Sleep Training Your Newborn: The Babywise Schedule
Are you a new mom feeling exhausted by sleepless nights, wondering if and how to sleep train your newborn? Don’t worry! The Babywise sleep training schedule can help the entire family get the restful sleep everyone needs.
This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you!
With the right strategies and resources, including the Babywise schedule, it’s possible to put an end to long nights of interrupted sleep.
So let’s dive in to take a closer look at why setting up a good sleeping routine is essential for all families!
What is Sleep Training?
Sleep training is a process where parents create an environment of consistent bedtime routines and a regular sleep schedule, teach their babies healthy sleep habits, and slowly help their little one learn how to fall asleep independently.
In the end, your baby will start to recognize the difference between day and night, learn to self soothe, and learn to stay asleep through the night.
My Babywise Sleep Training Journey
I am a HUGE fan! Using Babywise, I successfully sleep trained my 4 babies, including twins, with this method. I felt it was easy to follow, realistic and a copy/paste solution.
It really didn’t take much out of the box thinking for me, as the book, On Becoming Babywise, laid the sleep training plan out so perfectly to follow.
It is very versatile. I had four unique babies, a set of twins, two premies, 3 in NICU, and this method was successful for every one of these situations.
If you are on the fence on whether sleep training can be a solution for your unique situation or baby, let me tell you it absolutely can be!
All four of my babies by 3 months old were sleeping 12 hours at night.
And, my twin 5 year olds, STILL sleep 12 hours at night, because when babies learn good sleep techniques, it follows with them for the rest of their life.
As a busy mom, sleep training is one of the best Mom Hacks you can do!
An Overview of the Babywise Sleep Training Schedule
On Becoming Babywise is a popular book that teaches a manageable and effective way to get your little one sleeping through the night.
The Babywise sleep training method sets up a consistent and reassuring schedule for newborns to learn to sleep independently, giving everyone the gift of sleep.
It involves consistent bedtime routines, Eat, Wake/Play, Sleep cycle, which gradually teaches babies to soothe themselves and fall asleep independantly.
Parents can expect more consistent, longer stretches of sleep for their baby and continued consistent sleep for toddlers and older children alike.
Teaching your child to sleep lasts a lifetime.
When should I start the Babywise schedule?
Many parents wonder when to start and when is too early to start.
For me, the more children I had, the earlier I felt comfortable to start.
After being successful with my first child, I felt comfortable to start earlier with the second because I had the experience needed. I also was eager to start with baby #2 because I knew how successful this method was and I was biting at the bit to get started.
As a new mom, that feeling you get once your baby sleeps through the night and you get the sleep YOU need, is priceless.
With my first child I started at 4 weeks postpartum. My twins (babies 3 & 4), I started at week 2, immediately once we got home from the NICU.
The first 0-8 weeks are going to change a lot with your baby, so honestly, start when you feel ready.
Your delivery might have been very difficult and emotional, and maybe you don’t feel ready just yet. That is ok.
If your desire is to breastfeed, spend the first few weeks focusing on your milk supply and your rhythm with breastfeeding as that can take a little bit of time to figure out. It may feel too overwhelming to try and focus on both immediately.
The best part about the Babywise Schedule is you can start as soon as you feel ready.
Babywise terminology to know
What is a “wake time”?
This time includes when baby first wakes up, the time needed to feed, play, diaper change, up until baby goes back down for nap or bedtime.
What is a “cycle” length?
Cycle time is the entire timeframe of the Eat, Wake/Play, Sleep cycle. How long it takes to do all of those separate items.
What is MOTN?
Middle of the Night feeding.
MOTN feedings include a quick feeding, diaper change, and then right back down to bed. Very little arousal, quiet environment, just turn a lamp on, low light, quiet voice.
What is a Dream Feed?
A type of feeding that occurs in the middle of the night, where baby is not fully waken up, but a feeding occurs to give extra milk to stretch the sleep till morning.
Babywise Eat, Wake/Play, Sleep cycle
This cycle is the foundation to the Babywise sleep method.
It is completely opposite to the concept of nursing your baby to sleep.
Here is the gist of the Babywise Eat, Wake/Play, Sleep cycle concept:
Your baby will EAT first
Followed by awake or play time.
Then your baby will go down to sleep, awake. You will not nurse, or rock or soothe your baby to sleep.
The concept is pretty easy, but many moms can sometimes get frustrated in the “Awake time windows”.
So let’s talk about this in detail, so YOU can be successful in establishing a great Eat, Wake/Play, Sleep cycle for your little one.
Awake Time Window
Awake time window is the amount of time your baby is awake. This is dependent on the age of baby.
