Tips to help your baby recognize day from night

If your baby is between 0 and 4 months old, you know that their internal clock is not yet developed. So it's completely normal for your little one to not yet be able to tell day from night. This is because when your baby was in the womb, they were dependent on your circadian rhythm and the rise and fall of your melatonin levels. Now that they've arrived into the world, their biological clock is new and immature. So it's normal for your baby to have unpredictable daytime sleep and irregular nighttime sleep.

Take advantage of natural daylight

• During the day, spend time with your baby in natural light , even if there is no sun. Open all the curtains and sit with him near the window. If you can go outside, on the patio or terrace, then do so!

Establish a feeding routine

• Try to maintain a feeding routine with your baby during the day. Don't let more than 3 hours go by without feeding him . If necessary, you can wake your little one from a nap to help you stick to the routine. Implementing a feeding habit will help a lot to ensure your baby doesn't confuse day with night.

Good morning baby!

• Teach your baby when the day begins . When he wakes up in the morning, say: Good morning! Open the curtains to let in the light and always start the day the same way. Little by little, your baby will recognize when the day begins.

Naps in dim light

• As long as your baby still confuses day and night, prepare the room with a dim light during his naps . When your little one is able to distinguish day from night, then it is preferable for your baby to sleep in a completely dark room, but not before.

Warm light when night comes

• When the sun goes down and it starts to get dark, keep the lights low. Ideally, you should have warm light bulbs throughout the house to teach your baby that night is coming .

Implement a routine before putting your baby to sleep

• Always follow the same nighttime routine before putting your little one to bed at night. Repeating this process daily will help him understand that bedtime is approaching .

A dark room for night sleep

• While your baby is sleeping at night, keep his room as dark as possible . If you need to turn on a light to feed or change him, do so with a very low light and keep the white noise machine on throughout the night.

This newborn phase can be very challenging! Most babies are able to recognize day and night around week 4-6 . Stay consistent.

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