How many times do babies wake up at night

Sleep 0 – 3 months

Baby sleep

In the first few weeks after birth, babies sleep much of the day and night. Most wake 2 to 3 times during the night for feeds.

Babies have shorter sleep cycles than adults and wake or stir about every 40 minutes. By 3 months, many babies will have settled into a pattern of longer times awake during the day, and longer sleep times (perhaps 4 to 5 hours) at night. Most will still be waking once or twice during the night for feeds.

Sleeping baby in a safe cot next to the parents’ bed for the first 6 to 12 months reduces the risk of sudden unexpected death in infancy, including SIDS, as long as the room is smoke free. Sharing a bed with a baby for sleep has led to the deaths of some babies.

Secure attachments in infancy are the base for good mental health. A major need for secure attachment is for a parent to respond to infant needs and cues. It is important not to leave your baby to cry.

This topic may use 'he' and 'she' in turn – please change to suit your child's sex.

Daytime and night time patterns

Very young babies have little idea of day or night and most wake regularly around the clock every 2 or 3 hours needing a feed and attention.

In the first few months it is common for babies to wake regularly at night for feeds at least 2 or 3 times. As a guide, many babies sleep 14-20 hours a day in the first weeks.

By 3 months many are settled into a pattern of longer sleep times – perhaps 4 to 5 hours at night. When a baby sleeps about 5 hours straight, this is considered ‘sleeping through the night’.

Ideas for settling

Routines to get ready for sleep

At this age babies are often relaxed and sleepy after a feed. Some develop a pattern of waking often and needing a feed to settle. Some babies are helped by a daytime pattern of a feed and then settling after a small play, cuddle, talk and touch. Watch your baby’s signals for when she is alert and wanting to play and when she is sleepy.

Some young babies tend to be more wakeful in the evening or night rather than during the day. It helps babies learn about day and night if you settle them at night in a quiet, dark place and don’t play with them or do anything that makes them more wakeful.

Even with young babies you can start a bedtime ritual. You may sing a little song, kiss her goodnight, find the dummy (if she has one) and then give a gentle kiss with some special soft words of love when you put her down.

Tired signs – sleep cues

As you get to know your baby you will start to learn when he is sleepy and needs to be put down for sleep. Long before they can talk, babies have tired signs or sleep cues in their behaviour that show you what they need. Your baby will have his own special sleep cues but here are some that most babies have that will give you a start in watching for your baby’s cues:

• yawning
• jerky movements
• becoming quiet, not wanting to play
• ‘grizzling’ or fussing
• rubbing their eyes
• making a sleepy sound
• crying
• facial grimaces, including pulling faces
• clenched fists
• waving arms and legs about.

If you miss the tired signs and don't help your baby to settle, your baby may get more alert and overtired and be very hard to get to relax and sleep. Signs that the baby has got overtired include being very overactive, glazed eyes, and being very quick to cry.

Settling

Put your baby on his back for sleep. Often a tired newborn will accept being put into his cot while awake and will fall asleep on his own. Some new babies settle best in a quiet, dark place, others settle more easily in lighter, noisier places. Some babies are harder to settle than others and many need help to relax into sleep.

Some things to try to settle your baby:

• Some babies settle better if wrapped fairly firmly in a thin cotton sheet with the arms wrapped in too, while others do not like this and settle better if they can use their hands to soothe themselves. The wrap should not be too tight and must allow chest wall, hip and leg movement.
• Rock him in a pram, cot or your arms for a short period and then settle him into bed (a baby should not be left to sleep unsupervised in a pram).
• Settle him in the cot and then pat him with a cupped hand. Start patting quickly and then slow down as he calms. Pat at about the pace of your heartbeat.
• Push him in a pram back and forth over a bumpy surface such as the edge between your carpet and tiles or over footpath bumps.
• Have some constant noise such as humming, singing a little song, relaxing music or household noise – some babies relax if they can hear the vibration noise of the washing machine or dryer.
• Check that he is not too hot or cold, and that clothing is not too tight.
• A warm bath.
• Offer another feed, (often called a ‘top-up’ feed).
• Allow him to suck on a dummy or thumb (dummies should not be used until breastfeeding is established at about 6 weeks).

Look after yourself

Almost all adults find interrupted sleep makes them feel tired and irritable, and relationships can suffer.

• Try to keep your own life not too hectic when the baby is young.
• Take breaks when you can.
• Catch up on sleep. Sleep or rest when your baby sleeps, day and night.
• Take the phone off the hook.
• Ask for and accept help when it is offered.
• Put a ‘Do not disturb’ sign on your front door.
• Remember to get some exercise – walking is good.
• Join a group of other new parents.

