It’s generally advised to let your baby sleep, but there may be times when waking your baby is needed, such as for a feeding during those demanding newborn days.

Newborns need to feed frequently, about every 2-3 hours. Before establishing a weight-gain pattern, it’s advised to wake to feed your baby if they sleep longer than 3-4 hours. Once your newborn has set a clear growth pattern and is otherwise healthy, you won’t need to keep waking to feed unless advised by a medical professional.

If you’re tempted to wake your baby because you’re worried they’re sleeping too much, but feeding is otherwise going fine, it’s best to let them sleep. Rest assured, it is normal for newborns to sleep most of the day and purposeful to their health and development.

As for accidental wakings, they will happen. Whether it’s a dog barking, a doorbell ringing, or an unsuccessful transfer from car to crib, having your baby’s nap cut short can be startling and frustrating. You can try to settle them back to sleep, but moving on is okay if more than ten minutes have passed and it’s not happening.

Waking your baby mid-nap happens, sometimes intentionally, other times by accident. It’s perfectly okay when this happens, but it is generally best to avoid it since baby’s sleep is important to their health.