Infant sleep cycles chart

Baby Sleep Cycles & Patterns Explained

Sleep is important for your baby, who needs plenty of shut-eye for healthy growth and optimum development. Understanding the different baby sleep cycles can help you ensure your little one is getting enough rest at every stage, from birth to toddlerhood.

Your baby’s sleep is closely related to your own health and well-being—when your little one’s sleeping, you can, too! Plus, learning about your baby’s unique sleep patterns can help you set schedules, anticipate when it’s time for a nap, and figure if he’s crying because he’s tired (or wet, or hungry). Now, you’re speaking your baby’s language!

How Long Should Your Baby Sleep at Every Stage?

The amount of time your baby spends sleeping will vary from day to day and will change as he gets older. The newborn and baby sleep chart below can help you get a better idea of how long your baby’s sleep cycles may last, the average amount of time he will sleep in a 24-hour period, and how many naps he will typically take.

Baby Sleep Chart

Remember, these are merely averages, and every baby is unique. Speak to your baby’s healthcare provider if you have any concerns or questions regarding sleep.

What Is a Sleep Cycle for Babies?

The term sleep cycle is often used broadly to describe patterns of wakefulness and sleep in a given time frame, such as 24 hours. Baby sleep cycle may also refer to a single sequence of two types of sleep: REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and non-REM sleep, also known as active and quiet sleep.

In REM, or active, sleep, your baby may move around more and make noises. In non-REM, quiet sleep, your baby sleeps more deeply.

Babies, and especially newborns, have general sleep cycles that are different from your own. They sleep for short periods of time, similar to the length of naps adults have. In part, that's because they have smaller stomachs, and wake up frequently because they're hungry and need to be fed.

There are typically five stages that make up a baby’s sleep cycle:

Stage One:Your baby feels drowsy and starts to drift off to sleep.

Stage Two: REM sleep, or active sleep phase.

Stage Three: Light sleep where your baby’s sleep becomes less “active.

Stages Four and Five:Deep non-REM sleep, or quiet sleep. Your baby doesn’t move as much during this stage and it can be more difficult to wake him.

Pay attention to signs your baby is getting ready for sleep. This can help you soothe him to sleep when he needs it and get him to drift off more easily:

• He may start rubbing his eyes

• He may yawn

• He may exhibit signs of fussiness, which include crying.

Newborn Sleep Cycle

After your baby is born, you may find yourself feeling quite exhausted. That's completely normal: you have a new addition to the family, and that can change many things in your life! On the one hand, a newborn does spend most of her time asleep. However, her sleep cycles are quite short: she may only sleep for 40 minutes to an hour or two during a sleep cycle. And when she wakes, you’re up too.

This can make it seem as though you’ll never get a good night’s sleep again. Constantly at your baby’s beck and call, you may not even know where to begin when it comes to setting a sleeping schedule, let alone a feeding routine. But these do make your life easier. Your baby benefits from the routine, better ensuring she’s getting the right amount of sleep on a daily basis, which means you’re one step closer to getting more sleep yourself!

In other words, don’t despair! Your baby’s sleep patterns are emerging, and with the right tools you can better set a more predictable schedule.

Don’t miss these must-watch sleep tips from a pediatric sleep consultant.

Setting Up a Newborn Sleep Schedule

Implementing a sleep schedule for your infant usually revolves around her circadian clock, so you may not know precisely when and how to make adjustments. Tracking your baby’s sleep patterns can help you gain the insights you need to better set a schedule and know if your little one is getting the right amount of sleep every day. While it’s normal to be focused on overnight sleep, it is important to note that it’s what happens during the day that sets your baby up for a great night, and naps play a critical role in unlocking your baby’s optimal routine.

To help you establish the best routine for your baby (and you), check out the the Smart Sleep Coach by Pampers App. Powered by science, backed by experts and designed just for you. It equips you you with the tools and knowledge to get more Zzzz’s, turning you and your baby into a dream team. Take this FREE Sleep Assessment and get your personalized plan when you start your 7-day FREE trial!

Peering into this deeper level of your baby’s development will allow you to better identify if he is hungry, needs a diaper change, or if it’s time for a nap. Expert advice delivers personalized routine tips to keep your baby’s sleep on track, letting you know when to make adjustments and if he’s getting the right amount of sleep at every stage—possibly helping you sleep better, too!

