Certainly one of the most popular topics among parents of infants, but also toddlers: sleeping. The understandable wish of the usually chronically overtired parents: the children should do it at least 8 hours and preferably “at a stretch”. In the baby’s first months, this is still a pipe dream that most parents are unable to fulfill. Later, however, some things can be done to help babies sleep.
In the beginning, there is still sleep chaos
To say up front: that babies sleep from the beginning up to 12 hours through, happens. But it is the exception and should not be a guide for parents. And they should especially not be frustrated if their own child is in no hurry to do so. Because in the first months of life, babies naturally never sleep more than 2 to 4 hours at a time. There are several reasons for this:
For one thing, babies haven’t yet developed a stable day-night rhythm; this doesn’t set in until the fourth and fifth months. So they can’t even know when it’s nighttime and they need to sleep. Secondly, because of their high energy requirements and their still very small stomachs, they are tormented by hunger every two to four hours. Babies who are breastfed often still drink at 2-hour intervals at the beginning. This is due to the good digestibility of breast milk; they are simply hungry faster.
Babies’ sleep needs and sleep patterns
Overall, a baby needs about 16-18 hours of sleep in the first two months. By the end of the first year of life, the range gradually decreases to 12-14 hours. In which sleep rhythm these hours are “slept” and especially how long at a stretch, of course varies from baby to baby.
It is not until the end of the first year of life that the sleep rhythm settles down to three preferred times, namely the night, the late morning and the afternoon. In the best case, the night’s rest is then restored and even a midday nap is possible for the caring parent.
And anyway: What does sleeping through the night mean? Strictly speaking, it only means a sleep phase from midnight to around 5 a.m.. That’s what 80 percent of babies can do at 6 months.
