Baby Sleep Requirements
As a new mother, you probably will wonder whether your baby is sleeping enough, or sleeping too much. There are guidelines of what to expect, but of course these can vary from baby to baby. Even if you've had children before, each baby will be different.
Newborn babies usually sleep about 16-22 hours in a 24-hour period. Most babies will not sleep through the night until they're at least 3 months old. There are several reasons why. First of all, their stomachs are very small and they'll get hungry faster, especially if you're breastfeeding your baby. Breast milk is much more easily digested than formula, and your baby will need to feed more often, especially in the beginning.
Babies also have shorter sleep cycles than adults do and have shorter dream cycles. In general, though, a newborn baby should sleep about 8 or 9 hours during the day and 8 hours or so at night. These won't be in 8-hour cycles, of course. In the beginning, those sleep times will be very short.
As the baby gets older, up to about 2 years of age, she'll still be sleeping 11-15 hours, but the amount of daytime sleep will diminish month-by-month. By age 2, your baby should be sleeping through the night with a 2-hour nap during the day. Again, this will vary by child. Your baby might need a slightly longer nap or two short naps. At this age though, try to discourage naps too late in the afternoon, as this can make it harder to get them to sleep a few hours later at bed time.
Once a baby begins to regularly sleep through the night, parents are often dismayed when he/she begins to awaken in the night again. This typically happens at about 6 months of age and is often a normal part of development called separation anxiety, when a baby does not understand that separations are temporary.
The table below shows the approx. amount of sleep that babies should be getting. This is just a guideline and don't be discouraged if your baby does not fall within this guide.
| Age | Total Hours of Sleep Needed Per Day (Which includes naps) |
| 1 - 15 Days | 16 to 22 Hours |
| 3 Weeks | 16 to 18 Hours |
| 6 Weeks | 15 to 16 Hours |
| 4 - 7 Months | 14 to 16 Hours |
| 8 - 11 Months | 13 to 16 Hours |
| 1 Year | 11 to 15 Hours |
Sleep issues 4-7 months
Your baby should start sleeping through the night at about 3 months. But babies are learning and observing all the time and your baby could soon start to associate sleep time with time that mommy isn't there. It's called separation anxiety and it's a normal part of development for many babies. But it can be especially trying for parents, as babies can be particularly strong-willed, especially about bedtime!
You may be introducing some baby foods at this time, and this can help your baby feel sleepy. Remember to introduce new patterns gently and slowly. If the baby isn't going to sleep or keeps waking up and crying for you, then she needs to learn to self-comfort, but not all at once. Ease her into the habit of sleeping alone.
Don't change your rituals at bedtime. You can still start out with a warm bath and feeding. Rocking and snuggling, singing or reading - these are all bonding times for mother and baby. If the baby doesn't fall asleep right away, try putting her in her crib with the rocker or glider right next to the crib, singing or reading to her. You can stand at the crib and rub or pat her back.
In a week or two, move the chair a short distance away from the crib, so the baby can see you. You can talk or read or sing. If she cries for more than 10 or 15 minutes, then get up and comfort her, but put her back down in the crib and go back to your chair.
In another week or two, move the chair farther away, towards the door. Even these minor changes could be hard for your baby, but be patient. This is a time when you can fold her laundry and put it away, talking to her, so she's aware of your presence, but your attention isn't focused entirely on her. This way baby can get used to the idea of separation gradually.
Sleep issues 8-12 months
At the ages of 8-12 months, your baby will begin to need less sleep during the day and should be regularly sleeping through the night. But there's also much more activity and stimulation during the day - babies are eating up the world at this stage, they're learning so much.
If you're feeding him or her baby food during the day, and decreasing bottles, make the last bottle feeding at nighttime. You can also have a bottle in the night to soothe him if he wakes up. Babies are teething at this time as well, and that can cause them to wake up in discomfort. You may be weaning the baby from breastfeeding, and that can be a difficult transition as well.
There are different schools of thought on handling babies who are a challenge to get to sleep. Some recommend letting the baby cry it out, but this is hard on the parents, especially on mom who may have been comforting and bonding with the baby all day long. It can seem cruel to just let the baby cry himself to sleep. He's just a little guy, after all.
Take extra care at this time to make sure the nursery is conducive to sleeping. Make sure his diaper is clean and his sheets are clean and soft. If he's teething, use a topical pain treatment that's safe for the baby. Make sure his nose is clear and not stuffy. If you use a foam wedge to keep the baby from sleeping on his stomach, sleep with a spare one night and then put that in his bed so that your scent is close to him at night.
Make sure the room isn't too cold or too hot; keep a humidifier in the room to maintain a good moisture balance, especially in the winter when rooms can dry out. Your baby just might be stubborn about sleeping, but try to figure out if there are physical problems that you can alleviate first.
Sleep issues 1-2 years old
As your baby gets older and turns into a toddler, they'll start to need less sleep during the day, but about 11 hours or so at night. You'll be transitioning to fewer naps and even a cranky tired baby can have difficulty getting to sleep.
