Children's Health Newborns and Toddlers

A Better Beddy-bye for Baby

Despite their small size, babies can wield tremendous power over their parents. Some new parents will go to extreme lengths to get their baby to sleep, rocking them to sleep in their arms for hours or driving them around town until their eyelids finally flutter shut. This can be a very time consuming process in which Mom or Dad don’t get the sleep they need. But bedtime doesn’t have to be a stressful time. Below are some helpful tips to ensure that falling asleep is a peaceful and relaxing time for the entire family.

How much sleep do newborns need?
Newborns typically sleep anywhere from 10 to 18 hours a day, so there is incredible variability in how much a 2-week-old or a 4-week-old is going to sleep. There is no differentiation between night and day, so they're sleeping anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours around the clock. Starting around eight weeks, they're awake more during the day and sleeping more at night.

How much sleep do infants and toddlers require?
Infants, which are 3- to 12-month-olds, need between 14 and 15 hours of sleep. Typically they get between 10 and 12 hours at night, and then they nap for several hours during the day. A 3- or 4-month-old is taking three to four naps a day, and a 12-month-old is typically taking two naps a day.

Toddlers, which are 1- to 3-year-olds, are sleeping 12 to 14 hours a day and have shifted to one afternoon nap.

At what age will babies start to sleep through the night?
Usually babies need to be at least 6–months-old until they can sleep through the night.

What's the best setting for sleep?
For all children, adolescents and adults, the bedroom should be cool, quiet, dark and comfortable. All babies should sleep on a firm surface. There should be very little bedding in their crib, so that there's no concern about suffocation. Also all babies should be put down on their backs to sleep to decrease the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Is a consistent bedtime and bedtime routine important?
A consistent sleep schedule with set nap times and a set bedtime is going to set their internal clock and make it so they fall asleep quickly and stay asleep. A typical baby bedtime is between 7:30 and 8:30 at night.

One of the key things in getting a baby to have good sleep habits is a bedtime routine. A bedtime routine should be 20 to 30 minutes long and include about two to three activities like taking a bath, massaging the baby, reading or singing lullabies. The activities should be soft and soothing.

What are some signs that your baby is sleepy?
Some signs that will alert parents to a sleepy baby is rubbing their eyes, pulling their ears or starring off into space. These are some of the signals that will let parents know that their baby wants to go to sleep. However, every baby is different so it’s important for parents to pay close attention to their baby’s sleepy signs.

The moment the baby gives the sign it is the parents’ window of opportunity. The baby should be put down for a nap or for bedtime right away.

Why do babies wake up during the night?
All babies naturally awaken between three and six times throughout the night. As they change from one sleep stage to another, they're going to have a normal arousal.

A baby who can fall asleep on their own at bedtime is a baby who's going to fall right back to sleep when they waken during the night. But a baby who's rocked to sleep, nursed to sleep, driven in the car to sleep, pushed in a stroller to fall asleep at bedtime is going to need that exact same thing to fall back asleep at 1:00, 3:00 and 5:00 every time they naturally awaken.

If there are two parents, how can they work together?
When there are two parents in the household, then there should be a plan to ensure everyone is getting enough sleep. That might involve taking turns putting the baby to bed or taking on a particular task in the baby’s sleep routine, like bathing. It is important for parents to realize is that they're doing this for the benefit of their baby. Some parents feel as if they're being selfish, but having a parent who's well rested is going to have huge benefits for the baby.