Just as no two people are exactly alike, every baby has its own personality. Some babies fall asleep easily on their own, while others need to be rocked or nursed asleep. Some babies sleep in accordance to baby sleep charts, while other babies appear to have not read the charts. Babies initially spread their sleep throughout the day, and do not differentiate between night and day. This is one of the many behaviors you as a parent must socialize into your child's repertoire.
Start Routines Early
Sleep coach Kathy Sinclair at Momstyle News suggests that parents start to create a bedtime routine from day one. Pick a time in the early evening, and begin the routine. Feed your baby, change her diaper, change her into pajamas and swaddle your baby in your arms for a few minutes. You may want to rock her gently. Lay her down in her bassinet or crib and leave the room. Use this same approach for naps. Some babies can be put down while drowsy, while others need to be in a deeper sleep, according to Ask Dr. Sears. If your baby fusses after being placed down, you may want to hold her for 20 minutes or so until she goes into a deeper sleep before putting her down in the bassinet.
Newborns
Newborns sleep 16 to 20 hours per day in two- to four-hour sleep cycles. Breastfed babies have shorter cycles, sleeping two to three hours compared to the three- to four-hour sleep cycle of formula-fed babies, according to Kid's Health. Compared to adults and older children, babies have more light than deep sleep, so they tend to drowse away the day.
One to Three Months
Sometime between the first and third month most babies develop more mature sleep cycles that include drowsiness, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, light sleep, and deep and very deep sleep, according to Kid's Health. Your baby might begin to sleep five to seven hours during the night. Most babies at this age have two or three sleep periods during the day of several hours each. On average, one- to three-month-old babies sleep about 15 hours a day, with eight to 10 of those hours occurring during the day.
Four to Seven Months
By four to seven months of age, babies tend to sleep seven or eight hours at night, and take at least two naps a day. On average, they sleep three to four hours during the day. Babies can become distracted from their naps by activity around them, and by their desire to be with Mom. If they become too cranky from lack of sleep, they may have difficulty falling asleep at night. Parents may need to create some quiet space and time so their infants get proper naps during the day.
Eight to 12 Months
The range is quite wide, but on average eight- to 12-month-old babies sleep about 13 to 14 hours per day, with only two to four hours of that sleep occurring during the day. Again, babies display great variation, but many infants of this age take a nap in the morning and another in the afternoon. Naps can range from 20 minutes to a couple of hours, but on average last an hour or so. As children approach the one-year mark, they start to resist taking naps and falling asleep at night because they are developing a stronger attachment to their caretakers, and they experience anxiety when separated. It is usually helpful for parents to establish regular nap and sleep times to help tune their child's maturing self-regulation.
