I always thought that newborns slept most of the day. Even in the pack that I was discharged from the hospital with, it said that 'your newborn should sleep around 16-17 hours of the day in the first couple of weeks' (the other times being feed times followed by a short period of awake time). If I've learnt anything since having a baby, never trust everything that you read - each baby is unique and you need to learn what they're like and this baby of mine definitely doesn't follow that pattern of sleep. I've been constantly asking other mums 'What do you do with a newborn when they're up for 4 hours straight a day?' and yep, you heard me right; this newborn of mine has a habit of being up for 4 hours straight on a number of days now. Since when do newborns do that? Thankfully those four hours are during the day and not at night time so makes it somewhat manageable.
'He could be over-stimulated or overtired' (was what one friend suggested) but living in a shoebox of an apartment, this didn't seem to apply. The majority of other parents seem to smile politely as their newborns contentedly clock on their 16-17 hours without fail and meanwhile I'm left to ponder my own question and find my own answers (unfortunately Mr. Google doesn't seem to have the perfect answer for my newborn).
Here's what I've figured out in the last 5 weeks:
1. Tummy time - Hospitals recommend tummy time for the baby to strengthen their neck muscles. Whether you have the baby on you or on a playmat, it keeps them amused till they start to tire out but at least you know they've had a decent workout. And if they're anything like my newborn, keep an eye on them as I've already noticed my little Liam wriggling his way off the playmat (since when do newborns know how to crawl??)
2. Playmats - If your baby likes to wave around their hands and kick their legs, time lying on their backs on the playmat lets them do exactly that.
3. Bouncers - We were gifted with two bouncers; one which you rock manually, the other which is battery operated with the function of 'calming vibrations'. The latter has been great; leave the bub by the window to stare out, turning on the calming vibrations and you might be lucky and they'll fall asleep.
4. Chat to them - Make sure you're looking them in the eye and whilst it might seem a bit like a one-sided conversation, I've been reassured their listening and well, if they decide to fall asleep it's a win-win situation.
5. Sing to them - You do not want to hear me sing but babies love sound; even if its my mish mash of nursery rhymes where I haven't quite remembered all the lyrics.
6. Walks in the baby carrier - Great for mum to get some exercise too and I'm finding the bub generally falls asleep after about 10 minutes in the carrier. One of my mum friends uses the baby carrier around the house so that she can get things done which I might start doing too.
7. Trips to the shops - Whilst it seems daunting to take a newborn out in the car, in the stroller and battle the shops and crowds, each trip generally takes 2-3 hours and I'm finding Liam tends to fall asleep with all the excitement.
8. Bath time - Aside from getting him in and out of the bath, Liam loves bath time. Something about the warm water instantly soothes him.
9. Leave them alone - When you've exhausted every other activity and feel like you're about to tear your hair out, putting the baby down on their playmat in a wrap or in the cot is the solution (but I find it only ever works when you are at boiling point). Babies need their quiet time too and we tend to forget that.
There'll be days when I exhaust everything on the list above but I just remind myself that babies are human too, they get bored. Some days they want to do everything, other days they'll happily sleep through most of it.
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