The awake time window will increase as your baby gets older, and your baby will give sleeping cues, which will also give you an idea that your baby is tired and ready to go down to sleep.
When the baby is a newborn or less the 8 weeks old, the awake windows will feel very short.
Many times you will only nurse and change your babies diaper before the baby is showing signs if tiredness.
Don’t feel your baby has to be awake for a long time in those early weeks and months. Your baby will do LOTS of sleeping. This is normal, great and needed for your baby to grow.
Sleeping Cues
Sleeping cues include, yawning, rubbing of eyes, eyes getting heavy, less facial response to stimuli, crankiness or fussy.
There you have it, the foundation and tips to the Babywise method.
Your baby will learn how to self soothe to sleep, not relying on nursing, rocking or any other built in soothing techniques.
This concept can often feel challenging for moms learning how to sleep train. It can feel foreign or backwards, but it is the building block to your baby getting the sleep they need.
And it is how your baby will learn to fall asleep on their own.
Steps to creating a Babywise schedule
There is some terminology that is needed in establishing a Babywise schedule.
1. Identify a Start of the day
Look at your day and determine when you want your baby to wake up for the day.
You will work around this start time.
We’ve always been a 7am wake time family, but I know others who decide 7:30, or 8:00.
2. Decide when bedtime will be
What time do you want your baby to go to bed every night. Consistency matters in having a sleep schedule that works.
Look at your day and how you want your evening routine to look like and pick a time that works best for your family.
We are a 7am – 7pm wake time and bed time family. And 10 years later we still are.
Maybe you are a night owl and envision wanting to go out to dinner or hang out with friends till later in the evening. Plan the bedtime around that. Maybe 8pm is a more realistic bedtime for your family.
These times can change and flexibility is always built in to sleep training, but you don’t want constant changing to be the norm.
Remember, consistency is key to sleep training.
Build your Eat, Wake/Play Sleep cycles around these two time frames.
Babywise Sample Schedules
Here are sample schedules we used for our 4 children.
All of our children were different in temperament, size, on-time verses premie, but these schedules worked perfectly for all of them, including my twin premies.
While these are great schedules which will help you get started, I highly recommend buying the book, as the book has templates and is a great resource for your sleep training journey.
Here is a Babywise Schedule Cheat Sheet for your reference.
I kept track of my newborn’s daily sleep schedule in the Notes App on my phone, but now there are some really amazing apps that I highly recommend using.
Check out Huckleberry! This app is a one-touch tracking for sleep, breastfeeding, bottles, diapers, pumping, solids, growth, medication and temperature.
Check it out and make your life so much easier.
Babywise Newborn Schedule (4-8 weeks old)
Newborns are very sleepy in the first several weeks. The biggest goal and challenge during these early weeks is to make sure your baby is getting FULL feedings.
Full feedings allow your baby to go the longer stretches of sleep without waking up due to hunger from a quick feeding.
This may sound simple enough, but sleepy babies are hard to stay awake and usually you will need to do some tricks to arouse them to stay awake and not fall asleep nursing or feeding.
Your baby’s day (and nights) will consist of eating, diaper changing, and sleeping, especially those first six weeks!
Typically newborns can stay awake for about 45 to 60 minutes before needing to go to sleep again.
A baby that gets a full feeding will eat every 2.5 to 3 hours.
Tips to keep baby aroused when nursing or bottle feeding:
- Take clothes off or change them in the middle of the feeding
- Take a wet cloth to their feet or forehead
- Hold them under the armpits and stretch them out
3 hours cycle length – Getting 5 full feedings during the day
If YLO needs to do 2 1/2 hour cycle lengths instead of 3, adjust the time by 30 minutes. I like to start on a 3 hours cycle length if baby is adjusting great to it.
7:00 am: First feeding, Start of the day, nurse / bottle feed, diaper change, down for sleep
7:45 to 10:00 am: NAP
10:00 am: Second feeding, nurse / bottle feed, diaper change, down for sleep
10:45 to 1:00 pm: NAP
1:00pm – Third feeding, nurse / bottle feed, diaper change, down for sleep
1:45 to 4:00 pm: NAP
4:00 pm: Fourth feeding, nurse / bottle feed, diaper change, down for sleep
4:45 to 7:00 pm: NAP
7:00pm – Fifth feeding, nurse / bottle feed, diaper change, down for bed
10:00pm – Dream Feed
MOTN feedings as needed. Usually 2-3 during this age.
MOTN feeding & diaper change, then right back down to bed. Very little arousal, quiet environment, just turn a lamp on, low light, quiet voice.
