How to get newborns to sleep at night

Kate CP - posted on 07/12/2011

Yes, you can "put them on a schedule". And by that I mean deal with screaming, fussy, angry, babies. Sure...sounds great.

Why do people think they can program a newborn like a friggin' phone?

Kate CP - posted on 07/12/2011

WHAT?! You shouldn't separate twins! They NEED each other! It can actually cause serious distress in twins if you separate them, especially so young!

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As Kate says, it's unlikely to happen.Babies that young need to feed often and have no concept of night and day. They're too young for schedules.

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Good luck. ;)

Every kid is different. My twins were on a 3 hour feeding schedule from birth and it worked well for us. By 3 months they were only waking once in a 12 hour night.

My son, on the other hand.... Yeah, that kid didn't go more than 2 hours w/out nursing for a LONG time and only slept through the night a handful of rare occasions until he was 2 years old.

I don't know what the seperating twins comment was since it's been deleted, but since I HAVE twins I thought I would say that they slept in the same crib til they were 5 months old. They're 9.5 now and sometimes STILL sleep in the same bed. I have a pic of them about a year ago curled up together sleeping just like they used to as babies. :)

Kate CP - posted on 07/12/2011

Yea...probably not gonna happen. Infants that young don't have schedules and you can't put them on one, either. You just have to go with the flow.

Katherine - posted on 08/14/2011

@ Billie, that's a bit absurd IMO.

Madelyn - posted on 08/13/2011

In my experience with my 3 kids its best to set a routine. I currently have a 3 month old and she sleeps every night from 9-5 gets her bottle and goes right back in her crib till around 9am. I got her on a feeding schdule were she eats at the same time everyday...toward the night I feed her about 6 pm give her a bath around 8 after her bath I give her a massage sounds silly but it relaxes them so much. I feed her at 9 and put her striaght in her crib the fisherprice projector mobile works great it plays music for 20 mins and the babies love looking at the lights. If the fuss thats ok let them, if they cry go in the room lights off, give them there binky or sooth them but do not pick them up or talk to them. you might have to get up and down a bunch of times for the 1st week but trust me it will stop. they get used to it, I hope that helped and made sense lol it worked for all 3 of my kids. good luck!

Bonnie - posted on 08/12/2011

You can't really expect much from a newborn, but basically don't let them sleep too much during the day and you could possibly get a bit more sleep at night.

Tiffany - posted on 08/12/2011

let your children sleep how they are comfortable they change every year the way they should sleep my baby slept on his tummy and he slept so good by the 3rd day he was home he was sleepng through the night

Khadija - posted on 08/12/2011

when my boys were young and i wantthem to sleep through the night i would give them a long warm bath, this would make them relax and as soon as i get them out of the bath i would dress them and feed them and they would go right to sleep, i started this ever since they were born, and it would work, they never slept through the whole night, but they ended up sleeping for atleast five hours, give it a try

Billie - posted on 08/11/2011

rotate them counter clockwise head over feet three times wile they are faceing u it will reset their internal clock my grandma taught me it and it worked on both my kids

Katherine - posted on 08/11/2011

I did cluster feedings (I followed my baby though, when he wanted to eat he ate) and he was breastfed at the time,but he was sleeping through the night at 3 weeks!!!! Good luck, try cluster feeding

Deborah - posted on 08/11/2011

The pressures that we are faced with today are enormous. Unfortuntately day sleep is not organized until around 4 months of age so trying to create a schedule with their day sleep when they biologically cannot will be a wasted effort full of frustration. I have more info on this on my website: www.familysleep.com

Tanya - posted on 08/10/2011

Hello. I don't want to discourage you but my boys are now 5 months old and ever changing. No signs of wanting to sleep through. Some nites they feed more than others. Good luck.

Shavon - posted on 08/09/2011

at 1 month old its not recommended, they need at least 1 night feeding. Me and my husband used to switch off nights. I used to feed a big late feeding, and we would wake her up once at around 2am for a feeding and changing. She started sleeping in about 4-5 months, and we would just add a little cereal in her bottle before bed and she would sleep through the night. Also if you are breast feeding the wake more for that than bottle feedings

Kyley - posted on 08/09/2011

I fed my daughter twice close together at night and I got into a routine with her I would feed her give her a bath then lotion her up very well (using the bedtime products from Johnson & Johnson) then another feeding & she would sleep at least 5-6 hours straight she had it down within 2 weeks of this routine & by the time I went back to work I had her sleeping a full 8 hours!!!

