Many first-time moms do not have any clues about the sleeping habits of their newborn baby. They do not even know whether the baby sleeps for the required number of hours or whether the baby is sleeping less. While the sleeping habits of each and every baby are different but there is a general blueprint which you can easily observe. We will today share with you a simple guide which you can follow in order to know more about the sleeping habits of your baby.
Newborns
Newborns typically sleep anywhere between 16 to 18 hours. The sleep is divided into 6 to 7 cycles. This is because the newborn infant is not able to distinguish between the day and night cycle. That is why they sleep indiscriminately. Whether in a car or in a slightly noisy surroundings, they could still sleep soundly. Moreover, you have to feed them regularly since they have a very small tummy. Owing to this very factor, they can easily wake up every 2 hours because of hunger.
One month old
A one-month-old baby can sleep anywhere between 16 to 17 hours. The sleeping cycle is divided again into 4 or 5 naps. Out of the 8 to 9 hours, most of it is in the daytime. This is why one-month-old can sleep up to 7 hours during the daytime. Around 9 to 10 hours of sleep is during night time. The key is to make the night time feeds are quite affair so that the baby is able to sleep easily.
3 months old
A 3-month-old baby can sleep anywhere between 17 hours. Of this, up to 5 hours is in the daytime. The rest is during night time. Also, the nap size increases and the child sleeps up to 12 hours only in 2 to 3 naps. This ensures that the child will sleep longer during the daytime and during the night time.
6 months
By 6 months, the child sleeps up to 14 to 15 hours. The numbers of naps are just 2 to 3. The sleep duration of the nap increases. Also, the appetite increases and that is why there are more chances that the child might wake up during the night. After the feed, however, the child is more likely to sleep for a longer period of time. This ensures that you are able to get some rest at night as. By 6 months, the child primarily sleeps during the night time. The daytime duration is just around 3 hours. As a result, parents will be able to get some sleep.
9 months
The total sleeping time by 9 months is around 13 hours. The number of naps are just 2. This is the time period when the growth happens. During this time period, the brain of the baby is pretty busy to process each and every information. That is why; the baby might wake up in between sleep. However, this phase is pretty short and can only last for a couple of weeks.
12 months
The duration of sleep by 12 months is around 13 hours. The nap frequency is also one or two. If your baby has started walking by then, he or she might be exhausted and might sleep even more. The night sleeping time is around 11 hours with only a couple of hours during the daytime.
18 months
The sleeping time especially the night sleeping time again increases by this age up to 14 hours. However, the daytime sleep decreases to only 1.5 hours. That too, in a single nap. On certain days, the nap frequency might increase but generally speaking, only a single nap is needed during the daytime.
So, if you’re confused about the sleeping habits of your baby, this is a general guide which you can refer. It will help you understand the sleeping cycles of the baby and how the sleeping habits of the baby will change over a period of time.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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