Babywise 2 month old schedule (8 – 12 weeks)
By weeks 8-12 the goal is to get your baby to sleep 9-10 hrs at night, or in some rare occasions, even 12 hrs at night.
Some babies will still wake up 1-3 times at night, and that is completely normal.
Your baby will have more awake time, be more interactive, will have an easier time staying awake during feedings, making getting full feedings easier.
The wake time window will increase and usually babies at this age can handle 60 minutes of awake time.
Your feeding will be every 2 1/2 – 3 hrs a part.
3 hours cycle length – Getting 5 full feedings during the day
7:00am – First feeding, start of the day, nurse/bootle feed, diaper change, awake / play time (Total time is 60 minutes, watch for sleep cues)
- Wake time activity can include – rock baby & sing, swing w/ music
- After 1hr of feed & awake time put baby down for a nap
8:00 tp 10:00 am: NAP
10:00am – 2nd feeding, nurse/bottle feed & diaper change
- Wake time – read, tummy time
- After 1hr of feed & awake time put baby down for a nap
11:00 to 1:00 pm: NAP
1:00 pm: 3rd feeding, nurse/feed & diaper change
- Wake time – go for a walk / run errands
- After 1hr of feed & wake time put baby down
2:00 to 4:00 pm: NAP
4:00 pm: 4th feeding, nurse/bottle feed & diaper change
- Wake time – play w/ baby
- After 1 hr of wake time put baby down for a nap
5:00 to 6:30 pm: NAP
I have this be a shorter nap, so I can have baby do a quick awake time and then down for the night to keep to my 7pm (ish) bedtime schedule.
6:30 pm: 5th feeding, nurse / bottle feed & diaper change
- Wake time – bath w/ lavender
- After 45min – 1 hr of wake time, put baby in crib, down for bedtime
7:30 pm: Bedtime
11:00 pm: Dream Feed
MOTN feedings as needed. Usually 1-3 during this age.
MOTN feeding & diaper change, then right back down to bed. Very little arousal, quiet environment, just turn a lamp on, low light, quiet voice.
Babywise 3 Month Schedule (12 – 16 weeks)
Schedule with 5 feedings sleeping 11 – 12 hrs at night. Dream feeding optional by this age, hopefully no MOTN feedings. Most babies can stay awake for 90 minutes by this age.
Early morning (start of the day)
7:00 am: 1st feeding, nurse/ bottle feed & diaper change
- Wake time – rock baby & sing or swing w/ music
- After 1.5hrs of feed & wake time put baby down for a nap
8:30 to 10:30 am: NAP
Mid morning
10:30 am: 2nd feeding, nurse / bottle feed & diaper change
- Wake time – read, tummy time
- After 1.5hrs of feed & wake time put baby down for a nap
12:00 to 2:00 pm: NAP
Early Afternoon
2:00 pm: 3rd feeding, nurse/bottle feed & diaper change
- Wake time – go for a walk / run errands
- After 1.5hrs of feed & wake time put baby down for a nap
3:30 to 5:30 pm: NAP
Late – Afternoon
5:30 pm: 4th feeding, nurse / bottle feed & diaper change
- Wake time – play w/ baby
- No nap – stay up till next feeding, then straight down for bed
Evening
7 :00 pm: 5th feeding (final feeding of the night), nurse / bottle feed & Diaper change, put baby down to bed for the night
11:00 pm: Dream Feed – OPTIONAL BY THIS AGE
MOTN feedings as needed. Usually 1-2 during this age, but could be none at all.
MOTN feedings are quick feedings, diaper change, and then right back down to bed. Very little arousal, quiet environment, just turn a lamp on, low light, quiet voice.
Babywise Schedule Months 4-6
Each month you are going to increase the awake time and adjust the Cycle length as you increase the awake time. Keep naps to 2 hours, but dropping naps as the baby gets older.
Keep an eye out for sleep regression, which is normal and can start to happen in month four.
Try to make sure you have at least 1 hour in between the feeding and to not cluster feed (feeding too close together) unless necessary, like in the late afternoon prior to going down for bed for the night.
Here is a Babywise Schedule Cheat Sheet to help answer any questions you might have with months 4-6.
Babywise Schedule 6 – 12 Months
At six months, most babies have gotten past the 45 minute intruder and are starting to take longer naps and have longer stretches of awake time, up to two hours.
You will also also introduce solid foods at around 6 months. With our first two children we did the traditional purees, but with the twins we went a different route and introduced foods with Baby Led Weening.
I absolutely loved BLW, and felt it was a great approach to introducing solids but allowing your babies to eat alongside you, and I was surprised how many foods babies can eat.
I loved that the whole family was able to sit down at the diner table and all share in the same meal.