Addie - posted on 08/09/2011

I nursed all five of my children and three that were not. It started right at birth.With the four that were born in a hospital, I asked the nursery nurses to please do not give my baby a rubber nipple or any type of pacifier. As a result, none of my babies would accept a nipple or pacifier. They were never switched over to formula. When they were weaned at about 18 months, it was right to a sippy cup. If you look at the ingredients in formula, it consist of man-made chemicals. And when it came time for solids, they never had baby food from a jar. It was so much easier to use the blender. I have a lazy streak in me and am constantly seeking the easier way to do things. As a result my kids are the benefactors of my laziness. No bottles to wash, no trips to the store for baby food, less trash to toss out and less chemicals in my children's lives. Also a chance to develop a closer bond with each baby.

TANIS - posted on 08/08/2011

If you are breast feeding you can try a formula bottle at bedtime. It may help them sleep a bit better....Formula is thicker and will make them feel more full.

Moe - posted on 08/07/2011

keep them up as long as possible in the evening.....good bath right before bed.....feed them....and pray!!!!

Rebecca - posted on 08/07/2011

Read Gina Ford "Contented Little Baby" and see what you think.......I agree that babies should not be forced into a schedule but you can encourage them and that is the principle behind Gina Ford's method. It is mostly based on feeding them enough (breast being best of course) and not stimulating them at inappropriate times. It is not for everyone but it worked for me. With my first baby I did not know about it until he was 4 months old but as soon as I started to feed him properly he started to sleep so much better. I plan to start from the very beginning with the next one which is due in Oct. Good luck.

Raechil - posted on 08/05/2011

How you raise kids and what you believe from what people say is up to you. I don't have twins so I have no idea how their schedules work, but my son has slept through the night since we came home from the hospital. But I'm pro-co sleeping. I doubt you could with twins but I slept in our huge recliner chair and laid him on my chest on his tummy and put the blanket around both of us to where he couldnt move.
My opinions on these topics though....
Talk to your pediatrician and ask what kind of cereal they would recomend that would be safest... My mom put cereal in my bottle at 3 mos because she was so sleep deprived and I'm fine.
I'm guessing not but if you are breast feeding... Supplement feed formula before you lay them down to sleep.
The main concern with putting them on solids too early is the way parents feed them their food while they are eating by putting a little in their mouths to taste it. Not the cereals...

I doubt I was any help and I apologize for that. I don't have twins as I said before but I wanted to wish you good luck. I really hope it all worked out for you.

Remember the best thing you can do is give your pediatrician a call and ask their opinion.

Millie - posted on 08/01/2011

I had the care of twins 4days old and they slept all night from about 10.30pm to 06.00am give or take. You set the routine I would stretch out their feeds so that I was giving them there last as I was going to bed so they would sleep when I slept, I also would wrap the twins in a blanket when put they to bed, also babies at this age need more sleep so do not keep them up because we think that is what they want. I think it is funny when I hear parents of babies tell that their babies know what they want so this why they do not sleep and need to be up, babies rest well during the day rest well at night. So set the routine and the twins will thank you later and everyone will be happy!!!!

Amy - posted on 07/31/2011

have u tryed baby cearl like a teaspoon in there bottles it fill them up better they might not be satified with just the milk and might need just a little more that what i had to do with my 2 kids

Sherree - posted on 07/31/2011

Scheduling is a challenging word when you are talking about infants. "Demand feeding" [feeding when the baby is hungry] is the healthiet & best for babies.

Charm - posted on 07/31/2011

you should read preparation for parenting by the ezzos. helped me so much with scheduling the earlier you start on a schedule the better.

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Look for growing kids God's Way. though I do not promote all their principals, the schedule for newborns was amazing. I can't remember it exactly but it is something like every 3 hours you do the same thing..... Feed them, play with them, then put them down for a nap. Their bodies do not have a routine and they need to be conditioned. IT is a lie that they have their own routine and you must go with it. Parents with that mentality don't teach their children how to obey and live with in their parents limits. They don't expect them to sit in the highchair or stroller if they don't want to, they don't expect them to eat what they have prepared and fix them whatever they want, they don't expect them to behave quietly in a store and bribe them to behave. Believe me.... you are raising a spoiled child if you, the parent, don't set and keep the rules and patterns that you believe are important. I have seen this first hand. When these children are older parents have not idea how to get them to behave or do their chores. Why should they. You never expected them to obey when they were younger. Dont' make that mistake. This is a bigger issue then how to get them to sleep.

PS - my children were sleeping through the night in 3 weeks with this method. Find Growing kids God's way and follow the schedule, but do not harm your baby. Listen to their needs as well. Be smart.