What you can expect at the newborn stage of your baby’s sleep patterns:

• For the first few weeks after birth, your little one sleeps most of the time, with one- to two-hour periods of wakefulness

• At about six to eight weeks, your baby is settling into a routine and may show signs of drowsiness to signal when it’s time for a nap

• Your baby's sleep pattern may change—he may now fall asleep around 6 or 8 PM, with his longest period of evening sleep being about three to five hours long

• He may cry when he’s tired, signaling it’s time for sleep; if he does, try to soothe him right away so he can get to sleep more quickly

• Once a routine is established, he may begin to soothe himself to sleep, as he gets older.

There are additional factors to consider when you’re trying to help your newborn get to sleep and stay asleep longer. Comfortable and safe sleep is always crucial. Don't overdress your baby and keep his crib bare. If you are swaddling your newborn, be sure you swaddle him just right—if he's wrapped too tightly or too loosely he may be waking up more frequently than needed.

Check your baby’s diaper before putting him down to bed; a wet diaper may not be comfortable and can keep him up at night. Pampers offers super absorbent diaper options specifically designed for nighttime. So, you may not have to worry about changing your baby’s wet diaper when he’s already deep asleep.

Your baby will also sleep better if he’s well fed. After all, no one likes to go to sleep hungry!

3- to 6-Month-Old Baby Sleep Patterns

As your baby grows, it may become easier to recognize when she’s tired and ready for rest. Naps become less frequent and your baby may begin to sleep for longer periods of time at night.

Continue to soothe your baby when she’s tired and maintain a safe and comfortable sleep environment. At around 4 months old, your baby may begin to learn how to self-soothe. You can help facilitate the process by gradually giving her less attention at night. Your baby will recognize that you won’t come running to her crib every time she cries, and in turn she may soothe herself to sleep by sucking on her thumb, rubbing a sheet, or rocking her head—it’s all part of growing up!

As a parent of a newborn you may feel that a good night’s sleep is a far-away dream, but with the right expectations and tools in place, that dream can become a reality sooner than you think. Understanding your baby’s unique sleep cycles and patterns can help you set a schedule that works for everyone—how’s that for a bedtime story with a happy ending!

REM Sleep Cycle of Your Baby (sleep chart that helped over 5000 moms)– Nested Bean

Your baby may have your eyes or your lips, but when it comes to sleep, the two of you are quite dissimilar.

Sleep might seem rather simple to you, but there's a lot more to sleep than simply being "awake" and falling "asleep." Our newborn sleep cycle chart shows the 4 different sleep phases:

Stages of sleep

As you can see below, your own sleep looks much different from the newborn sleep cycle. You might be fast asleep from the moment your head hits the pillow, while it takes infants longer to drift into a deep sleep than it does for you.

Your baby will first enter a lengthy period of light sleep from which it is easy for him or her to awaken. 

Adult sleep cycle: how you sleep

Though you both cycle between periods of deep sleep and shorter stints of light REM cycle sleep, your baby does so many more times throughout the night. For you, deep sleep can persist up to 90 minutes at a time.

For your baby, it may not last an hour. Therefore, much of his or her sleep is comprised of light sleep, often accounting for more than half of their recommended 13-18 hours of shuteye.

When adults complete a sleep cycle and shift to the next cycle, we might briefly wake up or come close to waking up. The other difference between our cycles and baby's is that when we're shifting from one cycle to the next we might wake up, but we almost immediately fall back to sleep (unless affected by sleep disorders).

Think about how you’ll barely wake in the middle of the night and shift positions or open your eyes for a split second before falling asleep again.

Infants, however, will wake up during that shift and probably need your help to get back to sleep. This skill is learned, and until your baby can fall back to sleep independently, they won't be able to sleep through the night.

Though these times can vary due to factors like sleep disorders, this baby sleep chart below shows how your baby cycles through the stages of sleep much quicker than adults.  

Baby's sleep cycle: how your baby's sleep differs from yours

Newborns and adults have very different sleep cycles. So, how does your baby's sleep cycle work?

