Does It Work? How I Used A Newborn Sleep Routine With All My Girls

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This is the eighth post in my “Newborn Sleep” Series. Be sure to check out the other posts in the series and stay tuned for new additions!

Morning Glory

I woke up to the beam of light peeking through the cracks in the curtains. As I rolled over and slowly settled into a new position, I winced protectively and held my stomach. 

My c-section was healing nicely, but I still didn’t feel quite normal at 8 weeks post-delivery. 

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Glancing at my newborn sleeping peacefully in her travel-sized pack n play, a smile crept onto my face. She’s still out, and sounds like the other girls are too. I wish Daddy could be here to see her. 

Daddy had missed the last two months of pregnancy. He had only witnessed the c-section delivery over the phone from onboard an aircraft carrier. And he didn’t meet this baby, his third daughter, until she was 5 months old.

But in that moment, though I missed him dearly, I could only focus on one thing: going back to sleep. Breathing a sigh of relief, I dropped my head back to my pillow and enjoyed a few more zzzz’s before the chaos began for the day.

I’d never been more thankful for choosing to use an infant sleep schedule.

Today I’m going to share how I used sleep schedules to help each of my girls sleep through the night at an early age. They all adjusted to the routine a bit differently, but all of them still benefited from a gentle newborn baby schedule.

RELATED: 21 TOP BABY SLEEPING PRODUCTS TO KEEP BABY SNUG, SAFE AND ASLEEP ALL NIGHT

What Does “Sleep Through The Night” Mean?

Before we dig in, let’s define what we’re talking about. The phrase “sleeping through the night” feels like it should mean 10+ hours of newborn sleep.

But actually, as noted in this WhatToExpect.com excerpt, “Sleeping through the night is usually defined as sleeping six to eight straight hours overnight. But remember, that’s only a fraction of the total 10 to 12 hours (or more) of sleep babies generally need at night, depending on age and stage, in addition to daytime naps.”

Sleeping through the night is a huge accomplishment for baby and parents. A 6-8 hour stretch of pure, knock-out sleep after having a baby can make you feel like you’ve slept for 7 years.

 You still have a bit of work to do (and time to wait) after that to get baby up to 10+ hours, but it’s still a milestone worth celebrating!

Here’s how it worked with my girls:

My Oldest Daughter‘s Newborn Baby Schedule

My oldest daughter really spoiled us. I call her the “control” of these results because she set the standard for the others to meet. She slept 10 hours around 10 weeks old and went up to 12 shortly after that.

I started her newborn baby schedule with an eat-wake-sleep cycle after my milk came in, and like typical newborns she wasn’t awake a ton at first. I used a Dream feed to help her night sleep lengthen out when I would actually be asleep. 

Newborn Sleep Products & Supplies I Used

This baby slept in the pack n play by our bed, and I would typically have her nap there during the day because our bedroom was on the main level. Once per day I had her nap in her own crib upstairs so she could get used to sleeping in different places and get used to her room.

She used a pacifier and loved it until about three months old when she found her thumb. This was a serious bonus because she could self-sooth fairly easily after that point.

I swaddled my oldest for a few weeks but she kicked and squirmed her way out, so I switched to a sleep sack fairly early on. She didn’t have a big issue transitioning to a sleep sack thankfully, and continued to sleep like happy little lamb.

I tracked and recorded her meals, wake time and sleeping hours on a chart I printed out.

That way I could easily start to see her sleeping patterns and habits. Soon I was able to plan my days around her predictable schedule and know for the most part what the day would look like. 

I discovered times I could get stuff done or even take a nap.

Of course, she had fussy days on occasion and sometimes things didn’t go as planned, but overall she was a very happy, fun baby to be around.

RELATED: 13 MAJOR PROBLEMS YOU MAY FACE WHEN NOT USING A BABY SLEEP ROUTINE

My Middle Daughter‘s Baby Sleep Routine

I set out with the same plan as I had with my oldest. However it had been three and a half years since I’d had a newborn, so my memory was a bit foggy.

For example, at first I forgot that I had to burp the baby after she ate.

