Understanding Babies' Patterns and Cues

At this stage, you may not be able to anticipate what time of day or night your baby will be awake, but you can learn to read their unique cues.
You might be able to learn the answers to those all-important questions:

• What does it look like when my baby is hungry?
• What does it look like when my baby is tired?
• How does my baby show me they need comfort?

During these first weeks, you will get plenty of insight, even if their cues can seem like an impossible puzzle at times. Here, we’ll go over what those cues are and what patterns you might start to notice as time goes on.

Your baby doesn’t yet know if it’s night, day, or somewhere in between. Therefore, their sleep cycles are not like ours, they are focused on growing, connecting and learning!

Most babies only sleep for 2 to 4 hours at a time and have sleep cycles of around 45 minutes. This means that even if they are sleeping for 2 hours, they will likely stir around this 45-minute mark and may need some gentle reassurance from you to fall back asleep. Your baby may be able to resettle themselves.

Babies usually feed quite frequently, somewhere between 2 to 4 hours. When you think about how tiny their tummies are, it makes sense that they fill quickly.

Here are some cues that your baby may show when they are hungry:

• Opening their mouth
• Turning their head from side to side
• Putting their hand to their mouth
• Sucking
• Restless movements like wriggling and stretching
• Crying
  

It’s common for babies to cry when they’re hungry, but often (not always), they will give a few cues before they get to this stage.
Don’t feel bad if you don’t see any earlier cues: it can be tricky, but it will get easier!

Here are some cues that your baby may show when they are ready to be settled for sleep:

• Yawning
• Fluttering eyelids
• Clenching fists
• Pulling at ears
• Rubbing eyes
• Jerky movements
• Frowning
  
  

As newborns grow, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Taking the time to get to know your baby’s own unique personality will help you establish routines, when the time is right.

Some parents find it helpful to begin with a feeding, cuddling/playing, and sleep pattern as a soft start to establishing routines.

Many parents find the order of feeding, cuddling/playing, settling, and then sleep works well (with nappy changes when necessary). Often parents find offering their baby a feed immediately upon waking helps kickstart this cycle. But it’s important to be on the lookout for your baby’s cues and settle them down for a nap if they start to show sleepy signs.

Are you facing difficulties with sleep and settling and looking for more information?

Maternal Child Health (MCH) Service:
MCH Service is a support service provided by healthcare professionals, often nurses or midwives, who specialise in the health and wellbeing of children. These services can include support for prenatal care, newborn care, breastfeeding assistance, child development monitoring, parenting advice, and more.

Raising Children Network:
Raising Children Network is a website which provides evidence-based resources and information on parenting, child development, and family health. It offers a wide range of articles, videos, interactive tools, and other materials designed to support parents and caregivers in understanding and navigating different aspects of raising children.

QEC:
We offer a range of programs aimed at promoting the health and well-being of parents and children, particularly during the early years of development. We can support you with sleep and settling, feeding and nutrition, creating routines, positive and healthy parent-child relationships and more.