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Day-night Confusion - 6 Easy Steps to Correct It

Picture of Mellow Editorial Team By  Mellow Editorial Team  ·  2 minute read

Day-night confusion is a common occurrence in newborns, typically prevailing until they are about 6 to 8 weeks old. This phenomenon occurs when infants mix up day and night, sleeping more during the day and staying awake at night. Fortunately, there are some effective strategies parents can employ to help rectify this mix-up and set a more suitable sleep schedule for their little ones.

  1. Establish a Consistent Routine: Developing a regular daily routine will help your infant differentiate between day and night. This includes consistent feeding, diaper changing, and nap times. Try to start your day between 7 am and 8 am. I know it is tough after being up all night. However, starting early is the first step to break the cycle. Your child needs a full day before bedtime.
  2. Use Natural Light to Your Advantage: During the day, expose your baby to natural light as much as possible. This will help adjust their internal clock to recognize daytime. Contrarily, keep the nights and nap time dark and quiet to denote sleep time.
  3. Engage During Daytime Feedings: Make daytime feeding sessions lively and interactive. Talk, sing, or maintain eye contact with your baby to keep them engaged and awake. Ensure your baby has full feedings during the day to avoid "reverse cycling", where babies snack during the day and expect substantial meals at night. This habit disrupts their sleep and daytime hunger patterns. Newborn Note: For babies under three months, talk to your doctor to know when it’s okay to stop waking your baby up for feedings. Usually, if they are healthy and on track with growth, you can allow one extended sleep stretch at night. This shouldn't exceed their age in weeks plus one hour. For example, a 5-week-old can sleep up to 6 hours from the last feeding.
  4. Keep Nighttime Feedings Calm and Quiet: When feeding at night, keep the environment calm, quiet, and dim lights to signal to your baby that it’s nighttime.
  5. Understand wake windows and sleepy cues: Understanding wake windows and sleepy cues can help you get that much-needed awake time for your baby without making them overtired.
  6. Practice a Bedtime Routine: Even at a young age, a simple bedtime routine can help signal your baby that it's time to sleep. This could include a warm bath, changing the diaper, swaddling, singing a lullaby, turning on the white noise machine, and darkening the room. All these things will be a cue for sleep (sleep associations) and also are excellent proven gadgets and tools to improve baby sleep.

With a bit of patience, you can help your baby overcome day-night confusion, paving the way for more predictable sleep patterns and happier days. Remember, every baby is different, so it might take some time to find what works best for you and your little one.

 

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