Yes, there is an explanation for why your newborn seems to sleep all day and party all night!

During pregnancy, while you were up and going about your day, your little one was constantly being rocked to sleep with your soothing movements. Babies rely on cues to regulate their behaviors, and since they could not rely on vision in the womb, their sleep and wake cycles were typically based on mama’s movement. Newborns have to learn a whole new set of cues outside the womb to be able to help regulate their sleep. Just as with learning any skill, it can take up to a few weeks for newborns to really get it down.

Why is this happening?

What can be done during the day to help:

Make daytime exciting! Go about your day without worrying about too much noise and interact as much as you can with your baby. They should be eating every 2-3 hours so you can use the time before or after a feed to have a little extra stimulation (diaper change, tummy time, looking at toys, reading etc.). Keep wake times no longer than 45 min to an hour to prevent over-tiredness. Another tip – try going outside in the early morning to expose your little one to some sunlight in the beginning of the day!

What can be done at night to help:

Here’s the key – keep all stimulation to a minimum. Try to only change diapers before feeds and try to keep things as dark as possible (nightlights work great for this). The only time you should be interacting with your little one is around feedings and sleep should be encouraged after feeds with rocking and swaddling. The goal is to give your baby the impression that nighttime is boring and therefore the best time to sleep.

Final thoughts:

Just as your baby is having to learn the difference between night and day, you’re having to learn how to function with getting much less sleep than what you’re used to while also recovering from giving birth to a human. Be patient with yourself and there is absolutely no shame in sleeping during the day if that is the only time your baby seems to sleep. Your sleep matters too!