Navigating your 1 month old newborn baby and sleep

During the first month, newborn babies sleep the majority of the time. Only a few weeks ago, your baby was lulled to sleep by the natural movements of your standing and walking. It’s no surprise that your 1-month-old baby requires as much skin-on-skin time as possible, as well as being rocked and held to sleep most of the time. So your one-month-old newborn baby might surprise you with how much sleep they’re getting!

Being a parent is a huge adjustment that will change your life forever. Lots of new learning curves and self-discovery as you navigate this new phase of your life.

We’re sure you have a lot of questions, so let us help you find your feet during this special time by answering some of the most common ones.

1. Where should my baby sleep?

"I recently received a call from a mother who was unsure where her baby should sleep. She stated that while in the hospital, her baby was next to her and the mattress was nice and firm; however, when they returned home, they attempted the same and the mattress did not feel safe because it was very soft, and they tried to sleep in a recliner chair with the baby in their arms. Her heart knew her baby wasn't as safe as could be, she was so exhausted and she knew she wouldn't be able to keep it up."

I gently reminded her that it is okay not to hold a baby ALL the time and that for sleep, a separate sleep space with a firm mattress and baby swaddled is recommended where possible unless otherwise decided and parents want to bedshare/co-sleep or have another arrangement. 

Here is our SAFE SLEEP guide for room sharing and Bedsharing. 

Read our Ideal Room temperature and how to dress baby for sleep blogs

2. What are Sleepy Cues?

Understanding sleepy cues for your 1-month-old newborn baby and knowing what to look out for when they are ready for sleep are very important.

These are signs your baby will show when they start to feel tired and need to sleep. Spending time with your baby and growing your relationship will help you notice these more and more.

Once they begin to show their cues, responding appropriately to their early cues will allow your baby to fall asleep easily.

Here are a few cues to look out for:

3.Should I worry about awake windows for a 1 month old newborn baby?

It’s definitely useful to know how long your baby has been awake for and when they start to show sleepy cues so that our babies do not move into the overtired phase.

Awake windows are the time period your baby can remain happily awake and we would like to settle them to sleep when they are showing “I am sleepy cues”.

Try to use awake windows as a guideline and not something to stress you out while finding a balance for your 1-month-old newborn baby and sleep. 

What is an ideal awake window for a 1 month old newborn baby?

• Before a month, your baby will be unable to stay awake for more than 45 minutes. Your day is filled with feeding, diapering, and sleeping.
• Around the one-month mark, we begin to see wake windows of 45 to 60 minutes.
• Babies typically have shorter wake windows in the morning and longer wake windows before going to bed.
• You can expect your baby to sleep between 14-20 hours total in 24 hours in those early days.

How to Establish a feed, wake, sleep rhythm for your 1 month old newborn baby:

Instead of trying to figure out the best 1-month old baby sleep routine, we’ll let your baby tell us how many hours of sleep they need and rather find a rhythm that works for you.

Use EASY (Eat, Activity, Sleep, Your Time) rhythm

• Feed(Eat): We want to make sure that when baby is feeding, they get a full feed. It is normal for your baby to doze off while drinking milk. It does not imply the development of a bad habit. Just be mindful of your baby and their milk intake and that they are not taking a small feed and sometimes snacking instead.

• Awake(Activity): Try not to overstimulate your baby, seeing your face is almost enough activity

• Sleep: Watch for those sleepy cues and your plus minus awake window to find the ideal sleep window.
• Your time: Spend some time doing things you enjoy too while baby naps.

4. What to expect from NAPS and a 1 month old baby:

Naps can be regulated or unregulated, and one day may not be the same as the next, It is NORMAL. Naps can still happen anywhere safe and close to you. Pram, stroller, car seat, baby sling, and so on. Many short naps are also normal for a 1 month old newborn baby

Try to practice your daily rhythms while keeping the following in mind:

• Rock, hold, or feed your baby to sleep, to keep them from becoming overtired. It is OK. You are not creating BAD HABITS.
• Try to have little practice sessions where you allow baby to fall asleep without any help for a nap here and there.
• Limit nap lengths so that not all naps exceed 2 hours: one or two longer naps per day are fine. 
• Wake a sleeping baby from a nap when it is time for them to feed, try not to exceed 3-4 hours between feedings. (Eating more during the day helps babies maintain a healthy growth curve and work toward longer periods of uninterrupted sleep at night).
• Allow baby to nap in a well-lit room until he or she is 6 weeks old to avoid potential day and night confusion. This is when your baby sleeps all day and parties all night long.

Check out our Online newborn sleep course for help in the first 4 months for more advice on how to handle naps and night time sleep and work towards independent sleep.

5.What is a great bedtime for a 1 month old baby?

While 7 or 8 o’clock in the evening is ideal, there are some 1 month old newborn babies who thrive with an afternoon nap instead and a later bedtime (8-10pm).

Finding what’s best for your baby is the most important thing.

 

6.Ideas for a bedtime routine and a newborn baby?

Setting up a regular bedtime routine as soon as the baby is born will help to calm him or her, even before baby can figure out what it is. It helps them not get too excited and may even be a lifesaver for babies going through the witching hour.

At one month old, a bedtime routine could be as simple as changing the diaper, putting on lotion, putting on pyjamas, singing a lullaby, swaddling baby, white noise on and letting them rest in their crib or bassinet.

7.Will my 1 month old be able to sleep through the night?

1 month old babies’ tummies are still very small See Left. So they still need to feed overnight. A paediatricians approval to stop waking your baby for night feeds means that the longest stretch we want to see is their age in weeks plus one hour.

Conclusion: We typically think that when newborns are tired, they will sleep and that they know how to sleep well. Sometimes we do struggle and at least by educating yourself helps to know what to expect. We hope we have answered some of your concerns about your 1-month-old newborn baby’s sleep. Have a look out for our 2-month-old newborn baby sleep Blog coming soon

REMEMBER: You do not have to go through this all alone. Our Online Newborn Sleep Course will help you set up your days and nights for success, allowing you to enjoy the newborn phase with less anxiety and concern. Without feeling like you are creating any “so-called HABITS”. Let us help you use all of these natural tools and get you the balance you need.