One-Month-Old Sleep Schedule: Get Your Baby To Sleep Through The Night
Sleep & Cradle Solutions | Jul 1, 2022
It’s a new month and your baby is home as a new parent or is now one month old. You may be wondering what the right sleep schedule is, but don’t worry! We’ve got you covered! We’re going to give you some tips for a healthy and happy baby, including how to plan and execute a proper sleep and nap schedule.
Let’s get started!
As you may know, becoming a parent doesn’t come with a manual. It’s an everyday learning experience and an opportunity for parents to learn and grow, just as much as children. Without a strong foundation, even the best sleep schedule won’t help you build the positive habits that will help you and your baby get the sleep needed.
To make sure we set you and your baby up for success, please consider turning these newborn sleep recommendations into permanent habits:
- Establish a consistent bedtime routine
- Pre-bedtime activities should be calming and not stimulating
- Have your newborn drink well at each feed
- Adopt a consistent daily schedule
- Have a dedicated sleep space
- Observe adequate naps during the day
- Reduce the frequency of diaper changing at night as this may disrupt your baby’s sleep cycle
How much should a 1-month-old sleep?
A 1-month-old sleeps on average for 16-18 hours daily. This, however, translates to a varying amount of sleep stretches with wake windows as they are still acclimating to a 24-hour daily cycle outside the womb.
In addition, because infants are growing so fast, taking in so much information, and developing knowledge rapidly, they require far more sleep than older children or adults.
What is considered Sleeping through the Night for a Newborn?
Sleeping through the night for a newborn implies your baby is having long stretches of sleep at night compared to their daytime naps before feeding is due (3 hours or more) and settling back to sleep independently after feeding. Babies have tiny stomachs, hence the need to feed every 2- 3 hours initially; the feeding interval increases as the newborns grow.
How do you get your Newborn on a Sleep Schedule?
To get your newborn on a sleep schedule, consider the following tips
- Identify your sleep goals
- Establish a consistent bedtime routine and wake-up time
- Cultivate the positive behaviors you want with your baby
- Pay attention to your baby’s sleep cues
- Have a dedicated sleep space
- Calming activities should precede daily naps and bedtime
The circadian rhythm of older children and adults is regulated by a fixed bedtime and wake-up time; Newborns are no exception.
Does a Newborn follow a Sleep Schedule?
Yes, newborns thrive on a sleep schedule; parents and caregivers are the architects of their behavioral patterns. For example, if you are constantly rocking, carrying and cluster feeding your newborn, those behavioral patterns are associations that your baby has learned to associate with comfort and will expect while you are trying to put them to sleep.
What factors influence a Newborn Sleep Schedule/ Pattern
Do you feel your 1 month-old baby is not sleeping normally? The factors that influence a newborn’s sleep schedule include:
- Consistent bedtime routine
- Awake time or wake windows
- 1 month-old baby feeding and sleeping schedule
- Traveling / Changing sleeping locations
- Calming or stimulatory activities
- Feeding
- Sleep environment
Sleep facts for 1-month-old babies
- Positive sleep patterns are achievable once you know what to do.
- Newborns thrive on a schedule
- 1-month-old babies have a narrow awake time/wake window of 0.5 – 1hour
- Babies are acclimatizing to a new environment while processing a lot of information, inconsistent routines are overwhelming to them
- Newborns sleep on average for 16- 18 hours daily
- Intrauterine a newborn is used to being in a restricted environment, so a swaddle gives a newborn the pseudo-womb environment and helps them fall asleep faster
- Newborns, like adults, have various stages and depths of sleep
- Newborns may awaken as they pass from deep sleep to light sleep and find it hard to settle back to sleep.
Sample Schedule of 1-month-old sleep schedule
Below is a template of what a 1-month-old sleep schedule should look like. However, this is just a sample, open for modification based on your newborn’s awake time or wake window, feeding interval, and nap duration.
1 Month Old Sample Sleep Schedule (Morning to Night with 6 naps scheduled)
EVENTS | TIME |
| Wake-up time | 7:00 am (0.5-hour wake window before 1st nap) |
| First-morning nap | 7:30 -8:00 am (0.5-hour nap) 45 min to 1 hour awake time before 2nd nap |
| Second nap | 9:00 – 10:00 am (1-hour nap) 1-hour wake window before 3rd nap |
| Third nap | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm (1.5-hour nap) 1-hour awake time before 4th nap |
| Afternoon nap | 1:30 pm -2:30 pm (1-hour nap) 1-hour wake window before 5th nap |
| Fifth nap | 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm (1-hour nap) 45 min awake time before last nap |
| Evening nap | 5:15 pm – 5:50 pm (35 min nap) bedtime routine begins after the last nap |
| Feed | 5:50 pm – 6:20 pm |
| Bath, massage, relaxing bedtime music, bedtime stories in the sleep space | 6:20 pm – 7:00 pm |
| Bedtime | 7:00 pm |
Note: The sleep needs of a child vary and this chart should be viewed as an example only. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us.
Why is an infant’s sleep schedule important?
