Wondering what to expect in your third week with a newborn? Here’s newborn schedule week 3.
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Congrats on making it to week 3 with your little one! You’re officially halfway through the first month and over the hardest part. You probably know at this point that no two days are the same with a newborn. Some days, they sleep like an angel and other days not so much. This week, you’re going to want to focus on those 8 minimum feedings, similarly to the last two weeks.
If baby is eating enough, and there are no underlying health conditions, he or she should also be sleeping a decent amount too. In the third week, your little one may also be able to stay awake a little longer as well, which means more playtime! If you’re breastfeeding, you may also notice that your baby has gotten more efficient at getting milk. It’s amazing.
This post is all about newborn schedule week 3.
General Tips
Feedings
In general, you can still expect your newborn baby to eat 8-12 times per day. Breastfed babies tend to eat more often than formula fed babies. In addition, looking for early hunger cues will help ensure that your baby is getting enough to eat. Early hunger cues include: lip smacking, rooting, and sucking on anything nearby.
Looking for early hunger cues will also encourage you to feed your little one on demand and not rely so much on scheduled feeds. Sometimes, baby may eat 1 ounce for one feeding then 3 ounces the next. So they may be ready to eat again in as little as 1 hour or as much as 3. Schedules are extremely helpful to reference but you always want to make sure you feed your little one whenever he or she shows any signs of hunger.
Diapers
Keeping track of wet and dirty diapers is a great way to ensure that your baby is getting enough to eat. You’ll want to keep looking for at least 3 yellow stools (may be a little brown if formula-fed) and 6 wet diapers per day.
Your baby may have more or less bowel movements than this but the key is consistent weight gain. We made sure to buy the diapers with a wetness indicator line, as well as a baby scale whenever we were in doubt. To ensure that we were getting those minimum wet and dirty diapers a day, the easiest way was to change diapers right after a nap and throughout the night if needed.
Sleep
You can still expect your baby to sleep 14-17 hours in a day, usually in 30 minute to 4 hour stretches. I would never let my baby take naps longer than 2-3 hours during the day because I wanted those longer stretches at night, but you have to do what works best for you. At the 2-3 week mark, the pediatrician may give you the go-ahead to let baby sleep longer than 4 hours at night if they’re back at their birth weight. Exactly what every new parent wants to hear.
It’s also normal for baby to have a later bed time in the newborn phase. Having a later bedtime can also help cut down nighttime feedings. Once baby gets a little older at around 3 months, that’s when you typically start earlier bedtimes because they will be taking less naps.
Playtime
After a diaper change and feeding session, you’ll notice that your little one can stay awake a little longer now. That’s perfect for doing something called tummy time for 10 minutes a day. I was never advised by my pediatrician to do tummy time with my daughter and I was so glad I came across it on the internet and by talking to other moms.
It’s one of the best ways to help your baby strengthen their neck and core muscles, and best of all, help them reach their milestones. Often times, you do tummy time without even realizing it. Doing it on a hard surface may be a little early at this point, but placing the baby, tummy down, on your chest counts.
Babies are made for human interaction. So some of our favorite ways to play with our daughter when we first brought her home were:
- Tummy time
- House tours
- Funny faces
- Talking
- Reading
- Singing
Growth Spurts
By the time week 3 rolls around your little one has likely gone through two growth spurts. But you can expect yet a third growth spurt at around 3 weeks old, if it hasn’t already happened. One of the best things we did in those early days was buy lots of inexpensive baby clothes because they outgrow them so fast. All babies grow at different rates though, but it’s a good idea to have those bigger sizes laying around just in case.
Another thing that happens during growth spurts is cluster feeding. It’s common for your baby to want to eat more often during a growth spurt, which is totally normal. It can occur at different times of the day and he or she could also be fussier and harder to calm down. So that’s another thing to keep an eye out for.
Doctor Visits
Your baby will have many check-ups before they turn 1. If your baby is healthy then these check-ups will be super quick. They are mainly for you as a parent for any questions you may have and to ease your mind about any concerns. They are also for vaccines, and for the doctor to ensure that your little one is on track to meet their milestones.
You’ve probably had one or two well-visits so far, with the next one being when baby is 1 month old. Hopefully you don’t have to go in anymore before that 1 month well-visit!
Newborn Schedule Week 3
Below is a sample newborn schedule for the third week. There’s a really, really, small chance that your baby will follow this schedule to a tee, so I would use it as a light reference. Key things to focus on at this point in time is number of feedings and total sleep. You got this!
Early Morning – 7:00 a.m.
- Feeding and diaper change, hygiene care if needed
- Waketime: 30 to 60 minutes
- Down for a nap
Mid-morning – 9:30 a.m.
- Feeding and diaper change, hygiene care if needed
- Waketime: 30 to 60 minutes
- Down for a nap
Afternoon – 12:00 p.m.
- Feeding and diaper change, hygiene care if needed
- Waketime: 30 to 60 minutes
- Down for a nap
Mid-afternoon – 2:30 p.m.
- Feeding and diaper change, hygiene care if needed
- Waketime: 30 to 60 minutes
- Down for a nap
Late Afternoon – 5:00 p.m.
- Feeding (cluster feeding may occur) and diaper change, hygiene care if needed
- Waketime: 30 to 60 minutes
- Down for a nap
Early Evening – 7:30 p.m.
- Feeding (cluster feeding may occur) and diaper change, hygiene care if needed
- Waketime: 30 to 60 minutes
- Down for a nap
Late Evening – 10:00 p.m.
- Feeding, bath or hygiene care, diaper change, down for sleep.
Let baby sleep up to 4 hours at night before waking to feed, unless doctor gives the go-ahead for longer stretches
Middle of the Night – 1:00 a.m.
- Feeding, diaper change if needed, and right back to sleep
Pre-morning – 4:00 a.m.
- Feeding, diaper change if needed, and right back to sleep
This post was all about newborn schedule week 3.
