Baby Sleep Schedule
When we are asleep, our body goes through a series of changes that are crucial for a healthy lifestyle and especially for our mind. Sleep allows the brain and body to slow down and engage in processes of recovery, promoting better physical and mental performance the next day. What happens when you don’t sleep is that these fundamental processes are short-circuited, affecting thinking, concentration, energy levels, and mood. As a result, getting the sleep you need — seven to nine hours for adults and even more for children and teens — is crucial.
Babies need between 14 to 17 hours of sleep each day. But in the first six months of age, they are not ready for a regular sleep schedule. But even if that’s the case, you need to be consistent and help your baby sleep as much as possible. You can create a ritual, in which you can give your baby a bath or sing lullabies to them. This daily night routine helps babies fall asleep faster because doing the same activities every evening sends a cue to the brain that it’s time to sleep.
You can put your baby on a sleep schedule almost from birth but, as said before, don’t get demotivated because it’s completely natural for babies to wake up at different hours in the first six months. This happens because new-borns need to eat and sleep on demand to support a rapid period of growth and development.
Once your baby can tolerate staying awake for more than 2 or 3 hours at a time, you can use a more consistent schedule. You can put your baby on a schedule largely based on their nap gap. Nap gap is the amount of time between sleep periods, including the time between naps and between their last nap and bedtime.
NEWBORN BABY SLEEP SCHEDULE
Babies need to sleep a lot on a 24hours circle. Usually, they sleep from 14 to 17 hours, which is the recommended amount of time. And they can stay awake 1 to 2 hours at a time, on average, of course. Remember that even though you can form an early bedtime around 8 to 12 weeks old, you might want to keep the bedtime as late as possible, between 9 to 10 pm to avoid your baby starting the day too early in the morning.
4-MONTH-OLD BABY SLEEP SCHEDULE
A 4-month-old baby needs around 11 to 12 hours of sleep at night and 2 to 4 hours during the day. At the same time, they still eat 1 to 2 times a night and take around 4 naps a day, lasting up to 30 minutes at a time. Their naps are short while their brain still develops but they still can’t stay awake for too long.
Unfortunately, at this age is not uncommon for your baby to go through a sleep regression. This sleep regression means the baby is going through a permanent change in sleeping habits. It can start at any time after 8 weeks old, but the most common age is 4 months old.
BABY SLEEP REGRESSION
At 4 months old, your baby’s brain matures and he or she will start getting into light sleep more often than before. Looking at the bright side, this sleep regression means your baby’s development is right on track and everything is happening according to “the plan”!
If your child is going through a sleep regression, the first step you should never forget is to not give up. No matter how hard it gets, continue helping your baby fall asleep in the way he has been falling asleep until now. Then try to swaddle the baby and/or offering a pacifier. You should consider not keeping your baby for too long at night and not letting your child take too many naps during the day.
5-MONTH-OLD BABY SLEEP SCHEDULE
At this age, many 5-month-olds are still waking 1-3 times per night to eat. You should let your baby take from 3 to 4 naps per day for a total of 3 to 4 hours per day and 11 to 12 hours at night.
6-MONTH-OLD BABY SLEEP SCHEDULE
At 6-month-old, babies sleep an average of 13-14 hours in a 24-hour period with 11-12 hours at night and 2-3 hours during the day. A good schedule can help your baby sleep better and eat better. This post will provide sample 6-month-old feeding and sleep schedules, including milk feedings for breastfeeding and formula-feeding babies, solids, naps, and night-time sleep.
7-MONTH-OLD BABY SLEEP SCHEDULE
At this age, some 7-month-olds can sleep through the night, without needing to be feed, and take 2 to 3 naps per day. It’s common for a 7-month-old to not need 3 naps per day but some will still take it until they are around 9 months old. Your 7-month-old should be napping a total of 2-3 hours per day plus sleeping 11-12 hours at night.
8-MONTH-OLD BABY SLEEP SCHEDULE
At this age, many 8-month-olds can sleep through the night, without a feeding, but some won’t and will continue to need 1 to 2 feedings up through 9+ months old. And 8-month-old babies should take 2-3 naps daily for a total of 2-3 hours per day plus 11 to 12 hours at night.
9-MONTH-OLD BABY SLEEP SCHEDULE
Most of the 9-month-old babies can sleep all night without feeding and take only 2 naps per day. The naps should be for a total of about 2 to 3 hours per day plus 11-12 hours per night.
10-MONTH-OLD BABY SLEEP SCHEDULE
At this age, most babies can sleep through the night without a feeding, and you should let your child sleep 2 naps for a total of 2 to 2 and half hours per day plus 11 to 12 hours at night. At 10-month-old it’s normal for a small percentage of babies to only take 1 nap but you should implement in their routine 2 naps since infants can get really overtired.
11-MONTH-OLD BABY SLEEP SCHEDULE
The sleep schedule for an 11-month-old baby doesn’t differ from a 10-month-old. It means that most babies sleep all night without needing to be fed and should take 2 naps per day.
12-MONTH-OLD BABY SLEEP SCHEDULE
At this age, almost all 12-month-olds can sleep through the night, without a feeding, and take two naps for a total of 2 to 2 and half hours per day plus 10-12 hours at night. A small percentage of 1-year-olds transition to one nap this early, but since the average is 15-18 months old, we recommend you stick to 2 naps unless your toddler is resisting one of their naps at least 4 times a week.