More information

Local community, school or child health nurse

• See inside your baby's purple All About Me book
• Look in the service finder for child health centres
• Visit your nearest child health centre

Local family doctor

Ngala Parenting Line 

• 8.00am – 8.00pm 7 days a week
• Phone: (08) 9368 9368
• Outside metro area – Free call 1800 111 546 (free from land line only)
• Visit the Ngala website (external site)

Raising Children Network

• Visit the Raising Children Network website (external site)

© Women’s and Children’s Health Network, reproduced with permission. The South Australian Government does not accept responsibility for the accuracy of this reproduction.

Acknowledgements

Child and Adolescent Health Service – Community Health (CAHS CH)

This publication is provided for education and information purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not imply endorsement and is not intended to replace advice from your healthcare professional. Readers should note that over time currency and completeness of the information may change. All users should seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional for a diagnosis and answers to their medical questions.

See also

• Child development
• Child development 0–3 months

Baby sleep: what to expect at 2-12 months

Baby sleep needs

Babies need sleep to grow and develop well. But babies’ sleep needs vary, just as the sleep needs of older children and adults do. Your baby might be doing well with more or less sleep than other babies the same age.

Your baby’s mood and wellbeing is often a good guide to whether your baby is getting enough sleep. If your baby is:

• wakeful and grizzly, they might need more sleep
• wakeful and contented, they’re probably getting enough sleep.

How baby sleep changes from 2 to 12 months

As they get older, babies:

• sleep less in the daytime
• are awake for longer between naps
• have longer night-time sleeps and wake less at night
• need less sleep overall.

2-3 months: what to expect from baby sleep

At this age, babies sleep on and off during the day and night. Most babies sleep for 14-17 hours in every 24 hours.

Young babies sleep in cycles that last 50-60 minutes. In young babies, each cycle is made up of active sleep and quiet sleep. Babies move around and grunt during active sleep, and sleep deeply during quiet sleep.

At the end of each cycle, babies wake up for a little while. They might grizzle or cry. They might need help to settle for the next sleep cycle.

At 2-3 months, babies start developing night and day sleep patterns. This means they tend to start sleeping more during the night.

Around 3 months: what to expect from baby sleep

Babies keep developing night and day sleep patterns.

Their sleep cycles consist of:

• light sleep, when baby wakes easily
• deep sleep, when baby is sound asleep and very still
• dream sleep, when baby is dreaming.

Sleep cycles also get longer, which might mean less waking and resettling during sleep. At this age, some babies might regularly be having longer sleeps at night – for example, 4-5 hours.

Most babies still sleep for 14-17 hours in every 24 hours.

3-6 months: what to expect from baby sleep

At this age, most babies sleep for 12-15 hours every 24 hours.

Babies might start moving towards a pattern of 2-3 daytime sleeps of up to two hours each.

And night-time sleeps get longer at this age. For example, some babies might be having long sleeps of six hours at night by the time they’re six months old.

But you can expect that your baby will still wake at least once each night.

6-12 months: what to expect from baby sleep

Babies sleep less as they get older. By the time your baby is one year old, baby will probably sleep for 11-14 hours every 24 hours.

Sleep during the night
From about six months, most babies have their longest sleeps at night.

Most babies are ready for bed between 6 pm and 10 pm. They usually take less than 40 minutes to get to sleep, but some babies take longer.

At this age, baby sleep cycles are closer to those of grown-up sleep – which means less waking at night. So your baby might not wake you during the night, or waking might happen less often.

But many babies do wake during the night and need an adult to settle them back to sleep. Some babies do this 3-4 times a night.

Sleep during the day
At this age, most babies are still having 2-3 daytime naps that last for between 30 minutes and 2 hours.

6-12 months: other developments that affect sleep

From around six months, babies develop many new abilities that can affect their sleep or make them more difficult to settle:

• Babies learn to keep themselves awake, especially if something interesting is happening, or they’re in a place with a lot of light and noise.
• Settling difficulties can happen at the same time as crawling. You might notice your baby’s sleep habits changing when baby starts moving around more.
• Babies learn that things exist, even when they’re out of sight. Now that your baby knows you exist when you leave the bedroom, baby might call or cry out for you.
• Separation anxiety is when babies get upset because you’re not around. It might mean your baby doesn’t want to go to sleep and wakes up more often in the night. As babies mature they gradually overcome this worry.

6-12 months: night-time feeding

From around six months of age, if your baby is developing well, it’s OK to think about night weaning and phasing out night feeds. But if you’re comfortable with feeding your baby during the night, there’s no hurry to phase out night feeds.

