There's one major question on the minds of many new parents: When will I ever sleep again? Parents of newborns may be wondering about what to expect as far as how their babies can, will and should sleep. And although you can never really predict a baby's sleeping habits because all babies are different, there are some rough estimates of what parents can expect.
The First Month
A brand-new baby will mostly sleep---as much as 18 to 20 hours a day for the first couple of weeks. Unfortunately for parents, there are lots of breaks between those many hours of sleep. Newborns may wake up as frequently as every two hours; every four hours if you're lucky. Early on, expect a newborn's sleeping habits to be lots of sleep with lots of interruptions. But, with every week of maturity, your baby may need less and less sleep, and sleep for longer stretches at a time.
Six to Eight Weeks
By the time your baby is six to eight weeks, you can hope for a little relief. Though babies are still napping quite frequently throughout the day, their nighttime patterns have often begun to change a bit by this stage. Many babies can sleep for longer stretches of several hours throughout the night; four or five hours at a time.
Three to Six Months
At this three to six months old, most babies can sleep at least five to six hours at a time. By the time your baby is six months old, she may even sleep as much as nine or even 12 hours at a time. Even if your baby wakes up a little bit during the night, she won't need you to get up and soothe and feed her. By this age, she should be able to get back to sleep herself.
One Year
By the time your baby is a year old, she should be sleeping for as long as 10 to 11 hours each night. And, she'll still need about two naps every day for more energy---expect each nap to last between one and two hours, according to SlumberSounds.com.
Getting Your Baby to Sleep
You can help your baby to sleep better and longer by teaching good sleep habits and establishing a good bedtime routine. That means sticking to a regular nightly bedtime and nightly routine---maybe it's playtime followed by bath time followed by reading a book and cuddling. The baby will get used to the nightly routine and sleep better each night. Every baby has different needs and a different schedule, so don't expect every baby to fall into these categories. Figure out what works for your baby, and do your best to make sure she's getting all the sleep she needs---and that you are, too.