Our newborn sleep cycle chart shows that newborns (babies 0-3 months old), only experience two of the four stages of sleep: stage 3 and stage 4, or REM, and spend about half of their time asleep in each stage.

These are also known as active sleep and quiet sleep - this is because your baby may be more physically active during the former, and more still during the latter.

As a newborn, you were most likely able to rock or nurse your baby to sleep, and then put her down without her waking.

This is because she jumps right into that deep sleep stage. Around 4 months old, your baby will start cycling through all 4 stages of sleep, instead of just two.

As you can imagine, your baby’s sleep is most vulnerable when he or she is in light sleep.

Any number of things can cause them to awaken, including hunger, a wet diaper, changes in temperature, an unfamiliar sound, or his or her own startle reflex or moro reflex.

Of course, if all is well and your baby is comfortable, he or she might fall asleep again within a few minutes.

A reassuring hand or your presence can always help them through this vulnerable period without waking. The Zen Swaddle blanket, that mimics your reassuring touch, will definitely help your baby go from one light sleep phase to the next without completely waking up.

While the transition between sleep phases can lead to a harrowing night, this light REM sleep is essential for physiological development, physical well-being and safety. It has even been linked to increased blood flow to the brain, learning and height. Therefore, uninterrupted REM sleep has many benefits.

Help your newborn sleep through the night

Newborns express their need to fall asleep by giving several cues; some fuss or cry while some might indicate with gestures such as rubbing their eyes.

Experts say it is best to put babies to bed when they are drowsy but not asleep. That way they are more likely to fall asleep quickly and eventually learn how to get themselves to sleep.

Newborns can be taught the difference between day and night by limiting the activity levels, surrounding light and noise levels as night time approaches and they need to drift off to sleep.

Some tips to help your baby go to sleep are as follows:

• Observe your baby's sleep patterns and signs of sleepiness
• Place your baby in the crib when drowsy not sleepy
• Place baby to sleep on his or her back in your favorite swaddle blanket or wearable sleeping bag. 
• To ensure a safe sleep environment for your baby remove loose blankets or soft items near baby's face or head
• Add white noise to help your baby fall asleep to familiar sounds in the womb

Still having trouble getting you little one to sleep? Here are 7 Actionable Steps to Better Sleep for Your Baby.  

What is the average REM cycle length of a baby's sleep?

Rapid eye movement REM sleep totals around half of a baby's sleep stages. A typical baby will sleep for around 16 hours a day spread out across the day and night, and 8 of those hours will be REM sleep. Sleep disorders could disrupt the amount of sleep that your baby receives each night.

Do babies experience non-REM sleep?

As your baby grows older, they will experience less rem sleep and will instead go through an increased amount of non REM sleep cycles. They will also begin to experience 3 stages of non rem sleep, instead of just one. This is all part of slowly transitioning into an adult sleep cycle.

When do babies go into REM sleep?

Babies will experience active sleep first before experiencing REM sleep, which will occur at around 8 months of age. As they get older, babies will experience less REM sleep.

How long is a newborn sleep cycle?

Newborns sleep through active and quiet sleep in cycles that last about 50-60 minutes. Newborns will usually sleep in bursts of 2-3 hours throughout the day. Each sleep cycle will last about 4o minutes so, a baby will experience around 3 cycles in each burst of sleep.

How can I help my baby transition from sleep cycles?

To help your baby transition from sleep patterns, give them lots of affection by patting their backs and sushing them. Ensure that the majority of their feeds are being given during the day and encourage them to empty the breast so that they feel full (if breastfed).

At what age do baby sleep cycles connect?

By six months old, babies begin to link sleep cycles. But the process may start earlier: By three months, babies develop night and day sleep patterns, and they tend to start to sleep more during the night. Babies usually sleep for 12-15 hours every 24 hours. At 3-6 months, babies might start moving towards sleep patterns of 2-3 daytime sleeps of up to two hours each.

When do baby sleep cycles lengthen?

Most babies begin to approximate more adult sleep patterns between three months and one year of age. During this time of life, babies begin to sleep for longer periods during the night and shorter periods during the day.

When do babies start to sleep longer than 3 hours?

By four months, most babies’ sleep cycles start to lengthen, and they may begin to show a preference for longer sleep at night. By six months, some babies may begin to ‘sleep through the night’—meaning that they may go for five to six hours or more without waking up to feed.

