First Time Parent's Guide to Newborn Feeding Schedules and Sleeping Schedules

New parents are overwhelmed by all of the new information that they have to absorb in order to take care of their newborn. The frustrating part of all of this information is that it is highly contradictory in nature. One expert will say do A-B-C while another will say that it is bad to do A-B-C. It is important to remember that you need to do what feels right for your family and for your baby. If you do what is in your baby's best interest you won't go wrong.

The Importance of a Sleeping-Eating Routine

It is very common to feel exhausted when you are caring for a newborn. This is because they require constant care and attention. Since newborns do little more than eat, sleep and excrete it is important for your sanity as a new parent to establish some sort of routine for your baby so that they know when they "should" be asleep or awake and when they "should" eat or play. Establishing the routine early, during the first few months of life, will make getting your baby to sleep through the night much easier to do later on down the line.

Know What Is Normal

When you are starting to develop your newborn feeding schedule and sleep schedule it is important to understand what is normal for your baby's age. Newborns sleep a lot during their first six weeks. In fact, they can sleep as much as 16 out of every 24 hours. However, this sleep is broken up into short naps in between awake times that are dedicated primarily to feeding. It is impractical to work against this natural rhythm, but you can set up the baby's environment so that it is dark and quiet during the night and bright and slightly more noisy during the day. This will train them to recognize the difference between night and day.

Know What Is Not Normal

It is also important to understand what is not normal when you are setting up your newborn eating schedule and sleeping schedule. Newborns are going to want to nurse a dozen or more times a day. If your baby is not nursing as much as he or she should then they will not grow or put on weight. If you notice your baby is not eating as much as he or she should or if they are sleeping too much or too little, then talk to your pediatrician, as something may be wrong. Also, if your baby seems to want to nurse 24 hours a day, then they may not be getting enough milk from you. In this case you may need to supplement your breast milk with formula.

References

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-baby/PR00057

http://www.womenshealthcaretopics.com/sleepschedulesbaby.htm