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

If your newborn seems wide awake overnight but sleeps soundly throughout the day, it can feel like they've got their days and nights completely mixed up.

The good news?

In those early weeks, that's actually very common.

Here's why it happens and what you can do to gently help your baby's body clock mature.

Why does it happen?

Babies aren't born with a mature circadian rhythm. They don't yet understand the difference between day and night and their body clock develops gradually over the first few months. This is why you'll notice that they can sleep solidly during the day when it's loud or you're at the shops - but at night, they are ready to party!

What can help?

Daylight can be a real game changer. Open the curtains as soon as morning arrives and keep it dark at night time. This can support the development of their circadian rhythm.

Offer daytime feeds in daylight too with activity going on. Night time feeds can be in a calm and quiet environment. This black and white difference between day and night feeds can support circadian rhythm too.

Don't expect instant change. This isn't a quick fix - it's biology doing it's thing. This development can take a different amount of time for each child.

What NOT to worry about

However you settle your baby back to sleep during the night is fine. You're not creating bad habits! Just do what you need to do to help you all get some rest.

Your baby isn't "getting it wrong." They are learning and developing, just like you are.

This stage won't last forever. The days feel long but the weeks will go fast and pretty soon your tiny newborn will be charging about and you'll have mysteriously forgotten about the night time parties.

When should you seek support?

If your baby is 4 months old or older, and sleep is becoming increasingly difficult, it can be helpful to look at the bigger picture.

If you'd like to understand what's normal during those early weeks without spending hours Googling at 2am, my Newborn Sleep Guide walks you through exactly what to expect.

Download it here