8 minute readAlthough newborn babies sleep a lot – usually 10 to 18 hours a day – they can wake up as often as every hour. The good news is, their sleep will get a lot more consistent sometime around four months, but until then, there will probably be a lot of sleepless nights. In those first few weeks, newborns wake a lot because they are going through a tremendous amount of growth and need frequent feedings and diaper changes. Plus, they’re still adjusting to life “on the outside,” and that can take some time.
Newborn babies are growing fast and they need their sleep for all sorts of reasons – there’s a positive association between overall cognitive development and physical growth in babies, according to Nature and Science of Sleep, so lots of sleep for your little one is essential.
A big part of the reason that babies don’t have a consistent sleep pattern is because their circadian rhythm doesn’t start to develop until after they’re born. As the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine explains, a rhythm of cortisol develops at eight weeks of age, melatonin and sleep efficiency develop at approximately nine weeks, and body temperature rhythm and that of circadian genes don’t begin to develop until around 11 weeks.
It’s important to remember that a baby not sleeping through the night has absolutely nothing to do with your parenting. Exhausting yes, but bad parenting, no.
When do babies start sleeping through the night?
Every baby is different and there are some babies that may sleep through the night earlier than others – in some rare cases, it is even possible for newborns to sleep through the night.
But for the rest of us, most babies will not start sleeping consistent stretches at night until around 12 weeks old, or four months old. That’s when there is a major developmental change in the brain, a slowing in growth, and a more consistent circadian rhythm that allows babies to sleep for longer.
Keep in mind that when a baby starts “sleeping through the night,” it may be a stretch of 6-8 hours, but if the baby’s bedtime is around 7pm, they will still be waking up for an early feeding. By the time a baby is around 6-8 months, you can expect a longer sleep pattern at night, of 10-12 hours, according to the National Library of Medicine.
Should you have a sleep schedule?
Some parents are evangelical about sleep schedules, putting their babies down for a nap at the exact time every day, in the same environment. “We found that establishing a sleep routine early on gave both me and my baby structure. It wasn’t just for him, it was also for my peace of mind,” explains Abbey, who has been trying to stick to a sleep schedule with her eight-month-old son for three months now.
Some prefer to steal naps while they’re on the go and generally play it by ear. “I never wanted to be tied to the house at certain times, and I’ve found that my littlest will sleep when she needs to, wherever we are,” says Emma, mom-of-two.
There’s no right or wrong way to approach sleep, but if you do want to establish a sleep schedule, here’s some rough guidance.
Three months
At three-months-old, Nature of Science and Sleep explains that your baby will need about a total of 14 to 17 hours of sleep in 24 hours and 7 to 10 hours of awake time per day.
Five months
They might be grabbing things and rolling over by now, and all that excitement means your five-month-old should sleep around 12 to 15 hours a day. That includes about 10 to 11 hours at night and about three naps that last 30 minutes to two hours each.
Eight months
At eight months, you can expect at least 14 hours of total sleep per day and you might even drop one nap, so they only nap twice during the day. Ideally, it will work out at 11 to 12 hours at night, and two to three hours during the day spread over two naps.
12 months
At 12 months your baby might be a bit resistant to napping, but if you can keep to two naps it will be easier to avoid overtiredness – just stretch out the space between naps to about four to five hours.
How to sleep train a baby
According to the Cleveland Clinic, most medical experts won’t recommend trying to establish a sleep cycle until your baby is four to five months old.
You don’t have to practice sleep training, but if you want to, there are a few different sleep training methods to choose from:
Cry it out / full extinction
This method involves putting your baby to bed, leaving the room, and not coming back until the next morning. The theory is that babies will eventually learn to soothe themselves back to sleep, but hearing your baby cry for extended periods of time can be incredibly tough.
Mom of two Emma explains that for her family, it was worth the initial heartache: “Once we got past the first few nights of the cry it out method she quickly learned to self-soothe which has been a gamechanger for us. With our first baby we were much more attentive and in the long run, I think we suffered.”
Ferber method
Developed by Dr Richard Ferber in 1985, the Ferber method is a slightly gentler version of the cry it out method. As detailed in his book, “Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems,” the Ferber method involves gradually increasing the time before checking on your baby after they begin crying – wait two minutes, then five, then ten, and so on. Checks should last less than a minute, and you should try to avoid picking your baby up.
Fong, Elvie’s senior manager for editorial content, tried the Ferber method with her son when he was eight months old. “It's extremely tough to leave your baby to cry and it goes against every instinct I had as a mother,” she describes. “At first when I went in to check up on him he would lift his arms up and seemed desperate for me to pick him up. It took all of my willpower to stick to the plan and leave him after a minute, especially as he would scream extra loudly as I walked away from him. But after three nights there was a marked improvement. Instead of four nighttime wakeups there was only one and by night five he had slept for a full 12 hours.”
Bedtime fading and positive routines
Make a note of what time your baby normally falls asleep and then don’t put them to bed until just before that time. Canadian Family Physician describes that when your baby is falling asleep more quickly, you can move bedtime earlier by 15 to 30 minutes until bedtime is where you want it. This is usually combined with calming pre-bedtime routines like bath time, low lighting, and soothing music.
Chair method
The chair method or camping out method as it’s sometimes called involves you staying in the room but not responding to your baby’s cries. Every few days, you can move the chair you’re sitting on a bit further away. The theory is that they’ll be soothed by your presence and learn that even if they can’t see you, you’re not far away.
Abbey has been trying the chair method with her eight-month-old son and is quietly optimistic. “It’s not uninterrupted sleep every night, but since doing the camping out method, I’ve definitely found that my son is much happier to go back to sleep himself,” she says.
What is sleep regression and when does it happen?
The frustrating part about infant sleep is that just when you think you’re making headway with your baby, they seem to be back at square one with a sleep regression. Sleep regressions happen when your baby goes through a major development change and although all babies are different, often take place around the four, nine, 12 and 18-month marks.
Sleep regressions can also occur anytime a baby is sick, when they are teething, or when a big change happens in their lives. The best thing you can do during a sleep regression is stick to the bedtime routines that you have created and be consistent. It’s not the time to introduce anything new or suddenly try a brand-new method of sleep training. Stay consistent, get through the sleep regression, and know that more restful nights will be in your future.
The medical information in this article is provided as an information resource only and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. Please consult your doctor for guidance about a specific medical condition.