How Much Sleep Does A Newborn Baby Need?

By:




As a new mom, you may be wondering whether your baby is sleeping enough, or even sleeping too much. There are guidelines of what to expect, but of course these can vary from baby to baby. Even if you've had children before, each baby will be different.

Newborn babies usually sleep about 16-17 hours in a 24-hour period. Most babies will not sleep through the night until they're at least 3 months old. There are a couple of reasons why this is the case. First of all, their stomachs are very small and they'll get hungry faster, especially if you're breastfeeding your baby. Breast milk is much more easily digested than formula, and your baby will need to feed more often, especially in the beginning.

Babies also have shorter sleep cycles than adults do and have shorter dream cycles. In general, though, a newborn baby should sleep about 8 or nine hours during the day and 8 hours or so at night. These won't be in 8-hour cycles, of course. In the beginning, those sleep times will be very short.

As the baby gets older, up to about 2 years of age, she'll still be sleeping 13-14 hours, but the amount of daytime sleep will diminish month-by-month. By age 2, your baby should be sleeping through the night with a 2-hour nap during the day. Remember that all babies' sleep patterns are different, for example some need two naps per day while others make do with one longer nap. At this age though, try to discourage naps too late in the afternoon, as this can make it harder to get them to sleep a few hours later at bed time.

Once a baby begins to regularly sleep through the night, parents are often dismayed when he/she begins to awaken in the night again. This typically happens at about 6 months of age and is often a normal part of development called separation anxiety.

Of course the above figures are just a guide. Relax if this seems different from your newborn baby. Remember that your baby is unique and his sleep patterns will be different too. Don't compare your newborn's sleep patterns with other babies.

About the Author:

Helping baby sleep can be a challenge. Visit me at baby sleep patterns to find out more about safe natural sleep solutions for your baby. Wendy Owen (HH Dip) is a holistic health therapist and sleep expert with an extensive knowledge of herbal and homeopathic remedies.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


Tags: , ,

|

Loading...
Related....
Videos...

Recent Home-and-Family Articles

Comments

Still can't find what you are looking for? Search for it!

Loading

Site Navigation:

Copyright 2005-2011 ArticleSnatch, LLC - All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service.