Newborn Sleep

Most newborns sleep 14–17 hours in a 24-hour period, usually in stretches of 2–4 hours at a time. Because their stomachs are small, frequent waking for feeds is normal. As long as your baby is feeding regularly and gaining weight, variations in sleep length are typically healthy.

Newborns don’t yet have a developed circadian rhythm, so they often confuse days and nights. To help them adjust, keep the daytime bright and interactive, and make nighttime calm, dark, and quiet. Within a few months, most babies start sleeping longer at night.

In the first 3 months, it’s normal for babies to:

• Wake every 2–4 hours to feed
• Have short, irregular naps
• Make noises, grunt, or twitch in sleep
• Spend more time in light sleep than deep sleep

By 8–12 weeks, some babies begin consolidating longer stretches at night.

Newborns can only stay awake 45–90 minutes before becoming overtired. Look for cues like yawning, fussiness, or rubbing eyes, and lay your baby down drowsy but awake. Catching those early signals makes naps easier and helps prevent crankiness.

Strict schedules aren’t realistic in the first months, but you can encourage healthy sleep habits by:

• Following a flexible feed–play–sleep routine
• Keeping days bright and active, nights quiet and dark
• Offering naps before your baby is overtired
• Using consistent cues like swaddling, white noise, or a short bedtime routine

By 2–3 months, many babies begin to fall into more predictable patterns naturally.

Baby sleep cycles are shorter than adult ones, lasting about 50–60 minutes. Each cycle includes both active sleep (light sleep, where babies may move, twitch, or grunt) and quiet sleep (deep, still, restorative rest). Because they spend more time in lighter sleep, babies naturally wake more often during the night.

Frequent waking is normal and protective for infants. Reasons include:

• Small stomachs: They need frequent feedings for growth.
• Immature sleep cycles: Babies spend more time in lighter sleep, making them easier to wake.
• Comfort and closeness: Babies wake seeking reassurance, warmth, and security.

This pattern gradually improves as babies grow, but in the early months, night wakings are expected.

Many babies begin sleeping longer stretches at night around 3–6 months, when their stomachs hold more milk and circadian rhythms mature. By 6 months, some babies sleep 6–8 hours at a time, though many still wake once or twice. Occasional sleep regressions (such as at 4 months or 8 months) are common and temporary.

You can encourage smoother transitions between cycles by:

• Creating a consistent bedtime routine (bath, feeding, book, cuddle)
• Using soothing sleep cues like white noise, swaddles, or sleep sacks
• Putting baby down drowsy but awake to promote self-soothing
• Pausing briefly before picking them up at night—sometimes babies resettle on their own

With time and consistent cues, most babies naturally learn to link cycles and sleep for longer stretches.

While babies spend more time in REM sleep (the stage associated with dreaming), it’s unclear if they dream the way adults do. Their brain activity suggests that REM is helping them process experiences and build neural connections, which is why it’s so important for early learning and development.

• Active sleep (light sleep): Baby may twitch, smile, grunt, or suck. This stage is important for brain development.
• Quiet sleep (deep sleep): Baby is still, breathing is steady, and waking them is harder. This stage helps with growth and physical recovery.

Understanding these stages helps parents know what’s normal (like noisy sleepers!) and when baby is truly resting deeply.

You can begin a simple routine as early as the first few weeks, though most babies respond best around 6–8 weeks. At this stage, they start to recognize patterns, and consistent cues help them learn the difference between day and night.

A bedtime routine doesn’t have to be long—10–30 minutes is plenty. A simple sequence might include:

• Warm bath or gentle wipe-down
• Massage or lotion
• Fresh diaper and pajamas
• Feeding
• Book, song, or lullaby
• Dimming lights and placing baby in their crib or bassinet

The goal is consistency, not complexity. Repeating the same steps every night helps your baby associate these actions with sleep.

By 2–4 months, most babies do best with a bedtime between 7–9 PM. Too-late bedtimes often lead to overtiredness, which can make it harder for babies to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Yes. A predictable wake-up time helps regulate your baby’s internal clock, even if bedtime varies. Waking around the same time every morning sets the stage for more consistent nap and nighttime sleep patterns.

