Newborns often fail to differentiate between night and day, sleeping three to four hours at a time, whenever and wherever they feel drowsy. Since sleep deprivation leads to irritable adults and fussy babies, and can negatively affect your immune system, by encouraging your baby to sleep for an adequate amount of time each night you can help improve the health and attitude of your entire family.
Significance
Although the amount of sleep your individual baby needs depends partly on his temperament and age, Dr. Steven Dowshen of Kidshealth says that most babies have a sleep pattern that falls into somewhat predictable ranges. Expect your 0- to 6-month-old to sleep 16 to 20 hours a day, in periods of four to six hours throughout the day and night. By the time most babies are 6 to 12 months old, they sleep for about 11 hours at night and two to three hours during the day.
Considerations
Unlike adults, young babies may not appear cranky or lethargic when they are tired. In fact, they can seem hyperactive or erratic. If you wait too long to put your baby down for bedtime or a nap, she might become over-tired, making her more prone to extended periods of crying before settling down to sleep.
Misconceptions
Sleeping for extended periods might not be the best thing for your newborn. Dr. William Sears cautions that night-waking provides important developmental and survival benefits; newborns wake because of basic needs such as hunger and cold. Dowshen emphasizes that an infant's need to feed outweighs his need for sleep during the newborn phase.
Prevention/Solution
Establish a regular bedtime routine, perhaps consisting of bath, stories, and cuddling before bed, and ensure that your baby's bedroom environment encourages sound sleep. R.N. Kyla Boyse of the University of Michigan Health System suggests spending some time observing your child's behavior to find his optimal sleep times. If he appears overly "wound-up" at night, he might need an earlier bedtime. Make the room dark and quiet, using blinds or blackout curtains. Try adding some white noise using a fan, air-conditioner, or CD of nature or water sounds.
Potential
Positive sleep associations and consistent sleep routines can help your baby sleep better throughout her childhood. According to pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene, long-term partial sleep deprivation caused by inadequate sleep can cause older children to appear unfocused, cranky and impulsive---all symptoms that lead some doctors to misdiagnose sleep-deprived children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
