{"id":"021b0f470bb0d4d8cf8f2967b4520a65","slug":"how-do-i-get-my-6-week-old-to-sleep-longer-stretches","question":"How do I get my 6 week old to sleep longer stretches?","answer":"At 6 weeks, your baby's nervous system is still very much in the learning phase, and expecting long consolidated sleep isn't realistic yet—newborns this age typically wake every 2–4 hours to feed, and that's exactly what they need. That said, you can gently build better sleep habits now that will pay off later.\n\nThe most evidence-backed approach is a consistent bedtime routine started before 9 PM, done the same way at least 5 nights a week. Think simple: a calm bath, some quiet time together, gentle rocking or swaddling. Consistency signals to your baby's nervous system that sleep is coming. You might also try the four soothing techniques—swaddling, side or stomach holding, white noise or shushing, and gentle swinging—which help babies wake fewer times at night within just a few weeks.\n\nOne practical thing to avoid: screens after 7 PM, since evening screen exposure is linked to lost sleep time. Beyond that, try not to feed right before bed if you can—putting your baby down while still awake helps them start learning to settle on their own.\n\nAt this age, your baby sleeping 14–17 hours total across the day and night (in those short 2–4 hour cycles) is bang on normal. The longer stretches will come naturally as their circadian rhythm matures—usually around 3–4 months.","sources":"[{\"title\":\"Can behavioural interventions delivered using digital technologies influence infant sleep? A systematic review and meta-analysis.\",\"journal\":\"Journal of psychiatric research\",\"year\":\"2025\",\"url\":\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41110255/\",\"score\":0.83},{\"title\":\"Bedtime routines and objectively assessed sleep in infants.\",\"journal\":\"Journal of advanced nursing\",\"year\":\"2022\",\"url\":\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34245182/\",\"score\":0.75},{\"title\":\"INSIGHT Responsive Parenting Intervention and Infant Sleep.\",\"journal\":\"Pediatrics\",\"year\":\"2016\",\"url\":\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27354460/\",\"score\":0.75},{\"title\":\"Effect of soothing techniques on infants' self-regulation behaviors (sleeping, crying, feeding): A randomized controlled study.\",\"journal\":\"Japan journal of nursing science : JJNS\",\"year\":\"2019\",\"url\":\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30729735/\",\"score\":0.74},{\"title\":\"Evening media exposure reduces night-time sleep.\",\"journal\":\"Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)\",\"year\":\"2015\",\"url\":\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25521612/\",\"score\":0.73}]","view_count":0,"created_at":"2026-07-09T02:41:53.265Z"}