When you have a baby, sleep is a big deal. Not only are you giving up sleep to make sure your baby stays fed, comfortable and healthy, you’re also paying close attention to your baby’s sleep. With this comes a lot of questions. What’s normal? When will my baby sleep through the night?
Over the course of their first year, your baby will begin to sleep longer and more deeply. But with all the growth and development that occurs in this first year, it helps to know what you can expect, and when. Keep reading to learn about newborns’ sleep habits, what sleep habits to expect at different ages and how you can help your baby form a more solid sleep schedule.
Newborns should be sleeping a lot
Newborns have a lot of growing to do, and they need a lot of sleep to do it. Generally, newborns sleep for around 16 of every 24 hours. It takes time for babies to learn the difference between day and night, so at first, their sleep is often evenly split between the two. They may sleep for 1-3 hours at a time, day and night, waking up for feedings and changings.
It’s important to note that your newborn’s sleep habits and the overall amount of time they spend sleeping will be unique to them. The physical size of their stomach, the rate at which their body processes food and how quickly they’re growing can impact how often they wake up and how much time they spend sleeping.
Babies’ sleep cycles are much shorter than adults’
When we sleep, we repeatedly move through a series of sleep stages that have different characteristics and depths. This is known as the sleep cycle. We move through three stages of increasingly deep non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep before reaching rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is lighter and involves more brain activity. The exact duration of the sleep cycle changes over the course of the night, but for adults it’s usually around 90 minutes.
By comparison, babies have a much shorter sleep cycle that takes around 40 minutes. They also spend much more of their sleep time in the REM stage than adults – around 50% versus 25%. This is because REM sleep is important for brain development and forming memories. In addition to waking up for food or a diaper change, it’s normal for babies to wake up as they move from deep sleep into lighter sleep.
Baby sleep schedules by age
In your baby’s first year, you’ll see them gradually start to get more of their sleep at night, sleep for longer periods without waking and become more active during the day. How quickly this happens varies from one baby to another, and there may be periods where your baby’s sleep patterns seem to regress. Here’s what you can generally expect at different ages:
- Newborn – During the first couple of months of their life, your baby may be sleeping around 16 hours a day, but they won’t sleep for long periods at a time. At night, you can expect them to sleep 1-3 hours between meals. During the day, your baby will nap whenever they want for however long they want – it could be a few minutes or a few hours.
- 2-4 months old – Your baby may sleep for 3-6 hours at a stretch during the night, waking twice to eat. During the day, they usually take three or four naps between 30 minutes and three hours in length. In total, they’ll sleep about 14-16 hours of sleep per day.
- 4-6 months old – At this point, baby may be sleeping 6-8 hours during the night, waking to feed only once. This is also when some babies noticeably start staying awake more, nearly as much as they’re asleep. Most babies this age need 12-15 hours of sleep, which they split between nighttime sleep and three naps.
- 6-8 months old – Around the half-year mark, many babies start sleeping through the night, 9-12 hours at a stretch. Babies this age still need 12-15 hours of sleep. But because they’re sleeping so much at night, they’ll likely only need one or two daytime naps to get the sleep they need.
- 8 months to 1 year old – At this point, babies will get most of their necessary sleep at night. They’ll sleep 10-12 hours a night and take one or two shorter naps during the day, for a total of 11-15 hours of sleep.
When to get your baby on a sleep schedule
Babies usually start to develop their circadian rhythm (mentally and physically distinguishing between day and night) when they’re around 2-3 months old. But they may not start sleeping through the night until they’re 4-6 months old. If you want to try specific strategies to develop your baby’s sleep schedule, it’s recommended that you wait until they’re at least in this 4- to 6-month range.
How to get your baby on a sleep schedule
There are a few key things you can do that may help your baby fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and develop a more mature sleep schedule. These include:
- Setting a routine – As with any kind of schedule, consistency matters. Putting your baby down at the same time every night is the first step in teaching them to associate nighttime with sleep. Putting them to bed when they’re showing signs of sleepiness can help build this association and give them opportunities to start self-soothing.
- Emphasizing day and night – Using your behavior to show what different time periods are for can help reinforce your baby’s budding circadian rhythm. During the day, be active, let a lot of light into your home and don’t be shy about making noise. At night, slow things down, be quieter and practice a calming bedtime ritual like a bath or reading aloud.
- Minimizing nighttime interaction – Even as they start sleeping for longer periods, it’s still normal for your baby to wake up during the night. To make it clear that nighttime is for sleep, try to address wakings with as little interaction as possible. Stay quiet and do only what you need to address the reason your baby woke up. If possible, leave the lights off and don’t take baby out of their crib.
Questions about your baby’s sleep? Talk with an expert
Every baby is different, and developing a sleep schedule isn’t necessarily a straight line. Your baby may reach certain milestones sooner or later than you expect. They may also go through periods where their sleep returns to what it was like in an earlier stage. If you have questions about what’s normal, or you’re noticing a sudden change in your baby’s sleep patterns, talk with a pediatrician. They can assess your baby’s health and history and make recommendations based on their specific needs.
