Baby Sleep Patterns by Age
Why Sleep is Important for Babies
Sleep is very important for a baby's growth and development. It helps to form and improve their:
- Attention span
- Mood
- Language skills
- Learning skills
- Motor skills
Baby vs. Adult Sleep Patterns
- Adults' sleep cycles are usually about 90 minutes
- Babies' sleep cycles are usually about 40 minutes, so they wake up more often
- Two different kinds of sleep:
- 1. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep — also called 'active' or 'light' sleep
- 2. Non-REM sleep — also called 'deep' or 'quiet' sleep
- Adults and adolescents have more non-REM sleep (deep sleep)
- Babies spend more time in REM sleep, which is important for:
- - Brain development
- - Memory formation
- During REM sleep, babies may:
- - Breathe shallowly
- - Twitch arms and legs
- - Flutter eyes under eyelids
- - Make noises
- Babies are easily woken from REM sleep
- As babies grow, they have less active sleep and more deep sleep
Normal Sleep Patterns by Age
Birth to 3 months
- Newborns sleep on and off throughout day and night
- Start sleep cycle in 'active' sleep
- Total sleep: 11-19 hours per day
- Sleep patterns affected by feeding needs
- Wake up every 1-3 hours
- At 4-8 weeks, sleep starts responding more to light/dark than hunger
- After 8 weeks, may begin sleeping longer
Between 3 to 6 months
- Less 'active' sleep and more 'deep' sleep
- Begin to enter deep sleep at start of sleep cycles
- Total sleep: 10-18 hours
- Daytime naps up to 2 hours each
- Some babies sleep up to 8 hours at night, others still wake up
- Sleep patterns more impacted by light and dark
Between 6 to 12 months
- Sleep patterns become more like adults'
- Total sleep: 10-16 hours per day
- Daytime sleep: 2-4 hours
- Night sleep: up to 12 hours
- May experience developmental changes affecting sleep:
- - Physical development (learning to crawl)
- - Emotional development (separation anxiety)
- - Social development
- May take longer to fall asleep or wake more often
- May need help settling back to sleep
After 12 months
- Most babies sleep better
- Total sleep: 9-15 hours per day
- Less sleep during day, longer at night
- Toddlers (1-3 years) may still nap during day
- Many toddlers still wake during night
- May have nightmares (during 'active' sleep)
- Sleep patterns continue to change with development
Tips for Better Baby Sleep
- Regular daytime and bedtime routines help babies fall and stay asleep
- For newborns, help them learn to sleep more at night by:
- - Exposing them to light and playing with them during day
- - Providing dim and quiet environment at night
- If worried about sleep disruption, consult doctor or maternal child health nurse
- Learn about safe sleeping and sleep hygiene practices for babies