Sleeping and Waking

After an initial period of wakefulness after birth, many babies sleep deeply until they are twenty-four hours old. They rouse only briefly and may not be very interested in feeding; others are just the opposite, waking, fussing, and feeding frequently. Both are normal. Your baby’s sleep cycle is closely related to how often she eats. After adjusting to her new environment, a baby will sleep twelve to twenty hours in a twenty-four hour period. Early on, her sleeping periods may be short but frequent.

When your baby is older, she may awaken at night and then settle back to sleep. However, a newborn may need to be fed, walked, rocked, changed, sung to, massaged, or otherwise soothed before going back to sleep. Many new parents wonder when to get up and feed the baby. When your infant is awake and hungry, she will cry, root and suck at anything close by, and wave her arms and legs vigorously.

Where your baby will sleep depends on your personal preference. A newborn should sleep on a firm surface and in a safety-approved crib, bassinet, or similar piece of furniture. Many babies sleep some of the time in their parents’ bed.

Sleep-Activity States

Six states of sleep and wakefulness have been identified in the infant: deep sleep, light sleep, drowsy state, quiet-alert state, active-alert state, and crying. While each state has specific characteristics, the way babies change from state to state varies. Some move gradually from one state to another, while others make abrupt transitions. Some spend more time asleep, or quiet alert, or crying than others. You cannot completely control your infant’s states: they are somewhat determined by personality.

Being able to identify the state your baby is in helps you give appropriate care. The following descriptions of each state explain their implications for parenting.

Sleep States

Deep sleep

In this state your baby is very still and relaxed; her breathing is rhythmic. She occasionally jerks or makes sucking movements with her lips, but rarely awakens. You cannot feed or play with your baby in this state. If you manage to rouse her at all, she will stay awake only for a moment, then resume a state of deep sleep. Take this opportunity to rest or sleep, make a phone call, take a bath, or spend some time with your partner.

Light sleep

This state of sleep is the most common in newborns. Your baby’s eyes are closed, but they may move behind her lids. In light sleep she moves, makes momentary crying sounds, sucks, grimaces, or smiles. She breathes irregularly. She responds to noises and efforts to arouse or stimulate her. Sometimes she awakens to a drowsy state or remains in this state and falls into a deep sleep.

Many parents rush to care for a baby who moves and makes mewing or crying sounds. Often, however, the baby is not ready to wake up. Wait a few moments to see if the baby is entering the drowsy state and needs care or is falling back to sleep.

Awake States

Drowsy

In this state your baby appears sleepy, her activity level varies, and she may startle occasionally. Her heavy-lidded eyes, opening and closing for brief periods, lose focus or appear cross-eyed. She breathes irregularly and reacts to sensory stimuli in a drowsy way. She either returns to sleep or becomes more alert. If you want your baby to return to sleep, avoid stimulating her. If you want her to wake up, talk to her, pick her up, massage her, or give her something to suck or look at.

Quiet alert

This state, which usually precedes a long sleeping period, is pleasing and rewarding for parents. You baby lies still and looks at you calmly with bright, wide eyes. She breathes with regularity and focuses attentively on what she sees and hears. By providing something for her to look at, listen to, or suck on, you will encourage her to stay in this state. You can sing and talk to your baby, or try some of the infant exercises. Take time to enjoy these moments of eye contact, alertness, and calm.

Active alert

In this state your baby is readily affected by hunger, fatigue, noises, and too much handling. She cannot lie still; she may be fussy. Her eyes are open but do not appear as bright and attentive as in the quiet-alert state. She breathes irregularly and makes faces.

When your baby reaches the active-alert state, it is time to either feed or comfort her. If she is not hungry, she probably needs less stimulation. If you act immediately, you may bring her to a lower, calmer state before she enters the crying state.

Crying

A crying baby is difficult for every parent. Keep in mind that your baby has only one way of telling you she cannot cope anymore. If she is overstimulated, tired, sick, hungry, frustrated, wet, cold, too warm, or lonely, she says so by crying. She also moves her body actively, opens or closes her eyes, makes unhappy faces, and breathes irregularly. Sometimes crying is a release, a self-comforting mechanism that enables her to enter another state. At other times, she needs you to feed or comfort her.

Recording Your Baby’s Sleep and Activity

Sometimes parents are puzzled by their baby’s aparent unpredictability and are unaware of any consistency in the daily pattern. If that is true for you, make a chart like the one below to record your baby’s activities and sleep periods for a week. This chart, will show you how long and when your baby sleeps, is awake and content, or awake and crying. You will also see the large amount of time you spend diapering, feeding, and caring for your baby. After using the chart for a week, you can often see that your baby does follow a fairly consistent pattern. As your baby matures, the sleep and activity patterns will undergo further changes.

Sample Sleep and Activity Chart