A: An infant’s schedule is important as this forms the foundation for establishing healthy sleep habits, including behavioral patterns, creating an enabling environment that helps infants develop confidence, security, and emotional stability.
Best sleep tips for 1-month-old babies
- Identify your sleep goals
- Establish a consistent bedtime routine and wake uptime
- Pay attention to the sleep cues
- Calming activities should precede the daytime naps and bedtime
- Place baby on their back in the crib
- Swaddle your baby before putting them down
- Quantify the amount of milk or time spent on each breast during a feed by documentation
- Burp newborns after every feed to have them comfortable and relaxed to settle down to sleep
Signs of sleep readiness in newborns include
- Fussiness
- Yawning
- Heavy or drooping eyes
What are the Sleep States in a Newborn?
The Sleep States in a newborn include REM (rapid eye movement) and Non- Rem Sleep.
REM sleep: This is the light sleep; when dreams occur, and rapid eye movement occurs. Newborns averagely sleep 16-18 hours daily; half of the time is spent in REM sleep (active sleep). Older children and adults spend less time in REM sleep as they sleep fewer hours.
Non-REM sleep for babies has four phases.
- Stage 1: drowsiness, eye droop, may open and close dozing
- Stage 2: light sleep; the baby moves and may startle with noise sounds
- Stage 3: Deep sleep: the newborn is quiet and does not move ( quite sleep)
- Stage 4: Profound sleep; the newborn does not move (quiet sleep)
What are your baby’s needs?
- Newborn babies need the support of parents and caregivers to aid the smooth transition of acclimatizing to their new environment.
- They are accustomed to a schedule intrauterine (within the uterus); they are either kicking or sleeping, so it is easy to introduce newborns to a schedule while impacting positive sleep habits postpartum .
- Babies need to be well-fed, burped, poop, observe daytime naps, sleep well at night.
- They need parents and caregivers to engage them with activities like tummy time that help them achieve firm neck control, exercising and developing the core muscles of the neck, back, and shoulder.
- Newborns need to learn their parents’ voices, so they want you to talk to them, read to them, sing, and tell them how beautiful they have made your world.
- Babies express themselves by crying; the responsibility is on the parents and caregiver to figure out what they want before they ask.
1-month-old baby sleep FAQ
Q: Can a 1-month-old baby sleep through the night?
A: No, newborn babies do not sleep through the night without waking or feeding. Newborns wake up intermittently after long stretches due to hunger, a full diaper, or no reason.
The beauty of impacting healthy sleep habits and nurturing them from Day 1 allows babies to settle back to sleep without intervention from parents or caregivers if their awakening was not triggered by hunger or a full diaper.
Q: How often do 1-month-old babies sleep?
A: A 1-month-old baby observes 6-8 naps during the day or less. Sleep patterns are highly variable among newborns. Towards 3 months, the number and duration of naps per day should start to become more regular, and the wake window should increase.
The duration of their nighttime sleep is dependent on how much sleep they had during the day. They observe about 8 hours of sleep and 8 – 10 hours of sleep at night.
Q: How much nighttime sleep is appropriate for a 1-month-old?
A: An appropriate nighttime sleep for a 1- month-old is approximately 8-10 hours. They wake up intermittently for feeds and observe longer stretches at night. If your newborn has less than 8 hours during the day, their nighttime sleep may be longer.
Parents must ensure their newborns are napping adequately during the day and have a consistent bedtime and wake-up time to regulate their circadian rhythm and allow newborns to be well-rested.
Q: How long should a 1-month-old stay awake?
A: A 1-month-old’s awake time or wake windows varies between 0.5 -1 hour during the day. Even if you think they could stay longer, put them down in their crib in their dedicated sleep space to observe their nap and you will soon see that they are falling asleep.
It is helpful to pay attention to their sleep cues; at times, newborns may be wide awake close to their nap due to stimulatory activities by parents or caregivers close to their nap time; this makes it difficult for babies to fall asleep
Q: How much daytime sleep should be expected for a 1-month-old?
A: The duration of the daytime sleep for a 1-month-old should be 8 hours at the most
Q: My 1-month-old sleeps more during the day than at night. How can I resolve the day/night reversal?
A: To resolve the day/night reversal for your 1-month-old, gently rouse your newborn from sleep when sleeping excessively during a nap by opening the blinds to introduce some light and touching your baby gently.
Conclusion
The world of newborns is beautiful and strange. Hopefully, your new 1-month-old-sleep schedule helps you plan and manage your baby’s sleep schedule as they are trying to acclimate to their new environment.
However, it can be effortless and exciting to navigate this journey with the right help, knowledge, guidelines, and tools. Check out our 2 month old sleep schedule as things slightly shift for your baby here when it comes to naps and sleeping.
Remember, Newborns and infants thrive on schedules. Sleep & Cradle is here to meet you where you are and equip you with the knowledge to boost confidence in your parenting skills while allowing you and your newborn to get adequate mental and physical rest. If you have questions, let us know. We are on a mission to help parents have no more sleepless nights.