The First-Week Sleep Shifts Card
Free. Two parents, two protected sleep blocks: a simple shift plan, a tiny log and a note on when to ask for help, for the first weeks with a baby.
By Whole Life HQ1 part · about 700 words · printable · read online
Who it's for
New parents, or parents to be, who want a simple way to share nights so each of them gets one protected block of sleep. Free.
What you receive
- The first-week sleep shifts card
See inside
The first 3 pages, as they print.
Look inside
The first page, word for word. 1 printable page in total.
Part 1: The first-week sleep shifts card
In the first weeks with a new baby, nobody gets a normal night. The aim is not perfect sleep. It is one protected block of sleep for each parent, so you can both keep going. This card helps you plan it in about ten minutes, ideally before the baby comes or in the first days home.
Sleep with a newborn is broken up by feeding and care, and that is normal. This is a way to share the load, not a promise of more sleep.
The idea: one anchor block each
Pick a block of about four hours in the evening or overnight when one parent is off duty completely. Earplugs in, phone away, door shut if you can. The other parent is on duty for the baby.
Then swap. Over a full night, each parent gets one longer stretch.
Choose your shifts
Fill in the one that suits your household.
Example for two parents (adjust to your baby's feeding times)
- Parent A is off duty from 8 p.m. to midnight. Parent B is on duty.
- Parent B is off duty from 12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m. Parent A is on duty.
- From 5 a.m., share the morning and nap when you can.
Downloads included
1 printable page: see the list
- Part 1: The first-week sleep shifts card
They open in your library, and you can print them, once they are yours.
Who wrote it
Written by the Whole Life HQ team.
Not yet reviewed by an outside expert. It is general information, not professional advice.
General information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before changing your exercise, eating or sleep, or if something worries you. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline). In an emergency call 911.
How you get it
- Opens nowOpens straight away, no card needed.
- Any devicePhone, tablet or computer. Print it if you like paper.
- Yours to keepIt stays in your account, and you can come back any time.
