Newborn sleep tips - how to get newborn baby to sleep well and get onto a schedule?

1. Set up a bed time routine- should be between 30 min to 1 hour, including baby bath, baby massage, change to pyjamas, last feed etc. Ensure lights are dimmed and room is quiet. Feeding baby just before sleep is good because breast milk contains tryptophan, an amino acid that is used by the body to synthesize melatonin. Maternal tryptophan levels peak late in the day, and when infants consume tryptophan before bedtime, they fall asleep faster. 2. Swaddle baby and have her lie down on her back to sleep. In three different experiments, infants who were swaddled and place on their backs showed improvements in sleep. They experienced fewer startles, awoke less often, and spent more time asleep. 3. Switch on a white noise machine. White noise is a proven infant sleep aid. In an experimental study of newborns, 80% of infants assigned to hear playbacks of white noise fell asleep spontaneously within 5 minutes. Only 25% of control infants fell asleep spontaneously.