Every sleep-deprived parent longs for the point when their baby begins to sleep through the night. If the lack of nighttime sleep resonates with you, or if you have questions about your baby's sleep schedule, you are not alone. In fact, 85% of questions sent to baby experts through a phone app assessed by researchers were about sleep, bedtime, and nighttime waking.
This data suggests that not only are parents concerned about sleep but also that they may not know what to expect when it comes to baby sleep schedules. These unknowns create added pressure and confusion for exhausted parents. But when it comes to sleeping through the night, each baby is as unique as their DNA.
For better or worse, sleeping through the night is achieved only after key developmental processes take place.
For instance, babies will start sleeping more when they have a reduced need for frequent feedings, experience melatonin production, develop sleep-wake circadian rhythms, and receive clear social and environmental cues from caregivers. This usually happens by baby's first birthday, when solid foods have been introduced and a nighttime sleep schedule is usually established.
So, rest assured, this lack of sleep that you are experiencing right now is only temporary. As babies grow and develop, they start to sleep for longer chunks of time at night and are awake more during the day. Once this occurs, you will be able to get longer periods of sleep at night too.
The Truth About Babies and Nighttime SleepWhile in the womb, your baby was asleep most of the time and received a steady stream of nourishment around the clock. But all of that drastically changed the moment your baby was born. Suddenly, your little one had to learn how to be awake and eat on their own.
That's a lot for a newborn to accomplish, and it takes time. Eating and sleeping dominate your baby's (unpredictable) schedule as all the developmental changes that they need to survive and thrive in the outside world take place.
As babies burn through calories and nutrients, their hunger wakes them up. In the beginning, this happens frequently, around the clock.
A newborn consumes only about 40 to 80 calories per feeding. This means a newborn will need six to eight feedings per day, on average, resulting in a sleep schedule that cycles every two to four hours—even at night. Sleeping through the night is not only an unrealistic expectation for a newborn. It's an unhealthy one, too.
By the second month, babies can consume 100 to 120 calories per feeding. By the third and fourth month, that rises to 120 to 140 calories. These increases in calories per feed reduce the number of daily feedings babies need and increase their capacity for longer periods of sleep at night.
Keep in mind that these are just approximations, not milestones that your baby needs to reach. If your baby is a month old and is still not sleeping four hours at night, try not to worry. It's important to respond to your baby's hunger cues. Between daytime naps and nighttime sleep, your baby should be consistently getting a healthy amount of sleep for their age and developmental stage.
As a new parent, do your best to resist the urge to compare your baby's sleep habits to others. Every baby develops and grows at their own rate. Don't put the added pressure on yourself to achieve that sleep-through-the-night milestone. As long as your baby is eating well and growing, you probably have nothing to worry about. Your pediatrician can advise you if something is wrong.
What Sleeping Through the Night MeansIn addition to new parent concerns, many parents aren't even sure what it means for a baby to sleep through the night. According to sleep experts, sleeping through the night means different things depending on your baby's age. "Sleeping through the night" for a 3-month-old is different from that of a 10-month-old.
Generally speaking, your baby will start sleeping through the night when the natural wake-sleep cycle begins to stabilize. Instead of waking every two to four hours at night to eat, your baby may sleep for five hours at night, wake to eat, and then sleep another two or three hours. Additionally, time spent awake during the day may grow longer.
Sleep experts find that by 6 months of age, consolidated nighttime sleep patterns, which include at least six consecutive hours, are seen in over half of the infant population in studies. And by 9 to 12 months of age, 72% of infants sleep at least six consolidated hours at night.
Keep in mind that to be physiologically able to sleep for longer durations, your baby needs an ability to store calories to fuel nighttime growth processes.
This increased calorie consumption occurs when your baby can not only handle larger feedings but also store fat and carbohydrates. But resist the urge to rush this process and overfeed your baby. If your baby is uncomfortable or experiences reflux, this will interfere with sleep, too.
Another physiological process that needs to take place is the production and nighttime release of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Once this occurs, your baby will start sleeping more at night.
In the meantime, promote nighttime sleep by reducing artificial light, noise, and physical stimulation closer to bedtime. Establishing a bedtime routine and providing consistent cues that it's time for bed also support your baby's ability to sleep through the night. But even though these cues are helpful and important, babies usually don't sleep through the night until they are biologically ready.
If you're like most parents, you long for the day when your baby is on a sleep schedule. After all, your life will become more predictable and manageable when things are consistent. But until that time, it's important to recognize that there are certain milestones your baby will need to reach before that can happen.
And while there are some general timeframes when you can expect your baby to sleep longer stretches at a time, it's important to recognize that every baby is different. For instance, some babies will start sleeping a four- to five-hour stretch at night within the first couple of months, while others may take six months to reach this milestone.
Birth to 3 MonthsIn the early months of your baby's life, it's important to allow them to set the schedule. Sleep training shouldn't really take place until your baby is at least 3 to 6 months old.
A newborn baby can sleep up to 19 hours a day, although the National Sleep Foundation recommends 14 to 17 hours. This sleep is often broken up into two- or three-hour stretches, waking briefly to eat and then going back to sleep.
By 1 month old, babies may start to sleep for 14 hours a day and will likely have one long stretch in the first part of the night of at least four or five hours, followed by waking up and eating every two or three hours.
By the time some infants reach this age, they are beginning to have more consolidated blocks of sleep at night with three or four naps during the day. In fact, by 3 months or 4 months of age, your baby should be sleeping a total of 13 hours with as many as six to eight of those hours at night.
Infants of this age typically should be able to sleep through the night and take two or three naps during the day. At 6 months, babies generally sleep about 12.5 hours total, with up to nine of those hours at night.
9 to 12 MonthsBy 9 months, many babies are sleeping a total of 12 hours a day, including about nine hours at night, and taking two naps during the day. Then, by 12 months, their nighttime sleep may have increased to 10 hours at night with one or two naps during the day.