If your child will to go to bed only if you're around, he's forming a bad habit that will be hard to break later. The best lesson you can teach your baby is how to soothe itself to sleep. Follow a nightly bedtime ritual (bath, books, and bed, for example) so baby knows what's expected of him and what to expect at night. You can tell baby that if he or she stays in bed you'll come back in five minutes to check on him. Let the little one know that he's safe and that you'll be nearby.
Toddlers are great negotiators, and they're no different when it comes to bedtime. And because they so enjoy the time they spend with you, they'll do what they can to prolong the time they have with you. Your child may take his time doing his usual nightly routine, ask repeatedly for a glass of water, or keep requesting that you come to his room because he needs something. If you suspect he's stalling, don't let him. Tell him it's time for bed and that he can finish working on his art project the next day or find the stuffed bunny the following morning. Make the nighttime routine more 'business like' when you kiss your baby and tuck him/her in. Don't wait around for your baby to fuss. Just leave and close the door and wait about ten minutes before you go back in the room.
Sometimes it's just a battle for control. Your toddler wants to control his environment as much as possible. You can't force him to fall asleep. Try reverse psychology and tell him he doesn't have to go to sleep, but can play in his crib. Eventually, he'll fall asleep on his own.
Sleep methods
There are many different methods from the "experts" on dealing with sleep problems in your developing baby and child. Again, do what works best for you and what you feel comfortable with.
The Ferber method involves letting the baby cry herself to sleep, on the theory that if you're firm about bed time, baby will learn how to comfort him or herself to sleep. This doesn't mean just plunking the baby down in the crib and walking away. It differs from what you may already be doing in that it encourages you to put the baby in the crib while still awake, so the baby gets used to falling asleep without you. But this might also mean letting your baby cry it out for a few weeks. This can be stressful for everyone in the household.
Another method is the controlled crying method. Again, this involves your usual bedtime rituals of a bath, perhaps a snack and a story, rocking and cuddling. Put your baby in the crib and kiss baby goodnight. If your baby starts to cry, wait 10 to 15 minutes before going in to comfort. Try to resist picking your baby up, just shush baby quietly and pat your baby on the back. Some experts suggest not talking, as this can reinforce the waking and crying behavior. You want to reassure your baby that you're there, but you still want to encourage sleeping.
After the first half hour of crying, increase the intervals before you check on the baby by a few minutes each time, up to about 15 to 20 minutes between checking. This can take some time, and can be trying on your nerves, but in time, your baby will learn that you're not going away and that you're nearby. This teaches your baby self-comforting, but also gives your baby the confidence and security that you're there.
Naptime
A new baby needs a lot of sleep and when they're not sleeping, they can be hungry or need a diaper change. It's a little hard to know in the beginning what's making your baby cry or if he's tired. But as you both begin to settle into your routines, you'll begin to notice the cues that your baby needs to nap. You want to make sure your baby gets in good naps during the day and at appropriate times so that you won't have as much trouble getting baby to sleep at night.
Even a very small baby will rub its eyes when getting tired. Baby will yawn; perhaps he'll get fussy. As children get a little older, their activity levels may pick up as they get tired and try to avoid sleep.
Try to keep to regular nap times during the day. If you're baby is napping 3 times a day, then a mid-morning, early afternoon and late-afternoon nap is appropriate for a baby with a 7:30 or 8 PM bed time.
Often babies get tired towards dinner time, and then parents are faced with a dilemma. Do you let the baby sleep and risk not getting to sleep at bedtime? Or you do you try to keep baby awake through dinner and perhaps put baby to bed a little bit earlier?
Most parents will opt for trying to keep the baby awake a little longer in favor of keeping to a regular bed time. But if it's been a busy day for the little one, let your baby have a very short nap and then wake your baby up gently for dinner or a feeding and some light play before putting them to bed for the night. Remember to make rituals for naps as well as bed time so your baby gets used to sleeping at regular times.
Nighttime help
There's only so much one person (or two) can do to get a baby to go to sleep. There are things you can use other than your own shoulder to help lull your baby to sleep.
A baby swing can be a good idea and leave your hands free. Set the swing at a slow and gentle rock; you don't want this to be an exciting or stimulating experience. You want to make it relaxing so your baby can fall asleep.
A glider or rocker is restful for both of you. And a good pillow support, like a Boppy' pillow is good for late-night breast feeding. It's a nice U-shaped pillow that provides good support for your baby, as well as for your back.
A motorized cradle or bassinette can also be soothing for a baby. As a last resort, you can always bundle the baby into his car seat and drive around the neighborhood until he falls asleep. Many experts don't recommend artificial aids like this however, as it's impossible to sustain it and you won't get the baby used to sleeping on his own.
There are also many ambient noise machines on the market that can also help mask household noises and provide a soothing environment for the baby (and for many adults). You can usually set them for a variety of noises, like rainfall, wind chimes or ocean sounds. You can also leave the TV on quietly in another room or play some classical music very softly so the baby doesn't feel completely isolated in his room.