When Do Babies Sleep Through The Night Naturally?
New parents ask the question with a sleep depraved gaze: When can my baby sleep through the night naturally?
Parents rejoice after they begin sleeping through the night and should celebrate this festive occasion.
A survey from Healthline found that new parents lose an average of 109 minutes of sleep every night after having a baby.
That’s over an hour and a half of sleep every night! Most moms and dads only get an average of 5-6 hours nightly the study reflects.
In this article, we discuss a baby sleep schedule, an infant sleep aid and baby sleep regression patterns. Take back your 109 minutes of lost sleep.
Baby Sleep Schedule
Sleep patterns will be unique to every baby.
Certain factors and the age of the child can slightly adjust the amount of sleep your new family member gets.
There is a generalized guideline of natural sleep development seen in infants.
A typical baby sleep chart in the first year looks similar to this:
0-2 Months (14-18 hours a day)
Some relaxing techniques could be swaddling, baby sleeping music or white noise machine. Baby colic may hinder sleep times.
Dealing with fussiness can be a drag but you power through like the champion you are.
2-4 Months (14-15 hours a day)
There should be a few daily naps. Watch for 3 month sleep regression. The longest period of sleep can run from 6-8 hours according to Webmd.
Sleeping patterns begin to surface during this phase.
4-8 Months (12-14 hours a day)
The day starts around 6am. Be on the lookout for signs of teething. Nap frequency will downgrade from 3 to 2.
Biological rhythms are maturing and napping still plays a vital role during this time.
8-12 Months (12-14 hours a day)
Bedtime starts around 7-9pm and babies can sleep 7-10 hours at night. Glory Hallelujah, a new parent can now sleep through the night.
Daytime naps vary in length but after a full night sleep, time to throw a sleep party.
Your baby sleep schedule can begin to vary as your child goes through sleep regression and the normal sleeping patterns can be disturbed.
RELATED: Online Sleep Classes for Babies
Baby Sleep Patterns
Newborns differ as they grow out of infancy and into becoming a toddler.
A child between 1-2 years old can sleep 11-14 hours per day. A 2-5 year old typically sleeps 10-13 hours in a day.
In the first 0-12 months, to calculate for prematurity in sleep development on your child’s age based on baby due date, rather than the actual birthdate.
Not all babies grow the same way, at the same time and under the same conditions equally. This is a way to calculate for variables.
Outside conditioning plays a role as does a myriad of other things.
Baby sleep patterns can fluctuate by months. No need to get discouraged or concerned if something doesn’t match up with current scenarios.
A Baby Sleep Cycle
Infants are developing the natural circadian rhythm in the body.
And these little future melatonin factories are going to need all the sleep they can get while they spring up through puberty.
That's pretty far in the future but still. The first few months of life they’ll be napping a lot.
For every hour or two of awake time, there’ll be an hour or two of napping.
After 2 month old mark naps will taper down to 2-3 per day.
After 12 months, the morning and evening nap will subside and kids will nap once per day. Slow and steady wins the race.
RELATED: Sleep Regression Stages
Baby Sleep Patterns and Training
Knowing in advance your baby sleep patterns can be training for seamless transition through the sleeping phases.
Knowing makes it easier than if unaware of the upcoming sleep wave behavior.
Your child’s sleep patterns are forming to their own unique circadian rhythms.
Baby sleep training can prepare new parents for the sleeping patterns of child # 2 or 3 (if you decide to expand your family).
Learn innovative ways to get your baby to sleep better and longer. Sharpen the skill of knowledge and self-discipline.
Provide your infant with the best baby sleep possible.
Aid in the development of their cognitive and musculoskeletal functions as they grow. Napping needs may be different for all infants but high quality baby sleep is attainable.
Baby Sleeping Habits
Sleep habits are crucial for maintaining a regular bedtime sleep schedule.
This is not the easiest task but try to remain consistent as much as possible.
Create a nighttime routine for your child. This will ease the transition to bedtime. Less struggle, less pushback.
Use the B3 method - bath, book and bed.
Have them take a bath. Then read them a story or chapter from their favorite book before tucking them into bed for the evening.
Consistency is key. Make a routine that works for you.
This is an easy way to remain ahead of the game. Their bodies begin to become accustom to becoming sleepy around the same time daily, watch.
It only takes 30 days to form a habit.
Infant Sleep Aid
At approximately 6 months old, parents can begin a self-soothing activity to help baby fall back to sleep on their own.
If they start crying at night, try this infant sleep aid tip.
First, go and check on them to make sure they’re not too cold or hot.
Second, don’t just take them out of their baby crib.
Third, stroke their forehead and talk to them softly to let them know you’re there.
Helping your baby teach themselves to fall back asleep on their own will benefit them and you.
Every extra minute of shut eye counts. Every new parent’s favorite gift to receive is more sleep. It’s tragic how much sleep new parents lose.
An infant sleep aid could be as simple as a baby white noise machine or smart bassinet that automatically rocks baby back to sleep.
Both could be helpful but whatever does the trick.
Baby Sleep Regression and Symptoms
When a baby sleeping pattern emerges, they begin waking up more frequently throughout the night.
This makes mom and dad wake up too. To take care of the fussy munchkin.
Parental sleep loss hangs out here. Getting them back to sleep can become a real challenge.
Check if your baby is having at these symptoms:
Frequent waking at night
Resists naps
Trouble falling asleep
Being a cranky pants
The probability is high that sleep regression is a culprit.
Generally, a new parent will observe this behavior on average 3 different times before your child is 2 years old.
The ages of this elusive phenomenon can be seen at 4 months and 8 months. A 3rd round at 18 months of age may also occur.
Lead researchers suggest regression can occur due to a developmental leap. However other factors could be the cause depending on individual sleep needs.
Maintenance for Baby Sleep Regression
A lot easier to manage sleep disturbances if you can zero-in on the symptoms of disruption as they progress and develop.
Depending on your infant sleep needs and behaviors it’ll most likely be worth its weight in gold.
A baby sleeps through the night naturally soon enough. All in due time.
If they’re not, we recommend to always doing more research if anything you may be thinking is left unanswered.
Please talk to your baby’s doctor if you have any questions or concerns.
There should be no rush to your baby sleeping through the night. Enjoy the time they are the size they are. Enjoy the beautiful cuteness of every smile and laugh.
The blessing of life. A symbol of love. Enjoy it all with an open heart and mind.
RELATED: Online Sleep Classes for Babies
