In my experience with my own children, and a major part of why I chose this sleep consulting path, I feel strongly that your newborn can begin working on longer clips of sleep starting at the two week mark. Once you have your two week doctor visit and get the OK on their weight, let’s see what your tiny, yet mighty, little one can do. Following a consistent daytime schedule from day one will enable your baby to work toward extended sleep at night. It may seem counter intuitive, but THE MORE THEY SLEEP DURING THE DAY, THE MORE THEY SLEEP AT NIGHT. Tired babies don't necessarily sleep longer.

Babies NEED to eat every 2.5-3 hours. But I always tell my clients with newborns: if you put ice cream in front of me every hour, I’d eat it too. If there are no weight issues with your newborn, stretching them to three hours between feeds during the day will set you on the right track to longer stretches of sleep at night. Snuggling is so important (and the best feeling in the whole world!) but consider at least one nap a day where the child is sleeping independently in their bassinet/crib. A proper feeding and nap schedule will give your newborn the chance to work toward stretching their night hours early on.