Yes, a shorter version of the bedtime routine (like diaper change, song, and dim lights) can signal it’s time for rest, helping your baby learn consistency day and night.

Some babies fuss through the first steps, but consistency is key. Stick with the same order each night—over time, your baby will recognize the routine as a sleep signal.

A peaceful environment helps babies fall asleep more easily. Consider:

• Keeping the room cool, dark, and quiet
• Using a firm mattress with no pillows, blankets, or stuffed animals
• Dressing baby appropriately for the temperature (a sleep sack instead of blankets)
• Keeping nighttime feeds calm and low-stimulation

Both can be very helpful.

• Sound machines mimic the womb environment and can block out household noise. Opt for continuous white or brown noise rather than music or ocean sounds.
• Blackout curtains support longer stretches of sleep by signaling that it’s nighttime, especially useful for naps during the day.

The safest sleep position for all babies under 1 year is on their back for every nap and overnight sleep. Back-sleeping significantly lowers the risk of SIDS. Once your baby can roll independently from back to tummy and tummy to back, you can let them find their own position, but always place them on their back to start sleep. Side and stomach sleeping should be avoided for infants who can’t roll on their own.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the unexplained death of an otherwise healthy baby during sleep, most common between 1–4 months old. While the exact cause isn’t known, you can reduce the risk by:

• Placing your baby on their back for every sleep
• Using a firm, flat sleep surface (crib, bassinet, or play yard)
• Keeping the sleep space clear of soft items and loose bedding
• Room-sharing for at least the first 6 months (not bed-sharing)
• Dressing your baby in light layers to prevent overheating
• Offering a pacifier at naps and bedtime (optional)
• Keeping your baby’s environment smoke-free

A safe crib or bassinet should contain only:

• A firm mattress with a snug fitted sheet
• Your baby in a wearable sleep sack or swaddle (until rolling begins)

Avoid pillows, blankets, crib bumpers, stuffed animals, or toys in the crib. These increase the risk of suffocation, entrapment, or strangulation. The rule of thumb: bare is best.

The AAP recommends room-sharing without bed-sharing for at least the first 6 months, and ideally up to 12 months. Keeping your baby’s bassinet or crib in your room makes nighttime feedings easier and has been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS. After 6–12 months, you can safely transition your baby to their own room if you and your pediatrician feel comfortable.

Babies often fight sleep when they are overtired, overstimulated, or going through a growth or developmental leap. Look for early tired cues like yawning, rubbing eyes, or becoming fussy. Calming routines (white noise, dim lights, swaddling), offering comfort, and reducing stimulation before bedtime can help.

Many infants find comfort in your warmth, scent, and movement—it reminds them of the womb. To gently help your baby nap more in the crib: try putting them down for one nap a day, use the same soothing routine, lay them down drowsy but awake, and provide consistent cues. Over time, crib naps usually improve.

Around 3-5 months, many babies go through a sleep maturation phase often called the “4-month sleep regression.” Sleep cycles change, naps may shorten, night waking may increase, and falling asleep can become harder. Typically, this regression lasts 2-6 weeks. Support with consistent routine, extra comfort, and pausing briefly before intervening can help your baby adjust. 

If your baby wakes up consistently too early (before ~6 a.m.), check for environmental triggers: is the room too bright, noisy, or chilly? Is the bedtime too late (overtired) or too early (hitting poppy-eyes)? Try gradually shifting bedtime, keeping morning feed/play times consistent, and using blackout curtains to delay sunrise cues.

Short naps (20-45 minutes) are common especially in the early months when babies are still learning to connect sleep cycles. To help extend nap lengths: use a consistent nap routine and environment, soothe back to sleep quietly, offer crib naps along with contact naps, and ensure your baby isn’t overtired before nap time.

Around 8–10 months (crawling, looming separation anxiety) and around 12 months (walking, language bursts, nap transitions), sleep disruptions often reappear. To manage: keep bedtime routines consistent, offer extra reassurance during the day, give your baby opportunities to practice new skills while awake, and be patient—these regressions generally resolve in a few weeks.

Yes—teething can cause discomfort, drooling, or mild fever, which may make sleep lighter or more interrupted. Gentle soothing, pain relief as advised by your doctor, and keeping bedtime consistent help minimize its impact.

