11 Tips for Keeping Your Newborn Awake During the Day

Co-authored by Lisa Greaves Taylor, CCCE, LCCE, CD (DONA) and Luke Smith, MFA

Last Updated: February 21, 2023 References

Newborns can be exhausting for a number of reasons, and chief among them is their erratic sleep patterns. It seems like infants are intent on waking you up and keeping you up, and never at the right time–daytime. While it’s a fact that newborns naturally wake up and go to sleep on short intervals, the good news is that you can encourage your baby to follow a sleep cycle that more closely follows your own. Here are 12 tips to encourage your newborn to sleep at night and stay awake during the day, so that you can stay well-rested yourself.

Things You Should Know

Help your newborn stay awake by playing with them and keeping them engaged.
Expose a newborn to daylight and keep the lights low at night to get them used to day and night cycles.
Allow a newborn to get a healthy amount of sleep each day.
Ask for help taking care of your newborn if you’re feeling exhausted or overwhelmed.

1

Expose your newborn to natural sunlight.

Sunlight provides great stimulus for a newborn, and helps keep them awake. Getting babies outside also helps your newborn start to recognize daytime versus nighttime, which will aid in establishing healthy sleeping habits.^{[1]
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- “Stimuli” are anything that might interest or engage a newborn, and are key in making sure they stay up and alert.
- Try a walk in a stroller, or play in the grass at a park.
- Avoid exposing your newborn to direct sunlight for extended periods of time.^{[2]
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2

Play with your newborn if they look sleepy.

You can distract your newborn from sleep with stimuli like toys. Soft touches or engaging them in play encourages them to stay awake and alert, in order to take in this new exciting sensation.^{[3]
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- Signs of drowsiness in an infant include yawning, rubbing their eyes, grimacing, and clench fists.^{[4]
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- Peekaboo and playing with a baby’s toes are classic and time-tested methods of play.

3

Change your newborn’s clothes.

Undressing and redressing your baby is a familiar and stimulating activity. It can make them more awake and alert and also help accustom them to a process you’ll be doing quite a bit for the next several months.^{[5]
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Research source} Show your newborn each article of clothing, and let them touch and explore each, for added stimulus.

4

Change your newborn’s diaper.

You can help your newborn stay awake by performing familiar actions. Like changing their clothes, changing your newborn’s diaper is a healthy and natural habit that will make your baby alert and get them used to a necessary routine.^{[6]
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- While doing this, lift your newborn and play with their legs and feet to keep them engaged.

5

Give your newborn a bath.

Bathtime doesn’t have to come right before bedtime. Giving your baby a bath with running water, light splashes, and plenty of toys are good ways to engage your baby’s curiosity and distract it from sleep.^{[7]
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- Gently pour water over your baby’s back and shoulders to introduce a soft but exciting stimulus.

6

Space out your newborn’s meals.

A full belly helps a newborn fall asleep, so use that to your advantage. One of the best ways to make sure your baby stays up during the day is to get them sleeping more at night. A baby that’s been “snacking” or having light meals or short breastfeeding sessions might not want to eat before bed. Gradually space out your newborn’s feeding times so that you can coordinate a full meal right before bed.^{[8]
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- If your newborn gets fussy for a snack, try distracting them with toys.
- Be careful not to neglect your newborn’s needs, and do take care to feed them regularly.

7

Create a nighttime ritual.

Consistent rituals help ease your baby into a sleeping habit. You can help your newborn get to sleep more easily by creating routines that let them know it’s time for bed, and by getting to bed at a consistent time every night. Sing lullabies or read to your newborn immediately before bed.
- Giving your baby a massage or introducing calming scents at nighttime are other good rituals.

8

Keep the lights low at night.

It’s important to help your newborn recognize nighttime. You can encourage sleepiness and establish a nighttime routine by keeping the lights in your home dim, which tells your baby that it’s time to sleep.^{[9]
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National Health Service (UK)
Public healthcare system of the UK
Go to source} Turn off any overhead lights, and stick to dim lamps or nightlights when it gets dark outside.

9

Ask a partner, friend, or relative to help out.

If possible, recruit a helping hand to help yourself get enough rest. Taking care of an infant in shifts is a key strategy to ensure everyone involved gets a good night’s sleep and has enough energy for the next day.^{[10]
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National Health Service (UK)
Public healthcare system of the UK
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- Offer to also help out your friends or family where you can, if they need a little convincing.
- A nanny or a trusted babysitter are great hired alternatives.

10

Let your baby cry it out at night.

If your baby is fussing , don’t rush to the crib just yet. Crying at night can be the source of much frustration and feelings of helplessness, both for you and your newborn. But letting your baby cry it out can actually teach them that nighttime is for sleeping, not crying.^{[11]
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Zero to Three
Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing resources to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a healthy start to life.
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- Try this tip once your newborn has reached 3-6 months old, when they’re more developmentally ready for sleep training.

11

Know that newborns won’t sleep through the night.

Newborns have short sleep cycles they can’t control. As much as we wish they would, we just can’t expect a newborn to get a full 8 hours of sleep like we do. Newborns usually wake 2 to 4 times per night, and will start to sleep in 90-minute cycles at about 3-6 months old. It’s important to keep realistic expectations regarding your baby’s sleep schedule.

Expert Q&A

Question

How can you teach a baby it's time for bed?

Julie Wright, MFT
Parenting & Baby Sleep Specialist
Julie Wright is a Marriage and Family Therapist and the co-founder of The Happy Sleeper, which offers sleep consulting and online baby sleep classes. Julie is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in babies, children, and their parents, and the co-author of two best selling parenting books (The Happy Sleeper and Now Say This) published by Penguin Random House. She created the popular Wright Mommy, Daddy and Me program in Los Angeles, California, which provides support and learning for new parents. Julie's work has been mentioned in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NPR. Julie received her training at the Cedars Sinai Early Childhood Center.

Julie Wright, MFT

Parenting & Baby Sleep Specialist

Expert Answer

Try doing a goodnight activity just before you put your baby down to sleep. You might go around to different things in your baby's room, like their toys and decorations, and say "good night" to each one. Your baby will learn that this activity means it's time for bed.