How Much Sleep Does Your Baby Need?
If it seems to you that infants only sleep and eat, you wouldn't be entirely mistaken. Infants require about 16 to 20 hours of sleep daily. Newborns tend to sleep off and on around the clock, waking up every two to three hours, because they are hungry. At about four months of age, babies' sleep rhythms become more established. They will sleep 10 to 12 hours at night, perhaps waking up once for a feeding. They sleep three to five hours during the day broken into nap times. When infants are between six months to a year old, they usually sleep about 11 hours a night with two naps a day of three to four hours in duration. At that age, they usually don't wake up for a feeding; but infants begin to experience some separation anxiety, and that may interrupt their sleep. When that happens, keep the light low, comfort them, and let them fall back to sleep. Every baby is different. Some babies refuse to nap almost from the beginning. Some babies sleep through the night very early on while others seem to have days and nights turned upside down! What they have in common is the need for a lot of sleep, especially in the first few months. As a new parent, you need sleep, too. Try to catch some shut-eye while your little one is asleep.
- Laurel-Le Lipski