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Babies and Sleep
- Baby sleep patterns change rapidly during the first year, with sleep gradually becoming more consolidated at night.
- Newborns may sleep anywhere from about 11 to 19 hours per day, while older infants generally need fewer total hours as they grow.
- Consistent bedtime routines and day-night cues can help babies develop more predictable sleep patterns over time.
- Safe sleep practices, including using a firm, flat sleep surface and keeping loose bedding out of the crib, are essential throughout infancy.
A baby’s first year of life is filled with a great number of milestones. Sleeping through the night on a regular basis may be one that parents look forward to the most.
It can take some time for parents to adjust to a new baby’s sleep routine and learn how to help ensure their baby is getting a healthy amount of sleep. It’s natural to have questions about what is considered normal sleeping habits and what changes might occur over the first 12 months of your child’s life.
How Much Sleep Do Babies Need?
Sleep patterns will change over the first year of a baby’s life, including the number of hours of sleep needed and the duration of sleep periods throughout the day and night .
- 0 to 4 months: Sleep needs of newborns vary widely and can range from as few as 11 hours to as many as 19 hours in a 24-hour day, broken into shorter periods to accommodate feeding, diaper changes, and interaction with their family. Parents shouldn’t worry if their newborn’s sleep pattern doesn’t match the projections, as these amounts can vary before the first four months.
- 4 to 6 months: Starting at around 4 months of age, an infant’s daily sleep needs drop to 12 to 16 hours. Around this time, sleep also starts consolidating into longer periods as babies are able to go longer without feeding. Sometime during this period is when most babies start to sleep through the night, though there are exceptions to the rule.
- 6 to 12 months: From 6 months onward, babies do the bulk of their sleeping at night. However, other issues such as teething, growth spurts, illnesses, or sleep regressions may start leading to nighttime awakenings. Parents may opt to use more specific sleep-training strategies if babies aren’t sleeping through the night at this stage.
How to Help Your Baby Get to Sleep (and Stay Asleep)
Setting a consistent routine is key to helping your baby learn to sleep through the night. During the first few months, your baby’s sleep schedule will largely be dictated by their eating pattern. However, as they grow, they’ll be able to go longer and longer between feedings. At this point, you can start to adhere to a day-night schedule.
Sleep Training
An important part of developing healthy sleeping habits for your baby includes teaching them to fall asleep on their own. Many babies find it soothing to be rocked or cuddled, but it’s best to put your baby to bed before they actually fall asleep. This way they will be less anxious if they wake up during the night and you are not there, and they will be more likely to fall back asleep without needing your help.
What to Do if Your Baby Isn’t Sleeping Well
Every baby is different, so don’t fret if your baby isn’t following all the rules. While it’s normal for newborns to wake up multiple times throughout the night, don’t hesitate to talk to your pediatrician if you have questions about your baby’s sleep patterns.
If your baby wakes up crying and doesn’t fall back asleep after a few minutes, they might be hungry, uncomfortable, or need their diaper changed. Quickly and quietly take care of their needs, using a nightlight instead of the overhead light if possible. Using a lamp with a red light bulb is beneficial for infants in the newborn period because they cannot see the red light waves but the caregiver can see clearly to change the diaper or feed. You may soothe an anxious baby by patting them or saying a few reassuring words, but try not to take them out of the crib unless it’s strictly necessary.
Giving your baby plenty of love and attention during the day and encouraging them to be independent at night may ease the separation anxiety that many babies start to feel around the 6-month mark. Your baby may also feel more comfortable with a pacifier.
Sleep Regressions
It’s not uncommon for babies to revert to an erratic sleep schedule occasionally. These sleep regressions are a normal (and often temporary) part of healthy infancy and can happen due to teething, illness, growth spurts, changing nap times, or when they are learning new skills such as how to talk or walk.
If you’re a new parent, you’ll know firsthand how difficult it is to soothe a baby to sleep when you yourself are feeling sleep-deprived. Many caregivers find that the best time to grab a few winks is when the baby is sleeping, even if this means napping during the day. Don’t be afraid to reach out to family and friends for help taking care of the baby if you feel overwhelmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do babies sleep through the night?
Babies may begin to sleep through the night at as early as 4 months of age, but the timing of this milestone varies widely. Newborns sleep much of the day and night, but usually in one- to two-hour increments
.
Babies typically become capable of following a day/night sleep schedule between 4 and 6 months of age, but sleep disturbances and wakeups for feeding are still common. The age when the child begins to sleep through the night depends on a number of factors, such as their ability to self-soothe. By the age of 1, many babies are able to sleep eight to nine hours through the night.
When can babies sleep with a blanket?
While there’s no official recommended age for when it’s safe to let a baby sleep with a blanket, most experts say that blankets and other objects pose less risk to healthy babies after the age of 1
.
Before this age, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that infants sleep without blankets, soft objects, or other loose items. Putting these items in the sleeping area may increase the risk of suffocation or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
. To keep babies under the age of 1 warm, experts recommend layering clothes or dressing the baby in a wearable blanket instead
.
When can babies sleep on their stomach?
It’s best to wait until babies can roll from back to stomach and stomach to back on their own before letting them sleep on their stomach. Many babies can roll at least one way by 6 months, but the timing varies
.
Stomach sleeping is a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
and may also increase the risk of babies overheating, rebreathing air that has already been exhaled, or getting less oxygen to the brain
. Even if babies can roll, you should still put them to sleep on their back. If they can only roll one way, you can reposition them to their back when they roll onto their stomach while sleeping.
Why do babies smile in their sleep?
Research suggests that babies smile during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep and that these smiles are spontaneous reflexes unrelated to social experience. Newborns spend around half of their sleep in REM, which may explain why these smiles are common during their first few months . Around 2 months of age, babies begin to smile when they’re awake as a result of social interaction and the reflexive smiles during sleep become less common .
Why do babies sleep so much?
Research suggests that newborn babies may sleep long hours in order to aid the rapid brain development that takes place at this age. For the first 2 months of life, babies sleep from 14 to 17 hours each day, with no differentiation between night and day. They spend around half of this time in REM sleep, which research suggests plays a vital role in brain development and memory creation. Some research also suggests that infants may be actively processing external stimuli and learning about their environment during REM sleep .
Can babies sleep on their side?
No. The AAP recommends that babies be placed only on their backs for sleep because side and stomach sleeping may increase the risk of SIDS. Studies have found that placing babies on their side to sleep increases the chances that the infants will roll onto their stomach, which carries the highest risk for SIDS . Once babies can roll on their own in both directions, they may sleep on their side if they choose. However, they should still initially be placed on their back to sleep.
Why do babies fight sleep?
Babies may fight sleep for a variety of reasons, including separation anxiety, new abilities to move and control their environment, overstimulation before bed, or long late-afternoon naps. Separation anxiety is a normal stage of development that usually resolves by age 2
.
A calm, nightly bedtime routine may help prevent overstimulation before bed and ease the transition to sleep. Babies who are used to being held or rocked to sleep at night may also develop problems falling asleep without help. Experts suggest placing babies in the crib or bassinet when they are drowsy but still awake to help babies learn to fall asleep on their own.
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Danielle Pacheco is a writer and researcher specializing in sleep health and sleep science. She holds a degree in psychology from the University of British Columbia, where she studied the science of sleep.
Dr. Vyas is a pediatrician and founder of Sleepless in NOLA. She specializes in helping parents establish healthy sleep habits for children.
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