Why Does the Newborn Baby Not Sleep During the Day?

Does Your Newborn Baby Stay Awake Throughout the Day?

Newborn babies are known for sleeping throughout the day and night. They stay awake only for 2-4 hours during the first month of their life. They need enough rest to grow normally. If your newborn baby doesn’t sleep during the day, there might be many things responsible for it.

Parents should ensure the baby takes a healthy nap. If he doesn’t, you should try to find out what is troubling your child. Proper knowledge about the baby’s sleeping habits and health will help you in keeping him happy. So, let’s find out some important facts about the newborn baby’s sleep and some other activities.

What Keeps Your Newborn Baby Awake During the Day?

One or more of the following reasons can be responsible for keeping the baby awake during the day:

• The baby does not sleep during the day probably because his room is too noisy. You should choose a room for the baby, which provides a quiet and comforting atmosphere. Use blinds or curtains to prevent strong light. It will help your baby in enjoying a comforting sleep.

• The lack of calcium and other nutrients is causing troubles for the newborn baby. The lack of nutrition can also affect neurodevelopment. Therefore, parents should pay attention to the baby’s nutrition needs.

• You always keep the baby in your arms and now you are making him sleep on the bed. It is a new experience for the baby and some babies cannot adapt to the new sleeping habits easily. The baby will stay awake and he may also cry for familiar comfort and warmth.

• You are making the baby sleep on a thick quilt. If it is tightly worn, the baby will feel uncomfortable. Even hot temperature can also make the newborn baby uncomfortable on the bed.

What Should You Do If Your Newborn Baby is Not Sleeping During the Day?

You should try the following things to make the newborn baby sleep during the day:

1. Make a perfect environment for sleep in the room

The room should be quiet and it should not be too bright during the daytime. Babies react quickly if they hear loud noises. They wake up and do not sleep for several minutes. Keep the door closed when your baby is sleeping. Set up a camera or monitoring device in the baby’s room to be aware of his activities.

Cover all the windows with dark-coloured curtains or blinds. This window treatment will allow you to reduce the brightness in the room. Your baby won’t stare too long and fall asleep easily. A calm and comforting environment helps the babies a lot. They sleep longer during the first month and grow faster.

2. Take care of your baby’s food demands

Newborns rely completely on their moms for the daily supply of meals. You should not feed external milk or water! Babies get all the necessary nutrients from the mother’s milk. Therefore, it is the main food source for them.

Hungry babies find it extremely tough to sleep. They look upset and often cry to get fed. Moms should know when the baby is hungry to feed him and soothe his hunger cravings. Newborns feel quite happy and calm once their tummy is full. It also helps them in sleeping well during the daytime and nighttime. So, feed your baby if he does not sleep during the day!

3. Train the baby to sleep during the day

It is naturally daunting for some children to sleep during the daytime. They stay awake for hours. It is good for babies at least 4 months old. Newborn babies should not stay awake longer than 2-3 hours.

You should help your baby in falling asleep. First, swaddle him in a warm blanket and then rock him in your arms. The baby will feel sleepy and then fall asleep within a few minutes. Create a perfect sleeping environment and feed him on time. Thus, your baby won’t feel uncomfortable before going to sleep.

4. Maintain comforting room temperature

Newborns feel comfortable if you maintain 20°C to 22°C temperature in the room. Do not cover the baby with a thick blanket because it will discomfort him. Provide a cozy bed and comforting blanket to make him sleep quickly.

What is the Ideal Sleeping Time for Babies?

A newborn child or a one-month-old baby would sleep throughout the day and night. He would generally wake up when hungry. The waking time slowly increases as the baby gets older. Your baby would hardly sleep 2-3 times during the daytime once he is 1-year old. The daytime sleeping time reduces for the babies as they get older. Babies enjoy 14-20 hours of sleep when they are 6 months old or younger.

What Some Misunderstandings Parents Have Regarding the Baby’s Sleeping Habits?

Every mom concerns about baby’s sleeping habits. Issues related to the baby’s sleep can arise during the early months of the baby’s life. Some babies do not sleep during the daytime and some stay awake during the nighttime. Such issues trouble almost every mother at some point in time.

Clear some common misunderstandings about your baby’s sleeping habits to comfort him in a better way:

1. Should I play with the baby if he doesn’t sleep?

Many parents believe the baby doesn’t sleep because he wants to play. They think the baby will get tired and then he will sleep calmly!

That’s just a misunderstanding. You should not let the baby get tired before he goes to sleep. It can affect your newborn baby’s sleep quality. The baby may find it more difficult to sleep and that problem can get worse.

You should try to find why the baby isn’t sleeping. Check everything from the room environment to temperature. Create the best environment for sleep to comfort the baby and then he may find it easy to sleep.

2. The baby shouldn’t sleep if he isn’t feeling sleepy

Suppose the baby stays awake at midnight and he doesn’t feel sleepy, some parents think it’s playtime. They believe the baby wants to play with them.

It is another misconception. The baby isn’t feeling sleepy because the environment is not right for his sleep. Feed your newborn baby and reduce activities in his room to help him in sleeping well.

3. The baby doesn’t sleep after coaxing because he wants to play

Some parents start believing that the baby will sleep after a few minutes without coaxing. It is a misunderstanding. The truth is that your baby’s room’s current environment is not fine. He is not sleeping because the room is quite noisy or his diaper or clothes are discomforting him.

4. The baby is not sleeping because he already slept a lot the last time

Some parents wonder the baby doesn’t sleep too long during the day because he already slept for hours the night. Every baby needs at least 16 hours of sleep until he gets 1-year old. He is not sleeping during the day because something is troubling him. Find out the cause and take the support of the pediatric doctor to diagnose the health problem.

5. The baby will sleep at night if he doesn’t sleep during the day

Some parents feel happy that the baby is not sleeping during the day. They believe it will help the baby and them in sleeping during the nighttime. As mentioned earlier in this post, every baby needs 16-22 hours of sleep. Make sure your newborn baby gets that much sleep to stay healthy and grow like a normal child.

6. The baby will sleep better as he grows older

Parents must start cultivating good habits in the child at an early age. Your baby won’t learn to sleep longer suddenly. Do everything it takes to make him sleep as long as possible during the early few months. This sleeping time will aid in the baby’s growth. Your baby will become healthier, stronger, and happier after enjoying long and healthy sleep. 

7. Newborn babies do not sleep too long!

It is the biggest misunderstanding of many parents. Newborn babies sleep most of the time during the first three months. Newborns stay awake just for a few hours. They wake up and cry to get fed and then they sleep again. That’s the routine every newborn baby follows. You should take your child to the doctor he has difficulty with sleeping during the day or night.

8. The baby won’t learn about the world if he sleeps a lot.

Your baby does not need to stay awake to learn about the world. A newborn baby is not ready to learn anything. He even doesn’t know how to use his limbs or how to communicate. The baby only knows about having a meal and sleeping as long as possible. The baby will learn everything about the world as he will grow older. So, don’t worry about that!

Final Thoughts

You should not believe in myths and clear all your misunderstandings about the baby. Follow a scientific approach to deciding what is good for your baby. Thus, you and the baby will be fine.

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