Why is my newborn awake all night and asleep all day?

Your newborn is not doing it on purpose

In the womb, movement through the day often rocked them to sleep. Then you lay down at night, the movement stopped and the party began. That pattern can follow them home.

Newborns need time to learn the difference between day and night. Morning light and ordinary daytime noise can help give the day a clear shape.

Make nights wonderfully boring

We kept lights low, voices quiet and nappy changes practical. There was no need to entertain Ari at three in the morning, even when she looked delighted to see us.

Long daytime sleeps can sometimes be broken gently for a feed if that matches the plan from your baby’s doctor or nurse, especially for a premature or very young baby.

The shift that saved us

One of us covered the first part of the night until about four. The other took over from four until nine. It still took time to fall asleep, but a protected block was far better than both of us waking for everything.

It did not make the nights easy. It made them survivable while Ari slowly worked out where sleep belonged.

If your newborn is hard to wake for feeds, has fewer wet nappies or is not gaining as expected, speak to your baby’s doctor or nurse.