As they get older, they will learn to settle themselves and fall back to sleep. It is a part of normal sleep cycles for newborns to wake between sleep cycles. During quiet sleep, they will lie relatively still and their breathing will be more even. During active sleep, the newborn may move, groan, open their eyes, cry out or breathe noisily or irregularly. Sleep cycles consist of active sleep and quiet sleep. Sleep cycles are usually around 20 to 50 minutes long. Newborns sleep in short bursts, known as sleep cycles. You can also provide a dim and quiet environment at night. You can help your newborn learn to sleep more at night by exposing them to light and gently playing with them during the day. Newborns wake frequently during the night, often because they need to be fed or changed.Īt around 3 months of age, they may start to learn the rhythm of day and night. They do not have established sleep–wake rhythms. Newborns do not know the difference between day and night.

However, if you are worried about your newborn’s crying, please talk to your maternal and child health nurse, doctor or phone the Maternal and Child Health Line on Tel. This is normal – as long as your baby is growing, gaining weight and is happy at other times. Sometimes newborn babies cry for no apparent reason, even though you have helped to soothe them. These first three months are an important time for you and your baby to start to learn and understand each other. Although they seem to spend a lot of time sleeping (generally 12 to 16 hours in a 24-hour period), they do not have established sleep-wake rhythms like we do. In the first three months, newborns cry a lot because they need your help to feed, change or settle so they can get back to sleep. Newborn sleep patterns and behavioursĬrying is the way babies communicate with you. In your language: For translated fact sheets go to Information in community languages.

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