When Do Babies Sleep Through The Night Naturally?

When can my baby sleep through the night naturally? New parents often ask themselves after their little miracle of life blesses their new family.

New parents lose an average of 109 minutes of sleep every night after having a baby, a survey from Healthline found. 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. Yikes.

A 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 child gets. There is a generalized guideline of natural sleep development seen in infants.

Your baby’s sleep schedule can begin to vary as your child goes through sleep regression and the normal sleeping patterns can be disturbed. A typical baby sleep chart in the first year however can look 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. 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.

Baby Sleep Patterns By Age

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, crunch the numbers 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. It’s impossible but this is a way to calculate for variables.

Outside conditioning plays a role as does a myriad of other things. Baby sleep patterns by age can fluctuate by months so no need to get discouraged or concerned if something doesn’t match up with current scenarios.

A Baby Sleeps In Cycles

They're 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. 

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 newborn’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. Good luck!  

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 Tip

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 to cry at night, try to go check on them to see if they’re too cold or hot.

Don’t take them out of the crib. 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. There should be scholarships for college awarded to new parents for how much sleep they lose. We know a few that’d be going to Nationals.  

Baby Sleep Regression 

When your baby’s sleeping patterns shift and they begin waking up frequently throughout the night. This is where parental sleep loses likes to marinate and multiply. Being that getting them back to sleep becomes a challenge.

Check if your baby is looking 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 baby sleeping times before your child is 2 years old. The ages of this elusive phenomenon can be seen at 4 months and 8 months.  With a 3rd round pleasantly chiming in at 18 months of age.

Lead researchers suggest regression can occur due to a developmental leap however other factors could be the cause depending on individual sleep needs.

Baby Sleep Regression Maintenance 

This can be easier to manage if you can target the symptoms as they develop. This is where perhaps a white noise machine or smart bassinet could be helpful.

A little assistance to ease baby into bedtime. As long as it works, that’s all that matters. 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. 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.

A baby’s laughter is a token of pure joy and innocence. Few things in the world come close. The blessing of life. A symbol of love. Enjoy it all with an open heart and mind.