Baby Has His Nights and Days Mixed Up.

This is very common and normal. It will work out in time. Meet the baby's needs around the clock - that's the main thing.

Not unusual. He will eat during the night. What I did is during the day I would wake the baby at 3 1/2 hours from the last feed. I would change the baby, feed the baby, play with the baby. At night no playing, change quickly, feed the baby. All business, not fun. I also let the baby sleep as long as he wants during the night. Eventually they figure it out.

As the baby is only a few days old then not much can be done , suggestions below to keep baby awake and engage her are pretty much pointless at the moment. Maybe in a few weeks if the baby is still mixed up it may work , but right now when only a few days old she will just have to go along with it , being born is hard work for the baby and it takes alot out of them , their sleeping and eating patterns are very eratic for the first 4-6 weeks in my experience.

This is common. Babies tend to sleep during the day when in the womb, because they are rocked and jiggled into a relaxed state. At night, when Mommy's holding still and trying to sleep, they wake up and start doing calisthenics. That pattern carries through into their post-partum lives for awhile.

The baby should be exposed to plenty of bright light during the day to help reset the brain – even while napping, light enters the eye through the eyelids, and the natural sleep hormones produced by the brain are diminished by the light. Conversely, as little light at night as possible will encourage the production of sleep hormones then.

Wake the baby as often as possible during the day (this can be nearly impossible with newborns, though, who can be determined sleepers. Don't push the impossible.) Don't tiptoe around while the baby's napping until the sleep cycles normalize.

And Dr. Harvey Karp, the pediatrician who wrote The Happiest Baby on the Block, has these tips about baby sleep: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk5MUOMecHI&NR=1

Not much you can do except wake the baby every 3 hours to nurse during the day and try to keep the baby engaged even for a little time after each feeding. It will work itself out within a week or so. Have baby sleep next to the bed or co-sleep so that feeding is easy and baby can be put right back in bed after feeding.

When we brought our son home from Russia, he had the same problem. Brightness during the day and darkness at night time will help. IE, don't darken the room during the day if baby wants to sleep. Do darken it at night. The body's natural rhythm will take over. It is going to be rough though!

Keep blinds open during the day so baby gets lots of sunlight (without a sunburn). At night, keep lights off as much as possible. For changing, night feedings, etc. I would try to use a nightlight or turn the TV on without volume so there's as little light as possible. That will help regulate baby's hormones soon!

They might be so happy enjoying their (first?) baby that they cant help but play and talk to him at night when he is awake. They need to be extremely quiet and have only dim lights during night and only talk and sing with him during the day.

My son was the same. It's bound to happen at this super young age! He'll get past it.

I agree with getting sunshine during the day. In the mornings, turn on lights, play with him near windows--anything to help him understand that daytime is different than nighttime.

Work toward (I say work toward because it's hard at first) getting the baby to have "wake time" after each feeding during the day. This also helps him sense a different between day and night. Nighttime feedings, he simply goes back to sleep. Daytime feedings, he plays with Mommy when done eating!

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I thought all babies did that at least until they are a month or so old...My son's nights and days were mixed up for a good month or so before he started to sleep longer stretches(4-5 hrs) at night. You cannot expect a few days old baby to figure that out so fast but rest assured, he soon will. Here are some tips that I got and used:-
During the day bring the baby to the living room or any area of the house where there is a lot of sunlight coming through or take him out, weather permitting- I had my son in early January and it was too cold to take him out. Let him play there and do not swaddle during the day - just wrap them in a light blanket. Swaddle him during the night so he is snug.
Let him hear all the noises in the house while he naps but draw the shades and keep the voices to a minimum at night.
My son slept in an infant seat for the first few months during the day and we put him in his co-sleeper during the night.
Babies depend on routine at this point and I started a bath routine for my son from his first month and though I didn't see the results right away, it certainly paid off. Bath in the evening - jammies- cuddles- nursing him to sleep with some variations.
Babies are smart and intuitive - they will catch on soon! Good Luck to your SIL!

I have to say that all 3 of mine awakened to eat every 2 or 3 hours in the beginning...there was no night or day for either of us. My only advice would be to try to keep baby awake for longer periods of time during the day and sleep when baby sleeps.

Hi L.,

I think it'll resolve itself pretty fast, but she could try taking the baby outside in the morning (on the early side, protected from the sun). The morning light should help the baby reset. Congrats.