You can choose what works best for you and your baby.

A rollover feed is a late feed somewhere between 10 pm and midnight. Some parents find that rollover feeds help babies sleep longer towards morning. If this works for you and your baby, it’s fine to give baby a rollover feed.

Concerns about baby sleep

If you’re concerned about your baby’s sleep, it can be a good idea to track your baby’s sleep for a week or so. This can help you get a clear picture of what’s going on.

You can do this by drawing up a simple chart with columns for each day of the week. Divide the days into hourly blocks, and colour the intervals when your baby is asleep. Keep your chart for 5-7 days.

Once completed, the chart will tell you things like:

• when and how much sleep your baby is getting
• how many times your baby is waking during the night
• how long your baby is taking to settle after waking.

You can also record how you tried to resettle your baby and what worked or didn’t work.

Then you can compare the information in your chart with the general information about baby sleep needs above:

• How does your child compare to other babies the same age? If your baby is wakeful and grizzly and getting much less sleep than others, your baby might need more opportunities for sleep.
• How many times is your baby over six months old waking up during the night? If it’s 3-4 times a night or more, you might be feeling very tired. You might want to think about phasing out some of your baby’s sleep habits.

If you decide you need to see a professional for help with your baby’s sleep, take your chart with you.

If you’re concerned about your baby’s sleep, it’s a very good idea to see a child health professional for help. You could start by talking with your GP or child and family health nurse.

How baby sleep patterns affect grown-ups

Babies and grown-ups need sleep for wellbeing, but babies sleep differently from adults. Most parents of babies under six months of age get up in the night to feed and settle their babies. For many, this keeps going after six months.

Some parents are OK with getting up a lot at night as long as they have enough support and they can catch up on sleep at other times. For others, getting up in the night over the long term has a serious effect on them and their family lives.

The quality of your sleep can affect your health and your mood. Being exhausted can make it hard to give your baby positive attention during the day. And your relationship with your baby and the time and attention you give baby during the day can affect the quality and quantity of baby’s sleep.

So it’s important that you get some help if you’re not getting enough sleep. You could start by asking family or friends for help. And if you feel that lack of sleep is affecting you mentally or emotionally, it’s a very good idea to talk with your GP or another health professional.

There’s a strong link between baby sleep difficulties and symptoms of postnatal depression in women and postnatal depression in men. But the link isn’t there if parents of babies with sleep difficulties are getting enough sleep themselves.

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06/19/2015

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Knowledge about a dream

0- psychologist, sleep and breastfeeding consultant

Mom of two children

Your life has changed - a baby has appeared in it. Along with an overflowing feeling of happiness, a mother often has many questions about caring for a baby. And this is quite natural, because the first month of a child's life is not only a great joy, but also a new responsibility. nine0003

Sleep plays a special role in the correct and harmonious development of a child, so every mother wants to learn as much as possible about this important process in a baby's life. How much should a newborn baby sleep per day? How many hours should a newborn sleep during the day and how many at night? How many hours does it cost him to stay awake during the day? When should a mother put her baby to bed at night? Should I keep the same sleep pattern day and night? How many times can a newborn baby wake up during the night? These questions often arise in front of parents in the first weeks after the birth of a child. nine0003

0–4 months. Improve sleep in 3 weeks

How much should a newborn sleep per day?

It may seem that a newborn baby in the first week sleeps almost all the time, day and night. So it is: the sleep of a baby up to a month is the same day and night. A newborn baby sleeps in short bursts and wakes up every 1 to 3 hours to eat before going back to sleep. This is a very important period in the life of the baby: in a dream, the child adapts to a new, not yet familiar way of life outside, not inside. nine0003

On average, a newborn baby under the age of one month sleeps 16-19 hours a day. But all children are very different, and deviations from the average values ​​up or down are possible.

Poll

What sleeping position was recommended for your baby in the maternity hospital?

(you can choose one or more options)

• On the side
• On the back
• On the stomach
• Half-side
• Did not say anything

Voted:

0003

How long does a child under one month stay awake? It is difficult for an excessively tired child to fall asleep, sleep can be restless and intermittent due to overwork, a newborn child may wake up more often.

The ease of falling asleep also depends on how long the child is awake. Usually a newborn at the age of 1-2 weeks can be awake during the day without overwork for 40-50 minutes. At 3–5 weeks, this time increases to 50–60 minutes. But it is increasing rather slowly. Even by 4 months, the waking time is only 2 hours. This time includes feeding, preparing for bed, and laying down. nine0003

If your baby cries at bedtime, has trouble falling asleep, sleeps poorly, wakes up crying every hour or more, you probably need to put him to bed a little earlier and reduce wakefulness periods.