It didn’t take me long to remember since her tummy didn’t feel good and she let me know. At some point in my sleep-deprived brain fog it dawned on me: burp the baby!

Recovery & Starting The Baby Sleep Routine

My recovery was quite a bit different because I’d needed a c-section (baby’s head was too big!). Thankfully my mom was able to help and hubby wasn’t deployed like he had been with our oldest. (With our first baby he deployed after she turned two weeks old.)

I did the same eat-wake-sleep pattern with her and she did great on it. But my middle was also a light sleeper, and anytime she would wake up, she’d need help getting her pacifier back in.

That’s normal for babies under 3 months to need help with a paci, but it became a real pain around 5-6 months. Getting newborn to sleep became tough and she got addicted to her pacifier as a sleep prop. However, how we solved that is a story for a different day.

Lengthening Night Sleep On A Routine

My middle lengthened out her night sleep at about the same rate as my oldest. They both started sleeping 4-5 hour stretches around 4 weeks. That was heaven, let me tell you! 

She proceeded to lengthen out to 6-7 hours around 6-7 weeks. That got her from about 10pm to 4 or 5 am. 

While that’s considered “sleeping through the night,” that was still too early for me to get up. She was a light sleeper so we had to wait a bit longer but she eventually was able to sleep in until 6:30ish.

That is still to this day when her body wakes her up– between 6:30 and 7 most days. While our oldest had spoiled us by sleeping until 8 and sometimes 9, this one is an early riser through and through. Such is life!

With the eat-wake-sleep pattern, it’s important to remember a few keys to setting that up.

My Youngest Daughter

The main difference with my youngest was that she was super sleepy at first. She came 2.5 weeks before her due date, and I had another c-section.

She was so sleepy for at least a week. I swear she was barely awake. At some point I read that the heavy drugs they give you for c-section recovery can make babies more drowsy. I don’t know if that’s true, but I tried to wean myself off those meds as fast as I could.

So whether it was due to less drugs coursing through my system (and through my breastmilk), or just because each day she was a bit stronger, she gradually started having more wake time after a week or two.

After she became more wakeful, I was better able to start the eat-wake-sleep routine. But honestly, I didn’t mind delaying a bit, because she was my surprise #3, and my LAST baby.

I found myself soaking up the snuggles even more with her! 

RELATED: 5 REASONS TO START A BABY SLEEP SCHEDULE BY 3 WEEKS OLD

Sleep Products & Supplies I Used

I bought a white noise machine this time around. Our small house kept everyone super close together, and to prevent her from waking during the day, I used the machine during naps and at night.

It was a huge help especially since my older kids laughed and banged toys around constantly, creating a loud ruckus.

This little one was a great sleeper like her oldest. Her schedule worked well with older sister’s pre-school schedule and big sister’s nap. (I tried to get them down at the same time when I could.)

I had a few friends help me with school pick up at first, so I didn’t have to wake up the baby every afternoon. But, as the third child, she often she got woken up and had to join in the family fun at gymnastics or swim class.

Because of this, her schedule was the most loose, but I was still able to keep the eat-wake-sleep routine.

That’s the most important aspect of the routine– not what time you do things, but the order in which you do them.

So, Did It Work?

All in all, using a gentle routine worked wonders for all my kids.

I always made sure to use baby sleep cues to determine what my baby needed. I kept track of time so I knew when to expect my babies to eat, but I never delayed feeding them if they were hungry before the expected time.

It was simple to adjust my schedule and move on to the next activity if they did need an early meal.

What I Gained From A Newborn Sleep Routine

Through having a routine, I gained so much confidence that the plan for more sleep was progressing. I knew we were gaining more hours of sleep each week.

I also enjoyed a calm, predictable day where I knew when I could get a break and I knew when my babies would need me for a meal.

So despite my husband’s military absences and my extreme exhaustion from deployment challenges, caring for each baby was a joy.

If you want to have days when the sun wakes you up in the morning instead a crying baby, I encourage you to consider using a sleep schedule. It changed my life!

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