A slumbering baby might be a welcomed thing for new and tired parents. Not only do you get a few extra hours of shut-eye, but a chance to focus on yourself could work wonders for your sanity in those first few weeks. If he sleeps through the night, he's a perfect baby, but if he wakes every few hours, he's a fussy one.
Well did you know that there are actually good reasons for your baby to wake up through the night? In fact, it's pretty essential that babies wake up every couple of hours as they're prone to do in their first weeks of life.
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Here are four reasons why your newborn won't sleep through the whole night.
- Newborns don't know how to differentiate between night and day because their body clock hasn't been established. So while your baby will put away 16 to 17 hours a day, it won't be regularly scheduled or bundled up in the night hours.
- Babies need to be fed every two to three hours. Those tiny tummies can only handle so much milk at a time and so to make sure they get enough nutrients and hydration, we spread their feedings over the course of the entire day and yes, night.
- Their sleep cycles are shorter than adults' and they spend more time in rapid eye movement (REM), which is thought to be necessary for brain development, but also easily disrupted.
- A wakeful baby is less likely to suffer from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Lower the risk even further by putting her to sleep on her back instead of her side or stomach.
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