Within a group of friends with children of similar ages, there will be parents who have been “lucky” enough to have their baby sleep for 8 hours at a time from a few weeks after birth, and those whose children do not sleep for more than two hours without waking. Within these same groups, there can be various combinations: babies who sleep more during the day than at night, babies who wake up when their parents go to sleep…
What is the evolution of a baby’s sleeping hours like?
Once babies are born, they spend the first hours adapting to the environmental situation of temperature, light or noise, among others; in addition, in general, the first hours there is no feeling of hunger. After these days, things may start to get complicated and the baby may become hungry, sleep 3-4 hours and ask for food during the night or not sleep at all.
It is important not to despair, as it will regulate progressively.
Is it good for the baby to receive sunlight?
During the first months of life, babies have a sleep rhythm similar to the one they have during gestation, that is, independent of sunlight.
Newborns need their internal “day-night clock” to mature, just as adults are more sleepy at night than during the day. For this reason, pediatricians recommend that during the day they receive natural light, for example during a walk.
What can I do to synchronize their sleeping hours with mine?
- As we mentioned before, it is preferable to take walks in the morning to take advantage of the sunlight.
- If it is a baby who prefers to sleep during the day, it is recommended that when he goes to sleep it is not completely in the dark or in complete silence.
- It helps a lot to establish schedules for the child, such as always putting him to sleep at the same time, eating at the same time or having a relaxing bath. Routines help regulate the child’s internal schedule.
- We mentioned melatonin earlier. If you breastfeed, remember that you can eat foods rich in tryptophan, which is the metabolic precursor of melatonin: chicken, cheese, milk, fish, cherries, tomatoes, dark chocolate, oatmeal, bananas….