Catherine - posted on 07/29/2011

Feed them more in the daytime and try and feed them around a similar time every day and they will start to form a schedule from their hunger patterens. Had my 1st sleeping through the night from 7 weeks old by doing this. Also keep night feeding quiet and the lights dim so they get to understand it night times. Feed, Purp and put them back to their beds.

Catherine - posted on 07/29/2011

Feed them more in the daytime and try and feed them around a similar time every day and they will start to form a schedule from their hunger patterens. Had my 1st sleeping through the night from 7 weeks old by doing this.

Gina - posted on 07/29/2011

You don't put infants on a schedule, they put you on a schedule. Until they are 9months old they need to eat a lot of milk / formula before they can start on solid food. When they start on solid food is when you can start to train them on a schedule of sleeping through the night.

Kathy - posted on 07/28/2011

I think her point is to put them on a schedule at one month old folks! That shouldn't be. Many people are saying "After a few months they will..." of course after a few months! But in the first month a baby NEEDS to be fed every 2-3 hours. That's just the way it is! And introducing solid foods too early is what leads to a lot of problems like allergies, including asthma, food allergies, etc. I know that was what the old schoolers did when I was a baby but look at all the allergies and other things we developed that we blame on hereditary issues. Let's stop making a baby be convenient to us and start being considerate of what the baby needs to grow and develop properly.

Kathy - posted on 07/28/2011

Thank you Brianne for the voice of reason!

Jami - posted on 07/28/2011

good luck. my twins are seven months and didn't sleep through the night til around 4 months. they only started sleeping through the night when they got to be around 12 lbs (just like dr's say). it depends on how much they weigh and the individual baby when they will sleep through the night. feed them at the same time. wake one up when the other wakes up to eat. thats all you can do to set a schedule.

Tanya - posted on 07/28/2011

Hi, my twins are 5months and we are not getting enough sleep. They literally change all their patterns monthly. But any advice would be good.

Kristy - posted on 07/27/2011

Hi Mary, I am a strong believer that you can have you babies on a routine AND have them sleeping through the night from a young age. My first daughter who is three was sleeping through the night from 6weeks and my second daughter (12 weeks old) has been sleeping through since 7weeks. My trick is that I followed the routines set out by Tizzie Hall called save your sleep. She has a very good website and also provides information for people with twins. Good luck!! It can be done!

Emmie - posted on 07/27/2011

I see a lot of posts saying feeding cereal keeps them full longer and will help sleep through the night but I'm not sure how true this really is. My baby wants to eat every 3 hours or so regardless of whether he has baby food/cereal or just a bottle. He does sleep through the night and has since about 2 months but he started doing this on his own with no encouragement from me.

Eva - posted on 07/27/2011

Hey Brianne - My son (the fourth) was a big baby (he's 15 now). He always seemed hungry after his bottles. My three older girls were given solids at three months as that was what my mom and aunts suggested (they, too, were big). By the time my son was born, six months was the time to start feeding them solids. He couldn't wait for six months. I gave him cereal at around 2-1/2 to three months, and the crying stopped. His stomach stayed fuller longer and he was a happier baby. I don't think it was a coincidence. All five of my kids slept through the night four weeks at the earliest and two months at the latest. I did nothing but feed and change diapers. I didn't turn the light on, didn't sing, didn't talk. I think I posted that earlier in this thread. Babies are smart and adapt to a schedule. Last feeding for mine (first two months) was at 10 p.m. and first feeding would be 5 a.m. at the earliest and 7 a.m. at the latest. Toward the end of the night, depending on the time, I kept them awake until last feeding. People may disagree, but I got my sleep through the night and so did they. Worn out, sleep deprived parents isn't what a baby needs.

Tracy - posted on 07/26/2011

My cousins had twins. They were identical. They painted their nails in order to keep track which one was fed when which one was changed napped etc. My first daughter was in the NICU for 25 days and was a month early she had to eat every 4 hours because of being premature. I kept a bassinet right next to my bed so they never really cried and woke up I woke up to their stirring, turned on the hall light rather than the room light heated the bottle while I changed her fed her and she went right back to sleep, she was always fed right before putting her to bed by 3 months she slept through the night. My second had her days and nights mixed up and the first day back to work had daycare keep her awake as much as possible put her to bed that night slept through the night and had days and nights straight. I always put them down in a dark room for naps and night so they knew it was time to rest and sleep.