Overtired babies often fight sleep more because their bodies produce stress hormones (like cortisol) making relaxation harder. Recognizing early sleep cues and avoiding overly long wake windows is key to preventing overtiredness.

Yes—when used correctly, pacifiers are considered safe and can even reduce the risk of SIDS when given at naps and bedtime. Guidelines suggest waiting 3–4 weeks or until breastfeeding is well-established before introducing a pacifier if you’re nursing. Don’t force it; some babies reject pacifiers. Always avoid letting pacifiers dangle or be clipped on loose strings. 

For some babies, dream-feeds (feeding while they sleep lightly, often around 10-11 p.m.) help bridge the gap so their first long nighttime stretch is longer. It can reduce early wake-ups, but not all babies respond. Try for a few nights to see if it helps stabilizing sleep without disrupting your baby’s natural hunger cues.

• Swaddles wrap tightly and help restrict startle reflexes, which is comforting in early months. But you should stop once baby shows signs of rolling (usually 2-3 months).
• Sleep sacks are wearable blankets that keep baby warm without loose bedding. They allow more movement and are safer once rolling begins.

Both are useful tools—just match their use to your baby’s developmental stage.

Use the swaddle until your baby shows signs of rolling—this is when the swaddle can become hazardous. Usually around 2-3 months.

Steady white or brown noise can help drown out household noise and signal bedtime routines. Just ensure the volume is safe (similar to a running shower), the device is across the room, and use it consistently as part of a calming routine.

Not bad habits—they’re natural and helpful for bonding and soothing. The downside is babies might begin to associate certain actions (rocking, feeding) with sleep, making it harder for them to go to sleep independently later. If you want more independent sleep, gradually introduce other cues like white noise, dim lights, and putting them down drowsy but awake.

No. The AAP does not recommend weighted sleep sacks or weighted blankets for infants. These items pose suffocation and breathing risks. Stick with lightweight wearable blankets or standard sleep sacks that are not weighted.

Most experts agree sleep training becomes viable between 4-6 months old, once babies begin developing more mature sleep cycles, fewer night feedings are needed, and they show readiness signals (such as being able to self-soothe, or fall asleep without being fully asleep when placed down). Babies younger than 4 months usually aren’t developmentally ready.

Some popular methods include:

• Ferber / Graduated Extinction: let baby cry for intervals, doing check-ins at increasing lengths of time.
• Cry It Out (CIO / Full Extinction): letting baby fall asleep without intervention, even if crying.
• Chair Method: parent stays in room, gradually distances over nights.
• Pick Up / Put Down: soothe when baby cries, then place them back down repeatedly until they settle.
• Gentle / No-Tears Methods: using consistent soothing cues and gradually reducing help over time.

Yes—many pediatricians consider it a valid option if the baby is developmentally ready and is otherwise healthy. Crying for short periods when using CIO, within a consistent method, is generally safe. But it’s not for everyone—if you’re uncomfortable with CIO, there are many gentler methods that can work just as well over a bit longer time.

Absolutely. Gentle approaches allow for minimal crying. You can use methods like Pick Up / Put Down, the Chair Method, or soothing cues gradually phased out. These may take longer to produce results than CIO, but they’re more comfortable for many parents.

Many parents notice improvements 3-7 nights in with consistent use of a chosen method, though full stabilization might take a few weeks.

Yes—many methods recommend starting with bedtime, because nighttime tends to consolidate first. Once that shows improvement, you can apply similar strategies to naps.

Not always. Many parents successfully sleep train using doctor-recommended methods, books, or online resources. But a consultant can help if:

• You feel overwhelmed or stuck
• Your baby has medical or developmental challenges (reflux, prematurity)
• You want a personalized plan or extra accountability

Many babies begin sleeping for longer stretches (around 6–8 hours) by 4-6 months, especially when nighttime feedings taper off. However, truly sleeping “through the night” (10-12 hours without needing caregiver help) is less common before 9-12 months. Every baby is different, and wake-ups can still happen due to regressions, teething, or developmental leaps.

Here’s a general nap schedule by age:

• 0-3 months: ~4-6 naps
• 3-6 months: 3-4 naps
• 6-9 months: 2-3 naps
• 9-15 months: 2 naps
• 15-18 months: 1-2 naps
• 18 months-3 years: 1 nap
• 3-5 years: some children continue napping; others drop naps entirely as they move into preschool age. 