Babywise changes how they name their schedules at this point and name them by their wake times instead of their feeding times, so it can get a bit tricky.
If your baby hasn’t mastered the 10 – 12 hours of night time sleep yet, they most likely will now.
During the 6 – 9 month window you will most likely drop your babies 3rd nap. Once you get to 2 naps per day, you will stay at this schedule for awhile. You are almost there! Less change is around the corner.
Babywise Schedule 6 – 9 Month with 3 naps
7:00 am: 1st feeding, nurse/ bottle feed & diaper change
- After 2hrs of feed & wake time put baby down for a nap
9:00 to 11:00 am: NAP
11:00 am: 2nd feeding, nurse / bottle feed & diaper change
- After 2hrs of feed & wake time put baby down for a nap
1:00pm to 3:00 pm: NAP
3:00 am: 3rd feeding, nurse / bottle feed & diaper change
- After 2hrs of feed & wake time put baby down for a nap
5:00 to 6:30 pm: NAP
I have this be a shorter nap, so I can have baby do a quick awake time and then down for the night to keep to my 7pm (ish) bedtime schedule.
7:30 (ish) pm: 4th feeding, final feeding of the night, nurse / bottle feed, bath & diaper change, put baby down for bed for the night
Tips for when / if baby wakes up at night
Dream feeding is probably a thought of the past by this point and so should MOTN feedings, as Baby should be able to sleep 11-12 hours each night.
However, if baby does wake up in the middle of the night at this age, wait and see if baby can self soothe back to sleep on their own. Try patting his/her back or re-adjusting in crib, or give baby a pacifier if they prefer one.
Hold off on feeding unless you feel it is absolutely necessary to get baby back to sleep. If you do decide to feed, try to make it as quick as possible and back to sleep. We don’t want your baby thinking this is an awake time window.
Babywise Schedule 9 months with 2 naps
7:00 am: First feeding, Wake up + nurse / bottle
9:00 am: Solids/Breakfast
10:00 to 11:30 am: Nap
11:30 am: 2nd feeding, Nurse / bottle
12:30 pm: Solids/Lunch
2:30 to 4:00 pm: Nap
4:00 pm: 3rd feeding, Nurse / bottle
4:30 to 5:30 pm: Afternoon outdoor time
5:30 pm: Solids/Dinner
6:30 pm: 4th feeding, nurse or bottle, start bedtime routine, bath
7:00 pm: Bedtime
Have An Environment That Encourages Sleep
Here are a few tips that we used to encourage sleep with our four babies.
- Have a dark room – I love black out curtains!
- Sound machine or white noise machine – here was our favorite! A portable one for the car seat too. We ended up buying the Hatch when the twins got older and still have it today.
- Pacifiers, loved the Soothie Snuggle Pacifier, anything for baby to use to learn to self soothe
- Swaddle Sacks – helps baby feel snug like they did in the womb
I liked these tips the most because they are easy to recreate in any environment.
At a friends house, on-the-go in the infant carrier or car seat, or at a hotel.
The Power Of Babywise Sleep Training – A Gift That Keeps On Giving
I am years removed from sleep training my babies, yet all of that effort I put in years ago, I am still reaping a harvest of benefits.
But I did get worried for a second, just recently.
My youngest son had his Tonsils and Adenoids removed a few weeks ago. Due to the pain, it was 24/7 pain management care.
Which meant again, being woken up several times in the middle of the night to deal with a very uncomfortable 5 year old.
What I thought would only last a few days, turned in to 12 days of middle of the night waking up.
Has this turned in to a habit? Has my amazing sleep trained little boy regressed? Am I going to have to re-train him?
Not to mention how tired I was! I woke up each morning with sleep fog and a haze that lasted all day, I had no energy, and it reminded me of the newborn days all over again.
It made me very excited about this upcoming post! It reminded me how important sleep training is. Those sleepless nights are brutal.
But finally on day 14, our little post surgery son, slept through the night again. It wasn’t regression, I didn’t have to re-train him, once his pain subsided, he fell right back into wonderful ‘old habits’.
And that my friend, is what I LOVE about sleep training.
Its a gift that just keeps on giving!
Busy and tired mama, are you ready to learn how this can be you?
Let’s get you, and your entire family, the sleep you all deserve!
Myths of Sleep training newborns
After reading all about Babywise you probably are on board to start sleep training, but maybe have some thoughts hanging in the back of your mind making you a little hesitant.
Let’s clear those up by addresses what sleep training is not and the myths associated with sleep training.
What it’s NOT:
It is not cry it out.
Many new parents have heard the myths of sleep training newborns, but it is important to understand the facts before making any decisions.