Healthychildren.Org: Swaddling: Is it Safe?

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Baby sleep mode

March 15, 2018

All parents dream of their baby sleeping well. And not only because they themselves need to snatch a piece of time for rest, but also because healthy sleep is vital for the normal functioning of the child's body.

A newborn and a child in a year or two sleep differently. The total duration of sleep in the first months of life is 16-20 hours a day, gradually decreasing to 12 hours at the age of five and up to 10 hours at the older age. However, with age, not only the duration of sleep changes, but also its rhythm. In young children, REM sleep with dreams predominates over slow-wave, deep sleep.

By about eight months, the proportion of REM sleep decreases and is about 20-25% of the total sleep duration, which corresponds to the sleep rhythm of an adult.

A child is born with an unformed circadian rhythm, and quite often even during pregnancy the baby slept or was awake contrary to his mother. A newborn usually sleeps no more than an hour and a half in a row - that's how long the sleep-wake cycle takes him. At the age of two to eight weeks, this cycle is extended to 4 hours.

Sleeping through the night without waking up, most children will learn before the age of one. At the age of two, children finally form a well-established daily rhythm, but it becomes more difficult to put the child to sleep.

Here are some average norms for the duration of daytime and nighttime sleep for children of different ages: hours;

It is important to note here that all children are, of course, individual and do not necessarily fit into these average parameters. Do not wake the child unless absolutely necessary, fearing that he will oversleep an extra hour. However, it should not be forgotten that compliance with the sleep regimen has a beneficial effect on the physical and psychological development of the child.

In order for the child to sleep well, certain conditions must be observed. Firstly, the bed and the room in which the child sleeps should be clean and cool, the air should not be too dry. Secondly, the child should not be prevented from falling asleep by extraneous sounds, it is advisable to turn off or dim the light. And, thirdly, before going to bed, the child should not be overfed, but not hungry, otherwise the discomfort in the stomach will prevent him from falling asleep.

Before going to bed, it is better not to play active games with the child - nervous excitement will not soon allow him to fall asleep peacefully. A warm bath soothes a child before bedtime, especially if you add a few drops of lavender essential oil to it. Lullabies should not be neglected - this daily ritual gives the baby a feeling of comfort and stability, calms him down.

Several factors can interfere with a child's normal, healthy sleep. If the baby is hungry, thirsty or feels wet, he wakes up. If the baby is hot or, on the contrary, too cold, he can also wake up.

Intestinal colic can interfere with children's sleep, especially in the first months.

Colic is associated with the immaturity of the baby's digestive system: gases accumulate in the intestines and press on its walls, causing pain. Usually colic disappears by 2 months, but can last up to 4-5 months. Special medications, such as Espumizana, a vent tube, dill water, will help soothe the pain. Before using any means, you need to consult a pediatrician.

Erupting teeth cause pain to the child, which, of course, causes disturbances in the usual sleep pattern. To make the baby sleep more peacefully, you can give him special rings filled with gel before going to bed. Such rings are cooled in the refrigerator, after which they are given to the child.

Night terrors may appear in a child around 2 years of age and greatly interfere with his restful sleep. However, rare nightmares are not necessarily a sign of pathology; on the contrary, children who have never had nightmares are an exception to the rule. If nightmares become frequent, the same nightmare repeats (this can be judged by the description given by the child himself), then it is better to contact a psychologist.

Sometimes the child wakes up at night, but not completely, and in less than a minute he falls asleep again. Such "awakenings" should not frighten parents. Therefore, it is not necessary, having heard the slightest sound from the child’s crib, to immediately run to him, grab him in his arms - perhaps it is precisely from the actions of the parents that the child will wake up completely and become capricious.

In order to instill a proper sleep pattern in your child, it is important to remember the following:

• you don't need to wake your baby on purpose, even if it's time to feed him;
• before putting the child to bed, you need to make sure that he is full;
• night feedings should take place in a quiet, calm environment, with subdued lights;
• if there is such an opportunity, then at 10-12 months it is advisable to refuse night feedings;
• it is necessary to put the child to bed always at the same time;
• daytime feedings should not lull the child, but on the contrary, set them up for activity;
• it is desirable to start a special ritual of falling asleep, for example, to sing lullabies before going to bed or to put his favorite toy next to the child.

