YOUR NEW BABY (LESS THAN 2 MONTHS) AND SLEEP
At first, your new baby is on a 24-hour feeding and sleep-wake cycle. Newborns may sleep between 10 and 18 hours a day, staying awake only 1 to 3 hours at a time.
Signs that your baby is becoming sleepy include:
Try putting your baby to bed sleepy, but not yet asleep.
To encourage your newborn to sleep more at night rather than during the day:
Sleeping with a baby younger than 12 months may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
YOUR INFANT (3 - 12 MONTHS) AND SLEEP
By age 4 months, your child might sleep for up to 6 to 8 hours at a time. Between ages 6 and 9 months, most children will sleep for 10 to 12 hours. During the first year of life, it is common for babies to take one to four naps a day, each lasting 30 minutes to 2 hours.
When putting an infant to bed, make the bedtime routine consistent and pleasant.
Your baby may cry when you lay him in his bed, because he fears being away from you. This is called separation anxiety. Simply go in, speak in a calm voice, and rub the baby's back or head. Do not take the baby out of the bed. Once he has calmed down, leave the room. Your child will soon learn that you are simply in another room.
If your baby awakens in the night for feeding, do not turn on the lights.
By age 9 months, if not sooner, most infants are able to sleep for at least 8 to 10 hours without needing a nighttime feeding. Infants will still wake up during the night. However, over time, your infant will learn to self-soothe and fall back asleep on his or her own.
Sleeping with a baby younger than 12 months of age may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
YOUR TODDLER (1 TO 3 YEARS) AND SLEEP:
A toddler will most often sleep for 12 to 14 hours a day. By around 18 months, children only need one nap each day. The nap should not be close to bedtime.
Make the bedtime routine pleasant and predictable.
Some other tips are:
Praise your child for learning to self-soothe and fall asleep alone.
Remember that bedtime habits can be disrupted by changes or stresses such as moving to a new home or gaining a new brother or sister. It may take time to reestablish previous bedtime practices.
Owens JA. Sleep medicine. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 18.
St. James-Roberts I. Infant crying and sleeping: Helping parents to prevent and manage problems. Prim Care. 2008;35:547-567.
Updated by: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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