6 Ways to claw back sleep as a new parent

Two of the most important things in your life when you become a new parent: your child, obviously, and also what precious extra minutes of sleep you can claw back here and there. Now, most parents understand and resign themselves to the fact that getting limited sleep is just their new reality after welcoming a young one into the world. Unless you have the cash for a full-time live-in nanny, this is often the case. However, it’s also true that managing sleep as a new parent doesn’t have to be as terrible as many parents assume.

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With some planning and flexibility, it can be more manageable. At the risk of making parents laugh out loud with that statement, please let us clarify what we mean. Babies often wake up throughout the night and may have difficulty establishing a regular sleep rhythm. However, they also need to sleep for roughly 12-15 hours a day, meaning that if you’re at home, there are ample opportunities to sleep alongside them. In this post, we’ll discuss a few ways to claw back those minutes in your favour, when you can.

Sleep deprived? 6 tips to steal back precious sleep as a new parent

Schedule a post-lunch nap

Lunchtime offers a golden window for catching up on sleep, because most babies naturally doze off after their midday feed, giving you a perfect opportunity to rest as they do. The house tends to be quieter around this time, and your body’s natural rhythm often makes you feel sleepy anyway, in that respect we haven’t changed from our infant selves much.

If you keep the curtains drawn, pop on some white noise if it helps, and try to drift off without worrying about the dishes in the sink, you may gain a touch of shuteye. Even 20 minutes can help you feel more like a human being again, even after an early morning.

Take turns with your partner

Sleep becomes much more manageable when parents work as a team, and sometimes you need to remind your partner of that. One person might handle the evening feed while the other gets an early night, then swap for the morning shift so you can balance it out. Some parents prefer splitting the night into chunks – maybe one person covers until 2 am, then the other takes over until morning.

Or, if your partner has been pulling 12-hour shifts while you’re at home, while your job is certainly no less important, you may let them get a bit of extra shut-eye they can repay you with at the weekend. The exact timing matters less than finding a pattern that lets both parents string together a few solid hours of rest.

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Go to bed early alongside them

Those precious evening hours after baby falls asleep often feel too good to give up. The temptation to catch up on shows, scroll through phones, or just enjoy some quiet time runs strong. If you want to enjoy that, then you’re not a worse parent to do so. But now and then, if you feel exhausted, heading to bed when your baby does, perhaps around 7:30 or 8 pm, could mean several hours of sleep before their first wake-up.

Sometimes we really, really need that rest more than we need to know about the next episode of our TV show. Your body will thank you for prioritising sleep over another episode of that series you’re watching.

Learn the military powernap

You’re not in a warzone here, certainly, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn a few tips from individuals who are chronically sleep-deprived and operating in tough environments because of it. Military personnel often master the art of falling asleep quickly in short bursts. But how? Well, their secret lies in finding a comfortable position, taking slow breaths, and letting your muscles relax one by one, an acquired skill but one that can act as a form of meditation and help you sleep even when sat on a chair.

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Setting a gentle alarm helps prevent that groggy feeling from sleeping too long, and some even work in tandem with sleep cycles. If you’re exhausted, then these micro-naps can provide surprising amounts of energy when longer sleep periods are somewhat harder to find.

Understand sleep hygiene

Good sleep habits can help you not only go to sleep at the right time but fall asleep more quickly and deeply until your baby monitor alerts you. For example, keeping your bedroom cool and dark helps trigger your natural sleep response.

Some parents also swear by blackout curtains and eye masks, meaning you can grab some more minutes even if it’s daytime outside. Also, remember that your phone’s blue light can mess with your ability to drift off quickly, so maybe keep it in another room during sleep times, or set up the amber “night light” feature that Androids and iPhones often have. It’s hard to keep a consistent bedtime with a baby, but doing so can be a massive help.

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Have multiple baby monitors around the house

Baby monitors give you freedom to sleep wherever works best, as maybe the spare room offers better peace and quiet, or perhaps the living room sofa is just where you want to lie down right now while waiting for a delivery. Having monitors in different spots means you can catch those precious minutes without worrying about missing your baby’s calls.

Some parents keep a monitor in the bathroom so they can grab a quick shower during nap time without anxiety. The living room monitor might help you doze while the baby sleeps in their swing too.

The benefit of grabbing sleep in small chunks lies in its flexibility, even if it’s not as comfortable as a very long sleep throughout the night. But there’s no reason as to why this will be staggered each day, as some days you might string together several naps, other days you might get one solid block. If you read this Wake Windows By Age: A Month-By-Month Guide | Newton Baby, you can see how babies sleep by developmental stage.

Every parent finds different tricks that work for them. But if you’re clawing back minutes, then sleeping whenever you can, wherever you can is appropriate.

With this advice, we hope you can claw back your sleep as a new parent. Don’t worry, soon the tables will turn and when your little one is a teenager, they’ll be sleeping in so much you’ll want them to be awake more often!

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