A baby under 4-5 weeks of age should not be more than an hour awake!

Newborn sleep while breastfeeding

A breastfed baby wakes up every 1.5 to 3 hours on average. In such a situation, a crib moved close to the parent would be a convenient option. Mom does not have to get up every night and go to the baby in the crib. nine0067

Formula-fed newborn sleep

Formula-fed newborns have slightly different sleep and wake times than breastfed babies. One of the reasons is the rate of digestion of breast milk - it is higher than that of formula milk. The mixture allows you to prolong the feeling of satiety of the child, so for 2-3 hours a well-fed baby may never wake up.

The size of the portion also affects the duration of sleep: infants drink a different amount of breast milk at each meal and sometimes they may “not finish eating”, so their sleep time may be shorter than for formula-fed babies who receive milk formula in equal portions. nine0003

Remember that a child can wake up not only from hunger. He may be bothered by colic or a wet diaper. Also, the quality and duration of sleep is affected by the microclimate in the room. A humidifier will be a good helper, especially during the heating season. And don't forget to air out the nursery before getting ready for bed.

Remember to air out your child's room before going to bed.

Child development stage

Children are born with a range of reflexes. Some of them gradually fade away over several weeks and months, while others remain. The main reflexes of a newborn baby are the reflex of sucking, swallowing and regurgitation. While this is enough for the baby to begin to develop. Newborn babies do not control their movements and cannot hold their heads or roll over on their own. It is because of uncontrolled movements that a newborn can wake up. Therefore, sleep consultants advise swaddling in the first months. Each mother herself decides on the need for swaddling, based on personal preferences and characteristics of the baby. nine0003

In the first 2 weeks of life, a newborn is practically insensitive to signals from the outside world, especially when sleeping. He may not respond to loud and harsh sounds, bright lights and movements. The child goes through a difficult adaptation period in the first month of his life, and sleep is partly a protective function of the body. It helps to get used to the changes that happened to the baby immediately after birth, allowing you to gradually and gently adapt to a new, yet unfamiliar world. This is one of the reasons why a newborn sleeps so many hours every day. nine0003

Sleep this month is affected by:

• No body clock set. Newborn babies don't live in a 24-hour rhythm. Their sleep does not depend on the time of day. The need to feed every couple of hours in the first month of life causes fragmented sleep both at night and during the day.
• Absence of "day" and "night". The kid does not know that now the night has come and it's time to sleep, and the day is the time for walking and playing. The rhythm of sleep and wakefulness of the child still needs to be tuned in over the coming months. It is important from the first days of life to show the child the difference between day and night, in order to avoid the very common problem of "mixed up day and night. " nine0042
• Neonatal rhinitis. Does the newborn cry during breastfeeding or bottle feeding, does not calm down during feeding, does not fall asleep at the end of it? Sensation as if he were disturbed by a stuffy nose. Why this happens, how to help the baby and when it is important to show the child to the doctor in a short video tells the sleep specialist Irina Zavalko.

The video was made with the support of the favorite children's brand Chicco

The newborn has no biological clock, the baby does not distinguish between "day" and "night". nine0003

	Daytime sleep
	In the first weeks of life, babies sleep a lot. Daytime naps average 1-2 hours, but their duration may be less. In this case, the wakefulness time is only 40-60 minutes, i. e., after waking up, after about 40 minutes the child is ready to fall asleep again.
	Night sleep
	Newborn babies have a very small stomach and need to be fed every 2-3 hours on average, so waking up frequently at night is natural at first. But some babies can sleep for 5-6 hours without waking up. Such a long period without awakening can be only once a day, so it is important that it falls at night, because if the baby sleeps for a long time during the day, he will not be able to sleep as long at night. nine0108

Tip of the month

During the neonatal period (up to 1 month), it is very important to recreate familiar conditions for babies, similar to those that were in the womb. Swaddling, rocking, white noise - all this soothes a newborn baby, gives him a feeling of comfort and helps him fall asleep.

#gv#iv

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When will my child start sleeping at night without waking up? nine0001

Interest in the world beyond the crib

When a child starts sleeping at night without waking up is a very individual question. By responding to the needs of the child, parents can promote healthy sleep for the child.

Starting at about 6 months old, children no longer need nighttime feedings, as at this age the rhythm of hunger and satiety in a healthy child stops at daytime. Brief awakenings at night are quite normal. nine0158 Ideally, babies fall asleep quickly and on their own again.