Marie - posted on 07/26/2011

Brianne, as parents we all do what is best for our babies. I am 52 years old and my oldest child is 33 years old. I am a daycare provider and has helped raised over 30 of my nephews and nieces. Yes, I am from the old school and I tell you none of the kids died or got sick from feeding them a little more when they were hungry. Every child does not need it but if you see that your child seem not to get enough you do what you think is best for them. Who said that a little cereal is so bad that you can't give them a little. I did not say give them a whole bowl full. If you check with many doctors you will find that a lot of babies have acid reflux and they suggest to give a little in the bottle to help with holding the formula down and not throw up so much. Doctors are just recently coming up with that but mothers of yester-year has been feeding their kids without them having a problem. I would never suggest to anyone to do something that will not benefit their child. And as for waking the baby, I suggest that more for twins to help the mother who has more than one child to tend to at a time. Do you have twins, if so how did you handle keeping them on schedule. That was the initial question I think...

Brianne - posted on 07/26/2011

Ughh I cringe when I read some of these posts. I have been doing a lot of research on sleeping and feedings infants and I firmly believe you should never wake an infant, they will let you know when they are hungry and a breast fed baby does not need any other food other than breast milk for the first 6mos. All the people that say there babies slept more after getting cereal are full of it...in my opinion...everyone is entitled to their own...I believe its mere coincidence their babies slept better. If you read most of these they say by 3mos there babies slept more because of what they did...that is the age most babies will sleep more.

Brianne - posted on 07/26/2011

Good Luck! From what I've read babies have there own schedule and you cannot change their schedule at that age. You have to wait till there 3mos to begin a schedule which doesn't help us mothers any. I go back to work Aug 1st and am dreading it. My little one doesn't fall asleep until anywhere between 10:30 and 12:30, and I have to get up around 6.

Bettye - posted on 07/26/2011

I started my children on cereal at about 2 weeks old. That should help since they will not be so hungry and will sleep better.

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Dr. Weisbluff wrote a sleep book especially for twins, I do not have twins but I used his bookHealthy Sleep Habits Happy Child and had both of my kids sleeping through the night by 10 to 12 weeks old. Day sleep is as important as night sleep so don't keep them awake during the day because it will backfire

Debbie - posted on 07/26/2011

If you stablilise their metabolism, you will find they will naturally sleep longer over night, around 6 weeks old they will probably sleep around 5 or 6 hours straight, then gradually increase to around 8hours at about 8 weeks. I know dozens of families who followed these principles and they work beautifully, some babies take longer and start sleeping though around 12 or 14 weeks. Yes, newborns (the first 6 weeks) usually need to be feed every 3 to 4 hours over night, so if they wake up hungry, feed them, then put them back to sleep. There are always exceptions to the rule, so be flexible and understanding to your babies individual needs.

Vanessa - posted on 07/26/2011

Hi, I have twins. I would feed wake them and feed them as I was going off to bed each night. I would make it the same time each night so as to get them into routine. It took awhile but by the time they were 3 months old, they were both sleeping through the night. Your two may take to the routine quicker. I hope this has helped. Congrats on the twins.

Marie - posted on 07/26/2011

Got to say this after reading some of the post. Many think that you can't put a infant on schedule, but you can. Yes at one month you have to follow their lead to a point. They are going to have to eat every two-three hours, but when they are about 3 months it gets so much smoother. As I said before my twin grand sons slept great (for their age) yes they woke up for bottles more between one to three months but the more they at the longer they slept. It will get to the point where they will only want one bottle in the middle of the night and possibly none. Sleep when the baby sleeps and have patience, it gets better.

User - posted on 07/26/2011

My neice Ashley has twins too. She was just wore out all the time from not getting enough sleep. She went to the dr. and he said do what I did and get the book "BABY WISE" and follow what it says. She did and it was just unbelieveble !!! They are on the right track now and so are mom and dad. I am very serious I hope you get this book. Maybe a used book store would be cheaper. I know they have it at Wal Mart and book stores. Good Luck.

Pamela - posted on 07/26/2011

Though I don't know your particular circumstances, I would suggest that you take the time to massage your babies before they go down to sleep for the night. It will help them to stay relaxed for a longer period of time. There are many books on baby massage as well as the ability to get that info via the net. Good luck and remember that LUCK is only Laboring Under Correct Knowledge!

Sarah - posted on 07/26/2011

I have 3 boys, 3, 23 mos and 5 wks, and if u haven't read baby whisper by tracy Hogg itbis a must! She teaches about routine and understanding whatbur baby needs. Not as wishy washy as sounds. I wouldn't make it through a day... Its an easy read and soo helpful. Sleep is just part of a baby's day, so ur whole day matters in making the sleep part work. Good luck!