Sleep training does not mean letting a baby cry until they fall asleep.
Rather, it is about teaching babies healthy and safe sleeping habits so that parents can be sure their baby is getting the rest they need.
Sleep training can be done in a variety of ways, but the most common methods involve providing consistent bedtime routines and creating an environment that encourages sleep.
It is also important to remember that babies are not robots and that sleep training takes time, patience and dedication. But the reward in the end, are years of great sleeping.
Some babies will take longer to learn the habits than others, so don’t feel discouraged if your baby is taking longer than you thought, he/she will get there.
Benefits of Sleep Training – Why it’s so important
Give the gift of sleep for the entire family. Everyone craves a good nights sleep, including your baby.
The benefits of sleep training your newborn is essential for a baby’s physical, mental and emotional development.
1. Improves overall sleep quality
Sleep training your newborn can reduce the amount of crying throughout the night.
When babies are taught healthy sleep patterns, they learn how to self-soothe and fall asleep on their own and have a sense of security.
This means parents don’t have to spend hours trying to put them back to bed over and over again.
Babies who are sleep trained tend to have longer and more restful sleep.
2. You get more sleep!
Babies that are able to soothe themselves and stay asleep longer will require less frequent feedings throughout the night, meaning you as a parent won’t have to get up every few hours.
You as a mom can enjoy more restful nights and wake up feeling refreshed in the morning. One of the best Self-Care things you can do, is make sure you get the needed sleep every day.
3. Reduces stress levels.
Both parents and babies benefit from sleep training as it can reduce stress levels for both.
Those middle of the night feeding can be rough.
You will have more energy and more patience, because you are getting the sleep you need.
4. Improves mental wellbeing for everyone.
Mental wellbeing is a huge crisis amongst exhausted, tired, over strained parents, especially moms.
When baby is sleeping through the night, and you are finally getting those precious sleeping moments back, your mental wellbeing drastically improves.
Babies brains are still developing very fast during the newborn phase and it is important that they are getting enough sleep.
Everyone loves a happy baby. The key to a happy baby, healthy sleep habits.
5. Reduce the risk of SIDS.
Sleep training can help prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Although the exact cause of SIDS is unknown, studies suggest that babies who are trained to self-soothing may have a lower risk of SIDS.
6. Setting your children up for success for life
Sleep training is a valuable tool for helping your newborn establish healthy sleep habits.
Studies have shown that good quality sleep in the first few months of life can lead to long-term benefits such as, better cognitive development, improved behavior, and a stronger immune system.
By helping your baby learn how to fall asleep independently and stay asleep longer, you are setting them up for a successful start in life.
How NOT getting enough sleep can negatively affect babies and parents
Sleep deprivation can have a significant impact on both babies and parents.
Babies who are not getting enough sleep can be cranky, irritable, and difficult to soothe.
Not getting restful sleep can also lead to developmental delays in language, motor skills, and social-emotional development, as well as serious health problems in children, such as obesity, depression and anxiety.
For both mom and dad, chronic sleep deprivation is a major source of stress, anxiety, and depression.
We all know how hard parenting can be and feel when we don’t get the rest we need!
Sleep depict Sleep
I still tell myself this and I no longer have babies. This concept applies to ALL ages. Babies, toddlers, school age children, and adults.
Once you have your baby sleeping through the night, it is important to remain consistent in your bedtime routine.
Your baby or child will not sleep in, or sleep longer if you put them down later. It is literally the exact opposite.
If you want a great night sleep from your baby and toddler, stay consistent in their sleep schedule.
Put your baby down at the same time every night and watch them learn to sleep longer and give you the 12 hours of sleep their bodies need.
My twin 5 year olds, 7 & 9 year olds all still sleep 10 – 12 hrs regularly.
Sleep depicts sleep!
For more information from a Sleep Consultant, check out The Postpartum Party.
If you love the benefits of sleep training, you will also love the benefits of Individual Play.
Through Individual Play (AKA, Solitary Play), children learn to trust themselves, build self-confidence, have increased creativity, better problem solving skills, and improved concentration and develop their fine motor skills.
They learn a healthy separation from parent and child, and YOU get a break!
If you combine sleep training (a restful nights sleep) WITH Individual Play (time to yourself), you would be a completely different mom.
You would be a restful and productive mom, who didn’t feel drained and exhausted all day long.
Looking for more genius hacks? Don’t forget to check out…
Want other amazing mom routines to help you stay on top of mom life?
Check out 13 Important Routines for Moms
I would love to hear from you, leave a comment, and share your favorite laundry hacks below.
Want to remember this post? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board!
