😴 To start the day
Newborns have an immature circadian rhythm (body clock) which begins to develop from* 6 weeks of age (depending on if your baby was born prematurely or at full term). From 12-16 weeks, their circadian rhythm becomes more mature, at which point it becomes more important that you begin waking them up consistently at the same time everyday regardless of their overnight sleep ⏰. This will help regulate and maintain their circadian rhythm, as well as their feed and sleep schedules 🥰
😴 It is the end of their scheduled nap
Waking a sleeping baby can be challenging, especially if they took a long time to settle for their nap 😫. So you may naturally be hesitant to wake them, but doing so can help you assess whether their nap resistance stems from being under or overtired 😴. Allowing them to sleep beyond their scheduled nap time to compensate can lead to progressively later naps and a late bedtime. This, in turn, can result in an irregular circadian rhythm and bedtime resistance 😰🆘
😴 For a feed
Particularly for newborns and infants, it is important to wake your baby after 3 hours during the day to ensure adequate calorie intake 🍼
Otherwise, they may* want to wake up for those lost calories at night, resulting in what’s referred to as “reverse cycling,” where they feed more at night, and sleep more during the day 😫🫠
If despite these tips your baby is still catnapping, resisting sleep, or waking frequently overnight, book a consultation or download our Sleep Essentials Guide at www.settletosleep.com.au so we can support you in restoring sleep for you and your family 🩷🌸💫