Why new parents should take turns to sleep in on weekends

Here’s why new parents should take it in turns to have a lie-in at weekends.

Many new parents can empathise with the fact that it doesn’t matter what time baby goes to bed, they are often wide awake and ready to start the day by 6am – or even earlier for some! 

As much as the early morning calls from your little one is likely to disturb both partner’s sleep, it’s a good idea to pre plan who is going to get up on the weekends with the baby so that the other can stay in bed, alternating it every weekend or on different weekend mornings. Even if you can’t get back to sleep, just staying in bed reading, watching TV or just laying there will help you stay relaxed and rested.

One morning on and one morning off at the weekends means that you both know you’re going to get at least one lay in. It can really help with catching up on the sleep you miss and help you both feel more relaxed and get on better.

It can also help your ability to relax with each other knowing you’re both doing your bit for getting up and spending time with your baby. It avoids one feeling as if it’s always them getting up early in the morning while the other sleeps in and reduces feelings of resentment to the other partner.
 
Some research also suggests that it may be possible to balance out short sleep during the week with longer sleep on days off.  So, it’s definitely worth negotiating with your partner so that you can each catch up on missed sleep during the week with a weekend lie-in to compensate for those early starts during the week.