How Much Sleep Should a 7 Week Infant Have?

Your 7-week-old baby should get about 15 hours of sleep per day. However, your baby is still very little and might not get this sleep at the times when he's supposed to sleep. You can help him learn the right times to sleep and get the most out of his bedtime.

Your Baby at 7 Weeks

At 7 weeks, your baby is still learning a lot about her new environment. She's starting to realize that she can control her hands and use them to pick up new things. She may also be able to follow an object that you pass across her face. Most of all, she's learning the difference between day and night, a critical distinction for sleeping.

Nighttime Sleep

...

How to Get a Five-Week-Old Baby to Sleep

Learn More

According to Baby Centre, babies at 7 weeks sleep between 8.5 to 10 hours per night. At this age, Dr. Peter Strachn states that many babies are capable of sleeping through the night. However, that doesn't mean your baby will sleep for 9 hours without any interruptions. At 7 weeks, sleeping through the night means that he can make it about 6 hours without waking up. If your baby still isn't getting that much sleep, don't worry about it—he's still getting enough rest, it's just coming with an additional interruption or two.

Naps

By 7 weeks, your baby still isn't on a very reliable sleep schedule. She may need anywhere from two to four naps to get the 5 to 7 hours of daytime sleeps she needs. She should start to sleep more at night and less during the day at 7 weeks; however, her naps may still be very irregular. Don't let her nap too much during the day, and don't put her down for a nap too close to her bedtime. Doing this will prevent her from feeling wide awake when it's time for her to sleep at night.

Helping Your Baby Sleep

...

How Long Does a 6-Week-Old Baby Sleep For?

Learn More

When your baby is 7 weeks, you can help encourage him to develop better sleeping habits. One way to do this is to put him down to sleep while he is still awake, but very drowsy. By falling asleep on his own, he will realize that it's possible to fall asleep outside of your arms; this will also help him to settle himself back down when he wakes up at night.

Beyond 7 Weeks

As your baby reaches 2 months and beyond, he will build upon the skills she is already learning. Her ability to self-soothe will lead to her sleeping well beyond 6 hours a night, and she'll eventually settle on a schedule of two or three naps per day at regular times. The sleep habits you teach her at 7 weeks go a long way to help her become a sound sleeper, so work with her and try to get her to help herself. This will help her to not only get the amount of sleep she needs at 7 weeks old, but it will also help her to develop a sense of independence that will help her as she grows.

×