Is it Better for a Baby to Sleep at Night or in the Day?

by Mary Kay Linge

Overview

The question is, better for whom? Newborns can sleep up to 18 hours a day, usually in short blocks around the clock. Moms and dads are the ones who struggle when a baby's sleep patterns are difficult to keep up with.
Life in the Womb

Before being born, your baby was in a warm and environment with interesting sounds and rhythms and could sleep whenever he felt like it.

The "Fourth Trimester"

The transition to life in the outside world can be bumpy. Dr. Harvey Karp's (see "References" below) notion of the "missing fourth trimester" asks parents to respect a baby's need for womb-like conditions in the first three months after birth. This can reduce crying and fussiness and lead to better nighttime sleep.
Teaching Your Baby

You can gently teach your baby about the day's cycles if you reserve playtime and stimulating lights and noises for daytime. At night, keep lights and noise levels low. When your baby wakes at night, don't hesitate to feed or change him, but keep things calm, dim and quiet.
Making it Work

If your baby sleeps near you, you can tend to his needs easier and get back to sleep yourself.
Only a Phase

By about three or four months, most babies have longer periods of both wakefulness and sleep.