Baby sleep in the first year: what’s normal

The NHS says most newborns sleep more than they’re awake, often about 18 hours in total, waking to feed. The AAP puts it at about 16 to 17 hours, often in stretches of 1 or 2 hours.

Very young babies don’t yet know day from night, so an unpredictable pattern is normal at this age.

Babies aged 4 to 12 months need 12 to 16 hours of sleep in 24 hours, including naps. From 3 to 6 months, some babies sleep 5 to 8 hours or more at night, but not all do.

Babies can’t really follow a schedule before 4 to 6 months, so feeds and naps follow your baby’s cues until then.

The NHS says babies this age sleep about 15 hours in total, mostly at night. Some no longer need night feeds, though teething or hunger may still wake them.

Around 8 to 9 months, babies learn that people still exist when out of sight. Bedtime protests often show up around now.

Temperament affects how easily a baby settles, and the age when babies sleep longer stretches varies a lot. The researchers behind one large study suggested parents’ expectations could be adjusted to match this variety.

Newborns wake again and again to feed for the first few months, and need fewer night feeds as they grow. Being too hot or too cold can also disturb them.

Some older babies wake because they are used to falling asleep while being fed or rocked, and look for the same help when they stir.

In the study, breastfeeding was more common among babies who woke in the night. The authors said this does not show one causes the other.

The AAP notes that breast milk lowers SIDS risk, and more protection comes with breastfeeding for longer. However you feed your baby, a fed baby is the goal.

Zero to Three notes that few parents get through the early years without some kind of sleep struggle with their child.

Babies should sleep alone, not sharing a bed or crib with others. The AAP and NIH recommend sharing a room for at least the first 6 months, with baby’s sleep space close to your bed but not in it.

Room sharing can lower SIDS risk by as much as 50%. The AAP advises against bed sharing in all cases, including with twins.

Place your baby on their back for naps and at night until they are 1 year old, including preterm babies and babies with reflux. Side sleeping is as dangerous as tummy sleeping.

Use a crib, bassinet, portable crib or play yard that meets safety standards, with a firm, flat mattress and only a fitted sheet. Any surface tilted more than 10 degrees is not safe for sleep.

Keep out of the sleep space

• Bumper pads
• Loose or non-fitted sheets
• Pillows, quilts and comforters
• Toys and soft objects
• Weighted blankets, sleepers or swaddles

Use layers of clothing or a wearable blanket instead of loose blankets.

Overheating raises SIDS risk. The AAP suggests dressing your baby in one layer more than you would wear, and watching for sweating, a hot chest or flushed skin. Keep baby’s head and face uncovered, with no hat indoors after leaving the hospital.

Swaddling doesn’t lower SIDS risk. If you swaddle, always place baby on their back, keep it loose at the hips, and stop when your baby shows signs of trying to roll, usually around 3 to 4 months, sometimes earlier.

Offering a pacifier at naps and bedtime is recommended, even if it falls out. For breastfed babies, wait until feeding is going well. Never hang a pacifier around the neck or clip it to clothing during sleep.

Smoke exposure is a significant SIDS risk factor. Keep your home and car smoke-free, and don’t smoke or vape near your baby, even outdoors.

If you think you might fall asleep while feeding or comforting your baby in your bed, the AAP suggests removing pillows and blankets first. When you wake, move your baby to their own sleep space.

Falling asleep with your baby on a couch, soft armchair or cushion can make the risk of sleep-related death up to 67 times higher. If you feel sleepy while feeding on the couch, move to a safer spot or put baby down in their crib.

The AAP says bed sharing is especially risky after alcohol, cannabis or anything that makes you harder to wake, with more than 10 times the risk. Risk is 5 to 10 times higher for babies under 4 months, and 2 to 5 times higher for babies born early or small.

If your baby falls asleep in a car seat, stroller, swing, carrier or sling, move them onto their back on a firm, flat surface as soon as you can.

Safe sleep advice has changed over the years. Share the ABCs with every caregiver, and make sure they keep your baby’s surroundings smoke-, alcohol- and drug-free too.

Supervised tummy time while your baby is awake helps their muscles develop and helps prevent flat spots on the head. The AAP suggests building up to at least 15 to 30 minutes a day by 7 weeks.

Open the curtains, play and don’t worry about everyday household noise during daytime sleep. Time outside gives babies daylight, which helps them learn that day is for being awake and social.

The AAP notes that longer stretches of daytime wakefulness can help babies sleep longer at night.

At night, keep lights low, talk quietly and avoid play. Put your baby back down after feeding and changing, and only change them if they need it.

For fussy babies who are wakeful at night, the AAP suggests keeping total daytime naps to about 3 hours and keeping night feeds and diaper changes dim and quiet.

The NHS suggests a simple, soothing bedtime routine from early on, such as a bath, night clothes and a fresh diaper, a story, dim lights, a cuddle and a lullaby. Keep it calm, because too much excitement before bed can lead to more waking.

In a study of more than 10,000 mothers, young children who had a bedtime routine on more nights fell asleep faster, woke less and slept longer.

From about 4 months, the AAP suggests putting babies down when they are drowsy rather than fully asleep. This gives them practice falling asleep on their own.

Some nights it won’t work, and that’s fine. Feeding or rocking a baby to sleep is not harmful; it’s one of many choices families make.

Zero to Three notes that changing how you respond from night to night can confuse a baby. Agree with your partner on how you’ll respond, and try to stay consistent.

Ideas from the AAP and CDC

• Check for hunger, a wet or dirty diaper, being too hot or cold, or signs of illness
• Gentle rocking, or a walk in a carrier or stroller
• Holding baby skin-to-skin
• Offering a pacifier
• Singing or talking softly
• White noise or a fan

A calm-down plan

1. Put your baby on their back in the crib, with nothing else in it.
2. Leave the room and take some slow breaths, or count to 10.
3. Call a friend, a relative or a helpline, or put on music.
4. Check on your baby every 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Go back to soothing when you feel calmer.

The CDC notes that abusive head trauma often happens when a caregiver becomes angry or frustrated by a baby’s crying. Babies under 1 are at greatest risk.

Share your calm-down plan with partners, sitters and relatives, and make it clear they can always call you or hand the baby back.

The NHS suggests a partner can take a feed with expressed breast milk or formula, or take the early-morning diaper change, so the feeding parent can sleep.

Ways families split it

• One parent takes the first half of the night, the other the second
• One handles feeds, the other handles burping, changing and settling
• Take turns sleeping in on weekends

The NHS suggests sleeping when your baby sleeps, even if it doesn’t match your usual pattern, and notes you don’t need a silent house for daytime naps.

In some families one parent does most night feeds. The other can protect their rest by taking the morning, handling meals, or giving them a guaranteed nap.

If you’re on your own, the NHS suggests asking a friend or relative to stay for a few days so you can rest.

Be specific when you ask: “Could you come Tuesday at 2 and hold the baby while I nap?” is easier to say yes to than “Let me know if you can help.”

NIMH lists signs such as

• Extreme tiredness that makes daily tasks hard
• Feeling sad, worried, hopeless or overwhelmed most of the time
• Trouble sleeping even when the baby is asleep, or sleeping much more than usual

Partners are often the first to notice these signs.

Postpartum Support International offers help for fathers and partners as well as mothers. Broken sleep, stress and big life changes affect every parent.

In an Australian trial with babies aged 6 to 12 months, mothers with higher depression scores whose families got sleep support had a bigger drop in depression symptoms. The gains lasted at least 4 months.

Sleep help is not a replacement for mental-health care, but it can be one helpful piece.

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