What is Normal Baby Sleep?

There are so many misconceptions when it comes to the definition of ‘baby sleep’. As parents, our expectations are often moulded according to what we read, what we hear from friends and relatives, and what the media portrays as usual or common behaviours. The thing is though, that your baby is a very unique individual, with very unique and distinct needs and personality traits. And this makes the term ‘normal’ so hard to define! This post is not intended to be a definitive guide, since only you know your baby well enough to know if it applies or not. That said, there are some baby sleep myths that need to be addressed- so here is my answer to the age old question, what is normal baby sleep?

Why do we need sleep?

We need sleep for energy and for the body and brain to develop and grow. Babies need more sleep than adults because they have more growing and developing to do. And that’s a really simple explanation, but it’s true. Sleep is a hugely developmental process and our sleep needs change as we grow.

How do babies sleep?

Newborn babies can sleep for up to 18 hours a day, but this total sleep is usually split up into 2 to 3 hour chunks. By the end of the first year, sleep duration falls to around 15 hours with the majority of sleep occurring at night-time, as natural circadian rhythms develop.

A healthy baby will experience several wakings at the end of sleep cycles during the night. Some babies will settle back to sleep, others won’t. Newborn babies in particular will wake for food simply because they have tiny tummies that need filling more regularly- so most new parents should prepare themselves for this.

By the age of 3 months or so, some babies begin to start settling and sleeping through at night- a stretch of up to 5 hours.  By the time they’re 5 months or so, around half of them may start sleeping for an eight-hour stretch on some nights. The majority of babies won’t sleep all night, at least not consistently, until they’re around a year old. Of course, some will take longer. All of this is completely normal.

Normal baby sleep

It’s normal for babies – especially when breastfed – to wake and feed at night throughout at least the first year. So if you take anything away from this post, its that. Your baby waking up is normal.

It’s also worth considering that babies have their own unique circadian rhythms and encouraging them to sleep for longer stretches than they’re ready for could disrupt the sequence of these rhythms. This in turn can affect patterns such as those that control the regulation of temperature and hormone production. So accept that what your baby is doing is normal, and necessary too.

Where does sleep training come into it?

Sleep training isn’t recommended before six months of age, and I do not ever recommend that you leave baby to cry. When your baby cries they are communicating with you, and they need you. If your baby wakes and needs a cuddle, a feed, or for you rock them for an hour, that is completely normal! What some parents may perceive is a sleep problem may actually be normal baby sleep.

Consider your baby’s age and what is deemed normal at that stage of developments. And then use gentle sleep training methods to help guide your baby back to sleep.