Baby sleep needs
Babies need sleep to grow and develop well. But babies’ sleep needs vary, just as the sleep needs of older children and adults do. Your baby might be doing well with more or less sleep than other babies the same age.
Your baby’s mood and wellbeing is often a good guide to whether your baby is getting enough sleep. If your baby is:
- wakeful and grizzly, they might need more sleep
- wakeful and contented, they’re probably getting enough sleep.
How baby sleep changes from 2 to 12 months
As they get older, babies:
- sleep less in the daytime
- are awake for longer between naps
- have longer night-time sleeps and wake less at night
- need less sleep overall.
2-3 months: what to expect from baby sleep
At this age, babies sleep on and off during the day and night. Most babies sleep for 14-17 hours in every 24 hours.
Young babies sleep in cycles that last 50-60 minutes. In young babies, each cycle is made up of active sleep and quiet sleep. Babies move around and grunt during active sleep, and sleep deeply during quiet sleep.
At the end of each cycle, babies wake up for a little while. They might grizzle or cry. They might need help to settle for the next sleep cycle.
At 2-3 months, babies start developing night and day sleep patterns. This means they tend to start sleeping more during the night.
Around 3 months: what to expect from baby sleep
Most babies still sleep for 14-17 hours in every 24 hours. But babies are now developing night and day sleep patterns.
Baby sleep cycles consist of:
- light sleep, when they wake easily
- deep sleep, when they’re sound asleep and very still
- dream sleep, when they’re dreaming.
Sleep cycles also get longer, which might mean less waking and resettling during sleep. At this age, some babies might regularly be having longer sleeps at night – for example, 4-5 hours.
3-6 months: what to expect from baby sleep
At this age, most babies sleep for 12-15 hours in every 24 hours.
Babies might start moving towards a pattern of 2-3 daytime sleeps of up to 2 hours each.
And night-time sleeps get longer at this age. For example, some babies might be having long sleeps of 6 hours at night by the time they’re 6 months old.
But you can expect that your baby will still wake at least once each night.
6-12 months: what to expect from baby sleep
Babies sleep less as they get older. By the time your baby is one year old, they’ll probably sleep for 11-14 hours in every 24 hours.
Sleep during the night
From about 6 months, most babies have their longest sleeps at night.
Most babies are ready for bed between 6 pm and 10 pm. They usually take less than 40 minutes to get to sleep, but some babies take longer.
At this age, baby sleep cycles are closer to those of grown-up sleep, which means less waking at night. So your baby might not wake you during the night, or waking might happen less often.
But many babies do wake during the night and need an adult to settle them back to sleep. Some babies do this 3-4 times a night.
Sleep during the day
At this age, most babies are still having 2-3 daytime naps that last for between 30 minutes and 2 hours.
6-12 months: other developments that affect sleep
From around 6 months, babies develop many new abilities that can affect their sleep or make it more difficult for them to settle to sleep:
- Babies learn to keep themselves awake, especially if something interesting is happening or they’re in a place with a lot of light and noise.
- Settling difficulties can happen at the same time as crawling or pulling to stand. You might notice your baby’s sleep habits changing when they start moving around more. This might happen because your baby gets into an uncomfortable position and needs your help to resettle.
- Babies learn that things exist, even when they’re out of sight. This means your baby knows you exist when you leave the bedroom, so they might call or cry out for you.
- Separation anxiety is when babies get upset because you’re not around. It might mean your baby doesn’t want to go to sleep and wakes up more often in the night. As babies mature, they gradually overcome this worry.
6-12 months: night-time feeding
From around 6 months of age, if your baby is growing and developing well, it’s OK to think about night weaning and phasing out night feeds. But if you’re comfortable with feeding your baby during the night, there’s no hurry to phase out night feeds.
You can choose what works best for you and your baby.
A rollover feed or ‘dream feed’ is a late feed between 10 pm and midnight. Some parents find that rollover feeds help babies sleep longer towards morning. A rollover feed involves gently rousing your baby and feeding them before you go to bed for the night. If this works for you and your baby, it’s fine to give your baby a rollover feed.
Concerns about baby sleep
If you’re concerned about your baby’s sleep, it can be a good idea to track your baby’s sleep for a week or so. This can help you get a clear picture of what’s going on.
You can do this by drawing up a simple chart with columns for each day of the week. Divide the days into hourly blocks, and colour the intervals when your baby is asleep. Keep your chart for 5-7 days.
Once completed, the chart will tell you things like:
- when and how much sleep your baby is getting
- how many times your baby is waking during the night
- how long your baby is taking to settle after waking.
You can also record how you tried to resettle your baby and what worked or didn’t work.
Then you can compare the information in your chart with the general information about baby sleep needs above:
- How does your child compare to other babies the same age? If your baby is wakeful and grizzly and getting much less sleep than others, your baby might need more opportunities for sleep.
- How many times is your baby over 6 months old waking up during the night? If it’s 3-4 times a night or more, you might be feeling very tired. You might want to think about phasing out some of your baby’s sleep habits.
If you decide you need to see a professional for help with your baby’s sleep, take your chart with you.
If you’re concerned about your baby’s sleep, it’s a good idea to see a child health professional for help. You could start by talking with your child and family health nurse or GP.
How baby sleep patterns affect grown-ups
Babies and grown-ups need sleep for wellbeing, but babies sleep differently from adults. Most parents of babies under 6 months of age get up in the night to feed and settle their babies. For many, this keeps going after 6 months.
Some parents are OK with getting up a lot at night as long as they have enough support and they can catch up on sleep at other times. For others, getting up in the night over the long term has a serious effect on them and their family lives.
The quality of your sleep can affect your health and your mood. Being exhausted can make it hard to give your baby positive attention during the day. And your relationship with your baby and the time and attention you give baby during the day can affect the quality and quantity of your baby’s sleep.
So it’s important to get help if you’re not getting enough sleep. You could start by asking family or friends for help. And if you feel that lack of sleep is affecting you mentally or emotionally, it’s a good idea to talk with your GP or another health professional.
There’s a strong link between baby sleep difficulties and symptoms of postnatal depression in women and postnatal depression in men. But the link isn’t there if parents of babies with sleep difficulties are getting enough sleep themselves.
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