| I’ll never forget pushing my two-week-old son in a stroller when a neighbor asked, “Is he sleeping through the night?” In my sleep-deprived state, I interpreted this to mean that something was wrong because he was up at all hours.
Turns out, it’s perfectly normal for babies to wake up at night throughout their first year. Sleep maturation, like cognitive and motor development, takes time. Knowing when your baby will reach normal sleep milestones can minimize unnecessary worry and keep this challenging time in perspective.
The First Six Weeks
Rocking and holding may soothe your newborn but it won’t help him sleep longer or more regularly. He needs to eat frequently and his brain cannot yet differentiate between night and day.
So during these first few weeks, focus on keeping yourself and your baby well rested. For you this means forgoing housework and visitors for naps and an early bedtime.
“Keep your infant's intervals of wakefulness short,” says Marc Weissbluth, M.D., author of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. “Infants shouldn’t be awake for more than two hours at a time. Some need to sleep again after only forty-five minutes to an hour.”
Twelve to Sixteen Weeks
By now, your baby resembles the smiling, interactive gnome in the Pampers commercials. His sleep has changed too because his pineal gland is producing the sleep hormone Melatonin. This helps him sleep longer stretches, particularly in the early evening.
Naps are also more predictable. According to Weissbluth, many babies this age nap two or three times a day around 9 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 4 p.m. and are ready for bed between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Remember, all babies sleep differently. Some conk out by 8:00 a.m. others rumba until 9:30 a.m. So watch your child, not the clock.
Tired babies yawn, rub their eyes, fuss and stare into space. Whenever possible, put your child to sleep at the first sign of fatigue in a darkened, semi-quiet room with minimal distractions. Because at four months, the saying “babies can sleep anywhere and through anything” doesn’t always apply.
Months Six through Twelve
Many six-month-olds feed twice a night and take two or three naps a day. If your baby has dropped his third nap, consider an earlier bedtime between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
“Babies need an early bedtime,” says Mary Gottesman, PhD, RN, CPNP, associate professor of nursing at The Ohio State University in Columbus. “A consistent bedtime routine and placing them in the crib drowsy but awake helps them fall asleep on their own.”
By nine months, healthy babies can sleep ten to thirteen hours without food. If your baby is still waking up, it could be habit. Your pediatrician can suggest ways, besides nursing or a bottle, to soothe your little night owl back to sleep.
Happy First Birthday Baby!
Chances are your one-year-old is sleeping through the night and taking two naps a day (hooray!). Somewhere between twelve and twenty months, however, many children outgrow their morning nap and sleep only in the afternoon. Just when you thought you had a sleep routine you could count on, it changes. Welcome to parenthood.
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