Sleep phases | Fast and deep phases of sleep in newborns

09/15/2015

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Child

author of Article

Tatyana Chkhikvishvili

Tatyana Chkhikvishvili

Head of Online Programs, Psychologist, SNN consultant

Mother of two children

Newborn sleep and sleep phases in children during the first months of life differ from adult sleep. What are the phases of a baby's sleep, when there is a transition to an adult sleep model, what happens after a change in the sleep pattern - this article tells.

0–4 months. Improve sleep in 3 weeks

Sleep before birth

Unborn babies spend most of their time sleeping. It is even possible that they are dreaming. Unfortunately, scientists do not have accurate information about exactly how babies sleep in their mother's stomach.

The first days of life

Immediately after birth, babies continue to sleep a lot, spending almost all the time in sleep. In newborns, sleep is divided into two phases:

• active sleep;
• restful sleep.

Active sleep already in the first days after birth is transformed into REM sleep, similar to the phase of REM sleep in adults. REM sleep is also called the REM stage - from the English "Rapid Eye Movement", which means "sleep with rapid eye movements."

REM sleep

In adults, REM sleep accounts for 15–25% of sleep, while in infants, the proportion of REM sleep is about 40–50%. This is necessary for the growth and development of the child's brain - it is in the phase of REM sleep that dreams give the brain visual images, training the brain and stimulating its growth.

REM sleep provides the function of psychological protection, relieves psycho-emotional stress, filters information, reboots the brain, and ensures brain growth.

The proportion of REM sleep decreases as the child grows:

Gradual maturation - 1-3 months

Another form of sleep in babies is restful sleep, which subsequently transforms into non-REM sleep, similar to adult sleep. Brain maturation takes place in different ways, all children have their own, individual speed. Non-REM sleep requires higher brain maturity, which is why it occurs later than REM sleep. This happens on average in 1-3 months.

Non-REM sleep consists of the following stages:

• Sleep initiation
• Superficial sleep
• Deep sleep

Deep sleep

Deep sleep in babies is much better than in adults. Children practically do not react to sounds, light, touch and temperature. This stage of sleep in young children lasts about 20 minutes. Deep sleep is responsible for restoring energy. It "reboots" the body, relieves accumulated fatigue, gives physical rest, restores and "charges" the immune system.

In order to fully recover physically and strengthen the immune system, children need a sufficient presence of the deep sleep stage - contrary to a fairly common misconception that children up to almost a year old should sleep exclusively on superficial sleep.

Falling asleep after 4 months

Now, falling asleep, babies “walk the steps of sleep”, sequentially passing through all stages of sleep.

Sleep stages of the baby after 3–4 months:

1. sleep entry;
2. superficial sleep;
3. deep dream;
4. fast sleep.

That is why if you try to shift a grown-up child who has just fallen asleep, he will most likely wake up immediately - his dream was superficial.

40-minute naps

Sleep phases make up a baby's sleep cycle. After 3-4 months, it is similar to the adult sleep cycle, but has a much shorter duration - about 40 minutes.

A baby's 40-minute sleep cycle often ends with the baby waking up. This is necessary to monitor and assess its condition. Is everything in order, is it not hot, not cold, is the baby hungry?

If everything is in order, the baby immediately falls asleep again, and often the parents do not even notice this micro-awakening. If something is wrong, the baby declares his needs.

Such awakenings between sleep cycles occur every night in adults. We wake up, if nothing bothers us, we immediately fall asleep again and do not even remember these awakenings in the morning. But if the child is accustomed to a certain way of falling asleep (for example, motion sickness), then in order to fall asleep again after such a “control” awakening, he will most likely need to restore the conditions for falling asleep.

Structure of sleep during the night

In the first half of the night (approximately from 19:00 to 1:00), the proportion of deep sleep is high, and in the second half of the night, the stages of superficial and REM sleep predominate, while deep sleep is almost completely absent. This is due to the natural circadian rhythm - a person, like all life on earth, obeys the laws of nature.

Lack of sleep in the first half of the night cannot be fully compensated by sleep in the morning - they are different in structure and function.

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