Healthy Sleep Habits: 0 to 3 Months

You are in charge of not only protecting your child from danger, breastfeeding them, cleaning them up, and also building healthy sleep habits that guarantee their rest.

Reviewed and approved by the psychologist María Alejandra Castro Arbeláez.

Written by Andria Navarro Taño (Agetna)

Last update: 27 December, 2022

It’s important to establish healthy sleep habits for your newborn to get the rest they need. These habits don’t only involve the hours your baby uses to sleep, but also the pre-bedtime rituals and sleep time that you create from the moment they’re born.

Your baby’s sleep hours

Despite the fact that a baby usually sleeps for more than 15 hours a day, their sleep can be spread throughout a day in periods ranging from half an hour to four hours.

There are babies who confuse night and day because they sleep during the mornings and spend the early hours of the day awake. However, as the weeks go by, they usually begin to extend their sleep cycle during the day and to shorten it at night.

There is a belief that babies must be very exhausted in order to sleep better.

Although during the first few weeks this will not be necessary because they practically follow the same patterns that they had inside the womb. As the weeks go by, it is necessary to incrementally increase their activity in daytime hours to help them sleep for longer.

While it is true that a baby from 0 to 3 months is unable to learn habits, it is important to get them used to certain routines.

Healthy sleep habits: 0 to 3 months

To help your baby from 0 to 3 months of age sleep better, in You are Mom we propose some healthy sleep habits that you should encourage.

Establish a sleep routine

During the night put on certain clothes, sing a song, turn off the light and say “good night.” Your baby will not understand your words, but little by little he will associate the phrase with going to sleep.

During the day you can put on music, put your baby in a room with open windows and say “it’s time to sleep.”

Never alter the sleep schedule

You should always put your baby to sleep at the usual times. Even if you see that they are not sleepy, if it is time to go to sleep, you must perform the routines that you have established.

Always have them sleep in the same place

If during the day you prefer to put them in a bassinet and at night in a wider crib, do not change this for anything in the world. It is important for your baby to notice a difference between daytime and nighttime sleep.

Never lay the baby in your bed

Babies are exposed to many dangers when they sleep with their parents. If your baby is in bed each night, it can also damage the love relationship between you and your partner.

Avoid sleeping in your arms

Although it is extremely pleasant to hold a child while they are asleep, this is an unhealthy habit.

Put the baby in their crib, sing to them and give them some soft caresses. But leave the room before they are completely asleep. Teach them to sleep all night.

Do not wait until the baby is too tired to sleep

A baby with a lot of fatigue can get upset and cry uncontrollably. This will prevent them from falling asleep and will negatively influence their rest

Difference between day and night

During the day, put them in a different room and cradle, and keep some light in the room. Do not avoid the morning noises that are typical of everyday life.

During the night do the opposite. Do not turn on the lights or make noise. Speak very little, do not smile, or stimulate them too much.

Remember that there are things that are only learned when you are a mother. Finding and establishing your baby’s healthy sleep habits is one of them.