Babies are often ready to drop their last nighttime feed between 6-9 months, provided they’re eating enough during the day and gaining weight steadily. Always check with your pediatrician before stopping night feeds, especially if your baby is small for age or still showing signs of needing night nutrition. 

Here are rough ranges of total sleep (including naps) by age:

• Newborns: 14-17 hours
• Infants (4-12 months): 12-16 hours
• Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours
• Preschoolers (3-5 years): 10-13 hours
• School-age (6-12 years): 9-12 hours

Most children transition out of regular naps between 3-5 years. Some phase out naps earlier, others hold onto them a bit longer. Even after dropping naps, many benefit from quiet rest time. 

Common reasons include nightmares, teething, illness, separation anxiety, or simply waking between sleep cycles and needing reassurance. These episodes are usually temporary if sleep routines and environment are consistent. Checking for discomfort or night wakings due to hunger can also help. 

Key strategies:

• Use a clear, predictable bedtime routine
• Implement a “bedtime pass” (e.g. one free exit from bed) to reduce constant up/down requests
• Praise staying in bed and offer small incentives or rewards
• Return toddler to bed calmly and without a show whenever they wander out, so they know staying in bed is expected and safe

Most toddlers move from crib to toddler bed between 18 months and 3 years. Signs it’s time include trying to climb out of the crib, outgrowing crib dimensions, or beginning potty training. Make the move positive—with familiar bedding and routines—to reduce resistance. 

Set firm but kind boundaries. Offer limited choices (e.g. “Which pajamas: blue or green?”), use calming wind-down activities (books, quiet play), avoid screens before bed, and ensure consistency. Bedtime battles often fade as routines solidify and toddlers feel more secure.

There’s no guaranteed method, but some tips help calm toddlers quickly: using consistent sleep cues (dim lights, white noise), comforting rituals (a brief story or cuddle), breathing techniques, and laying them down drowsy. The environment plays a big role—cool, dark, calm settings help significantly.

Wake windows are the stretches of time your baby can comfortably stay awake before needing sleep again. On average:

• Newborns: 45–90 minutes
• 3–6 months: 1.5–3 hours
• 6–9 months: 2–3.5 hours
• 9–12 months: 3–4 hours
• 12–18 months: 3–5 hours
• Toddlers (18+ months): 4–6 hours

Following wake windows helps prevent overtiredness and makes naps and bedtime easier.

Growth spurts—common at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months—often lead to short-term sleep disruptions. Babies may wake more often at night to feed, nap for shorter stretches, or seem fussier overall. While it can feel exhausting, these phases usually last only a few days, and sleep often improves once the growth spurt passes.

Yes, introducing solids around 6 months can temporarily affect sleep. Some babies may sleep longer as their tummies stay fuller, while others may wake more often as their bodies adjust to digesting new foods. Starting solids isn’t a magic fix for sleep, but pairing it with consistent bedtime routines and balanced daytime feeding can support smoother nights.

Some babies may sleep longer in their own room, but research shows that room-sharing (without bed-sharing) for the first 6–12 months lowers the risk of SIDS and makes nighttime care easier. Transitioning to a separate room often works best after 6 months, but timing depends on your baby’s readiness and your family’s comfort.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises against bed-sharing because it increases the risk of suffocation and SIDS. If parents choose to co-sleep, strict precautions are essential: use a firm mattress, keep bedding and pillows away, always place baby on their back, and never co-sleep on couches, recliners, or if a caregiver has consumed alcohol, medication, or is overly fatigued. A safer option is room-sharing with a bassinet or bedside co-sleeper.

Yes. Growth spurts—often around 2–3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months—can temporarily disrupt sleep. Babies may wake more often at night to feed, nap irregularly, or seem fussier. These phases are short-lived (usually a few days to a week) and often followed by developmental leaps once the growth phase passes.

Shift gradually. Move bedtime earlier or later in 10–15 minute increments in the days leading up to the time change. Stick to your baby’s routine for naps, meals, and bedtime rituals. Use morning light exposure to reset their internal clock, and keep the sleep environment dark and consistent at night. Most babies adjust within about a week.