How do I fix day/night confusion in my newborn?

How do I fix day/night confusion in my newborn?

Simple tips to get you more sleep.

Hello sleep-deprived parent! If you are reading this article you are no doubt looking for ways to solve the issue that your little one is sleeping all day and waking up every hour all night. Here are some simple things you can try that worked for me.

Keep in mind, that in using these tips you may not avoid the witching hour – but rest assured – those times will be over before you know it.

The morning:

1. Go for a walk or drive each morning to “introduce them to the day”
   The light and small amounts of Vitamin D will change their melatonin levels and send the message to them to say that “hey – it’s not time for sleep!”
2. Be interesting
   Play with them, do tummy time, talk, sing and dance (yes – probably the last thing you feel like doing when you’re so sleep-deprived and grumpy!) If you power through though it will be worth it I promise. Even just putting some happy music on is better than nothing. This will enforce the message that “day is for play”. 

The evening:

1. Start a bedtime routine
   Yes, you might be thinking – a routine!? For a newborn?! Not.going.to.work. I agree – it is impossible to stick to a routine for a newborn. However – what you can do is focus on doing the same things in the same order. They may not be at the same time each evening – but you can do it in the same order. For my little boy, it was:
   1. Relaxing bath
   2. Quiet time and bottle in a dimly lit room
   3. Lullaby / patting to sleep
2. Don’t be afraid to introduce a pacifier
   Before I became a mother, a swore I wouldn’t be one of “those parents” that just put in a pacifier to solve all her problems. However, one particular night where my little boy just.would.not.settle changed that. I figure it was use the pacifier or lose myself. The fact is – when you have a newborn their most soothing reflex is sucking – so don’t be afraid to take advantage of it!

These are some of the things that really helped me in the first 8 weeks of my little boys life. Hope they work for you too x.

Best of luck and Happy sleeping!