Candace - posted on 07/26/2011

My daughter was between 6-8 weeks when I got her on a schedule. Based on my doctor's recommendation I would give her a feeding between 11p and 12am and she would only wake up maybe once and within a couple of weeks she would sleep until at least 6am. Good luck!!!

Marie - posted on 07/26/2011

I have 2 year old twin grand sons and I have had to help alot with them since birth being that mom was going through postpartum as well as getting over a very serious illness. However it is best to let the babies sleep together when ever napping during the day and wake them both up at the same time even if the other wants to sleep, maybe letting the other get an extra 15-20 minutes more if needed. It is not easy to wake a little one because you know that they need the rest, but they have to learn to do everything together in order to be on schedule. At night after a nice warm bath and a warm bottle (I am old school and I see many doctors agreeing with this now to put a couple spoons of cereal in their bottle for night).Putting a small bit of cereal in the bottle will not get the over weight. I promise you my twin grands are very average in weight they got cereal in the bottle since they were 2 weeks old until they were ready to be spoon fed. It helps alot and they would wake up once for another warm bottle and go right back to sleep. It didn't hurt that we played lullaby's softly as they slept to help with surrounding noises. I hope that this helps. Good luck and God be with you and your little people.

Melissa - posted on 07/26/2011

Get and read the book Baby Wise. But...also...don't rush them into sleeping through the night. Let them wake you up when they are hungry, feed them without interacting much with them (i.e. don't play or talk a whole lot) and put them back to bed.

Caroline - posted on 07/26/2011

its hard but you have to keep them up most of the day even if they scream and cry but at 1 month its going to be kind of impossible to do so

Tyeisha - posted on 07/26/2011

It is possible for newborns to sleep all nite. My son is a year old now, but he has always slept through the night since day one. I would have to wake him up to eat. I never woke up to a screaming baby because he was hungry. What I did was first I changed his eating schedule to an even time for Ex. 8pm 12am 4am 8am,etc. Once he turned a month old I started waiting for his to wake up instead of waking him up to eat. (No baby will stay sleep if he/she is hungry so don't worry). That pushes his every four hours to every six hours. So I now I would feed him at 12am that way he wouldn't get back up until 6am. By the time my son turned 3 months he was sleeping a full 8 hours at night

Kerri - posted on 07/26/2011

newborns are not supposed to sleep through the night.

Debbie - posted on 07/26/2011

I have 5 children, all of them slept about 8 hours straight at around 8 weeks old, then 12 hours by 12 weeks. You can do things to promote long night sleep. By stabilising a baby's metabolism, you can stabilise their circadian rhythms which give their bodies sleep & wake signals. This means that if you feed them regularly during the day (every 2.5 - 3hours), making sure they take in a full feed (not just snacking) and letting them sleep for as long as they want over night, then their sleep patterns will stabilise. They will go into a deeper & longer sleep over night & will nap shorter sleeps during the day. This programming also relies on light stimulation, that is, keep the curtains open during the day for day naps, and keep the lighting as low & dull as possible for all night feeds. Following a feed-play-sleep cycle helps. Giving the infant a chance to learn their own self-settling techniques by letting them fuss themselves to sleep produces good sleepers, giving comfort after 5 or 10 minutes if they are not able to get themselves to sleep on their own. If they are dependent on being rocked or patted to sleep, this dependency will only grow stronger as they get older, making it more & more difficult for them to settle in the future. Responsive settling is an excellent settling tool. Babies are like adults when it comes to sleep, they often wake during sleep and go back to sleep several times. We often don't notice that we wake momentarily because we have our favourite pillow to comfort us. But if someone removes our pillow, it's really hard to fall back to sleep. This sleep prop helps us fall asleep. Babies who use the bottle or breast as a "sleep prop" find it difficult to go back to sleep in the middle of the night because someone has removed their comfort (sleep prop, eg breast or bottle, or rocking motion). So choose your sleep props wisely, we chose little teddybear blankets, now our kids will go to sleep where ever are, as long as they have their blankie-bear. When you put them on a 3hr feed/play/sleep cycle, you need to be flexible and consider the needs of the baby - eg may need more frequent feeds if on a growth spurt, really hot summer days, or not well. You don't have to be a nazi mum when it comes to routines. Children of all ages thrive on routine, predictability & stability - I'm a teacher, I've experienced dealing with children who have grown up with chaos, it makes everyone's life difficult.

All the best, it's hard at the start, but as you get the hang of it it gets easier.

I read the book Babywise, it was a great guide. thoroughly recommend it.