
How many hours of overnight sleep can I realistically expect?
Typically, the longest unbroken sleeping time is about five to eight hours during these early months. Some might sleep longer, particularly if you're using a sleeping aid.
How does a baby's sleep schedule change over time?
At about three months old, newborns' sleep changes to lengthier cycles of light, deep, and dream sleep.
These changes may result in your child waking up less often and having a steadier sleep.
At this age, your baby may regularly be sleeping longer at night, for instance, about four to five hours.
Polysleep’s tips for a better sleep for baby
Some tips by Polysleep are:
-
Five things to do with baby before going to bed
-
Play with your baby in the daytime. Your 8-week-old will nap a lot during the day but playing with them in the daytime could help reinforce the difference between daytime and nighttime.
-
Create a bedtime routine and stick with it. Create a predictable routine for bedtime which may include giving your newborn a bath, putting their pajamas on and reading to them, or listening to lullabies. These things can help signal to them that it's time for sleep.
-
Begin your newborn's bedtime routine early. This could be around 30 minutes before they tend to start falling asleep. So, if they usually go to bed at 7 PM, start their routine at about 6:30 PM.
-
Put them to bed when they're drowsy. You might be tempted to rock or hold your baby until they fall asleep, but by putting them to bed when they become drowsy but are still awake, you're teaching them to fall asleep by themselves.
-
Keep stimulation minimized during the night. The room should be as quiet and dark as possible when you're feeding or changing your baby during the night to allow them to easily go back to sleep.
-
Buy the right baby mattress
It's essential you pick the right mattress for your baby. One great option is a Polysleep Baby Mattress. This baby mattress contains zero harsh chemicals which can be dangerous to the health of your baby.
The foam is CertiPUR-US certified and meets very stringent quality standards.
Polysleep Baby Mattress relieves pressure during your baby's nap and helps to regulate temperature.
Sleep training: letting baby cry it out
-
Use a Baby Wrapping Technique
There are five easy steps to wrap your baby:
Step 1: Spread the swaddle blanket on a flat surface in the shape of a diamond. One corner of the blanket will point to a flat surface (i.e. middle of the bed). Now, fold the top corner of the blanket down around 6 inches.
Step 2: Gently place your baby on the blanket face-up, placing their head above the folded blanket edge and their body extending straight down toward the corner at the bottom.
Step 3: Straighten your baby’s left arm and wrap the left side over their left arm and chest. Then tuck the blanket between their right arm and their back.
Step 4: Fold and tuck the bottom corner under the first fold, over your baby’s body, and just under their chin. Now, straighten their right arm and wrap the right side over their body and tuck the blanket under your baby left side
Step 5: Secure the blanket by loosely twisting the bottom and tuck it under one side of your baby.
There you have it! Enjoy your bundle of joy and cherish when they are sleeping soundly!
Order online the Polysleep baby mattress
If you liked our blog article, please don't forget to Share it with your friends by clicking the button below!
