As a new parent, you may wonder when do babies sleep through the night naturally. When you become a parent, you’re not the only one who wants a full night’s sleep.
At around 4-6 months of age, most of the babies may start sleeping through the night, while others may not be ready for this until they are between 8-10 months of age, and Some babies still need feeding while they are between 10-12 months of age.
Most parents think there is a magic age at which all babies will sleep through the night without needing to be fed but each baby has different needs and will meet their own sleep milestones at various times.
Sleeping through the night may mean your child still needs a bottle or a breastfeed (small tummies mean hunger calls frequently) but is able to fall back asleep afterward.
Newborns are sleep champions. Newborn babies sleep 16-18 hours a day on average. In reality, the hours are broken up into bite-sized chunks, snoozing for as long as 2 hours or as short as 20 minutes.
Babies ages 0-3 months require 14–17 hours of sleep, and infants ages 4–11 months need between 12 and 15 hours. Babies under the age of four months have very different sleep schedules. Because of this, both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Association of Sleep Medicine (AASM) have not recommended a particular solution for that age group.
70-80% of babies sleep through the night by 9 months, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
When Do Babies Sleep Through The Night Naturally? Baby sleep through the night begins at a wide age range.
Between the ages of four and six months, babies start sleeping most of the time at night instead of during the day. As children age, they will take fewer naps during the day and sleep more at night.
Baby sleep schedule by age
It is true that every baby is different – some parents get lucky and their baby sleeps 4-6 hours at a time, while others find they cannot go a whole year without a full night’s sleep. But don’t worry, here are some guidelines describing how much sleep babies need, as well as how much they sleep during the day and at night.
- Newborn: The first months can seem tough for a reason. Although your little one may sleep 15-18 hours per day, they don’t sleep for long stretches at a time. At night, they typically sleep between 2-4 hours between meals. In the daytime, your baby will nap whenever they want for however long they want. What is the reason why babies sleep a lot? It’s because they are both physically and mentally growing at this time.
- 2-4 Months Old: When your baby is 2-4 months old, he or she may sleep for 3-6 hours at a stretch during the night. Your baby will get up two or three times to eat. In the daytime, they usually take three to four naps ranging from 30 minutes to three hours. On average, they sleep about 14-16 hours a day.
- 4-6 Months Old: At this age, the baby may be sleeping 6-8 hours at night, waking only once to feed. During this time, a lot of babies start to keep awake even when they are sleeping more. Babies of this age require 12-15 hours of sleep a night, divided into three naps.
- 6-8 Months Old: Babies usually start sleeping 9-12 hours at a stretch around the half-year mark. Babies at this age need around 12-15 hours of sleep per night. Since they sleep so much at night, they’ll probably only need one or two naps to get the rest they need.
- 8 Months To 1-Year-Old: Babies at this age sleep the majority of the time at night. For a total of 11-15 hours of sleep, they usually sleep 10-12 hours at night and take one or two shorter naps during the day.
You may find some support as you deal with these first-time sleep issues if you join a new mom or new parent community. When you accept the tips from other parents or online articles as a guide and adapt them to your unique baby, you will eventually find success.
Babies differ from each other. You can’t stress that enough. Therefore, do not compare the sleeping habits of your baby to those of another baby because they will differ. As I mentioned, some babies begin to sleep for longer periods at six weeks (sometimes even earlier) while other babies will take a lot longer to reach this milestone.
My passion is to help you and your family sleep well so that you can live your best life.
Tips For Getting Your Baby To Sleep Through The Night
If you have spent many sleepless nights with your baby, you might wonder when babies sleep through the night naturally. Consider some of the following tips to help your child sleep through the night:
- Whenever your baby feels sleepy and can go straight to bed, put her to bed.
- Prolong him/her night feedings so he/she goes to bed full.
- Take your baby’s cues and sync up with their schedule. As soon as you see your baby yawning and seeming tired, put her to bed.
- Set your baby’s sleep schedule, such as putting him/her to bed at the same time every night.
- Sleep cycles for your little one can be as long as 40 minutes, so he/she stirs a lot at night. So don’t presume he/she is hungry.
- Don’t rush the process of giving solids. Take your time. Introduce semi-solids and mashed foods first.
- Try to stay consistent, even on weekends. Make sure to put your baby to bed at the time you set, regardless of other commitments. Additionally, research shows that a consistent sleep routine and a consistent sleep location are important components of a healthy sleep routine.
Establishing a sleep routine for an infant can be challenging, so get the support you need. When you are exhausted and unable to carry on, get your partner’s help. And remember the process will take time.