Newborn Sleep Schedule: Your First 4 Weeks at Home with Baby

For these first two weeks with your baby, you are feeding on demand and focusing on bonding. These weeks are a beautiful, messy and intense whirlwind where both parents and baby need to rest and recover. 

Our full newborn care details are available in the Moms on Call app and book. Here’s the key parts to keep in mind.

For the first two weeks, our only schedule is feeding on demand every 2-3 hours. We are focused on keeping your sweet baby fed and dry and letting you get the hang of being parents so no bedtimes or wakeups or naptimes yet!

We feed on demand every 2–3 hours, measuring from the start of one feeding to the start of the next. Each session takes about 30–45 minutes start to finish, including burping. Aim to burp about ¾ of the way through and again at the end, spending about 2–3 minutes on it. 

One of the trickiest parts? Keeping baby awake to eat. Try scratching the bottoms of their feet, undressing them down to the diaper or wiping their head with a cool washcloth to help them stay awake through the feeding.

One common worry among new parents is that their baby's sleep schedule becomes reversed, with more wakefulness at night. A simple and effective solution to reverse this pattern is to expose your baby to the outdoors. Fresh air and sunlight boost your mood and play a crucial role in establishing circadian rhythms, helping your little one differentiate between day and night. Additionally, keeping the lights on in your home and maintaining normal daytime noises can aid in this adjustment process.

We highly recommend swaddling your baby with their arms down by their sides, both during daytime and nighttime sleep, using the Moms on Call Swaddle & Technique. By envisioning the cozy environment of your womb, you can understand how swaddling provides a sense of security for your little one. Swaddling with arms by their sides also helps prevent their startle reflex from disturbing their sleep. If you are interested in learning the proper technique for swaddling, you can find a detailed guide on the Moms on Call Swaddle Technique here.

For optimal nighttime rest, it is beneficial to create a dark environment in the room (utilizing blackout shades can be incredibly helpful). 

To ensure safe and comfortable sleep for your baby, a safe sleep environment is critical and includes a crib or bassinet for all unsupervised sleep. It's essential to keep the crib free of any objects except for a fitted crib sheet, with the baby securely swaddled and placed on their back. Your baby's crib should be less than five years old with a new mattress, mattress cover and tight-fitted crib sheet.

Recall the snug surroundings of the womb. Now imagine adding the soothing sound of a white noise machine that replicates the gentle hum of the womb's ambiance. Combining the swaddle with white noise creates a comforting atmosphere for your baby, reminiscent of their time in the womb.

Maintain the room temperature of 68-72 ℉ for optimal comfort during sleep.

Now that you’re past the two week mark, we can start to create a more predictable schedule for you and baby. Now these are still the itty bitty newborn days and we expect some twists and turns along the way. Here’s an overview of simple routines for weeks 2-4. For the full 2-4 week schedule, check out the 0-6 month book or the Moms on Call app. Both have detailed schedules, tips for crazy days and suggestions to make the schedules work for your family. 

For the next two weeks, your days can look like this:

Between 6:00am- 7:00am: Feed and then back to crib for sleep

9:00am: Feed and start the day!

Feed, playtime and naps: Aim to feed every 3 hours so they eat 7-8 times a day, typically 3-4 oz per feeding. Playtime is a great chance to take the baby outside for a walk, do some tummy time, talk to your baby & continue bonding. For the full 2-4 week schedule, check out the 0-6 month book or the Moms on Call app.

6:00pm: Supper feed (more on why this is so important in the book!) and start of the nighttime routine

9:00pm: Bedtime feeding

The key change from the first two weeks to now is in feeding. Newborn babies (birth - 2 weeks) feed on demand while they start to get adjusted to life outside the womb and get back to their birth weight. Around the 2 week mark, we can start to introduce more routine feedings (around every 3 hours) to create some predictability and make sure that they are full after each feeding instead of round the clock snacking. As always, check with your pediatrician to make sure your baby is healthy and gaining weight appropriately in these first weeks!

Check out these blogs for more tips on feeding your 2-4 week old baby:

The Ultimate Newborn Bottle Feeding Guide: Tips, Tricks, and Why It Matters
Feeding Guidelines for the First 6 Months
10 Steps for Formula Feeding

Around the 2-3 week mark, your baby might be getting some 4 hour stretches of sleep at night! They are still getting used to days and nights but they are developing and able to enjoy those longer stretches of sleep. Which means that you are too!

For weeks 2-4, your baby is still brand new which means eat - sleep - diaper - repeat is what life looks like right now. We know those newborn days can be long and tiring. But the saying is true ‘long days, short years.’ Keep it all in perspective while you get to know each other in this first month of life and survive on a little sleep and a lot of love. 

The first four weeks with a newborn are equal parts magic and exhaustion. Some days will feel like you've finally found your groove and others will feel like starting from scratch. Both are completely normal.

For the first two weeks, our goals are simple: feeding on demand and bonding. 

For weeks 2-4, we start to build a routine with feedings every three hours and predictable patterns in the morning and evening. 

And we practice safe sleep practices at every nap or nighttime sleep. 

What you're doing right now (learning your baby's cues, establishing a safe sleep environment, feeding consistently and showing up every single time) is exactly what great parenting looks like. The routine you're building in these early weeks isn't just about sleep. It's about creating a foundation of security and predictability that your baby will feel long before they can tell you so.

Before you know it, you'll be moving to the 2–4 week schedule, then the 4–8 week schedule then wondering how your tiny newborn turned into a smiling, kicking, three-month-old who sleeps like a champ. Take a sneak peak at next month's schedule. 

Trust the process. Trust yourself. And remember: our confidence is contagious. When you approach these early weeks with calm and consistency, your baby feels it too.

Want the full schedule and week-by-week guidance? It's all in the Moms on Call book and app. And if you want personalized support, book a session with a Moms on Call Certified Consultant. All MOC consultants are licensed nurses who have used MOC in their own home and are ready to help you navigate whatever comes next.