Sleeping Patterns Of Newborns

How often should infants sleep? How to make a baby sleep at night? Is your child getting enough sleep? Most new parents are constantly worried about their child’s sleep schedule.?

An average newborn sleeps much of the day and night, waking up mostly for feedings every few hours. However, their sleep patterns and sleeping habits keep changing as they start to grow in the first year. As a newborn has no set schedule, their sleep cycles might get altered throughout the day.?

Parenting is challenging, and you could easily feel overburdened. But it doesn’t have to be. By analysing the sleeping habits of newborns, we have created this thorough checklist to help your child sleep better and allay your worries. Besides, the best way to safe and healthy baby sleep is to simply follow and observe your child’s needs.?

Normal Baby Sleep vs Adult Sleep Patterns?

Compared to adults, babies under the age of 1 are naturally lighter sleepers. They are mostly ‘active sleepers’ where their breathing is shallow and their arms and legs keep twitching. Their eyes flutter under their eyelids. Babies can easily wake up from active sleeping. Adults and adolescents have a more ‘quiet sleep’ where they lie still and breathe deeply.

Every individual’s sleep cycle varies from light to deep. Adults' sleep cycles are usually about 90 minutes. Babies' sleep cycles are usually about 40 minutes because of which they wake up more often.

Sleep Patterns as per Age Group?

When it comes to the sleeping pattern in newborns, each infant is built differently, much like adults. While some may take long day naps, others only have quick naps. Some wake up frequently through the night while others may sleep throughout. The below-mentioned categorisation is a general guide and differs from baby to baby.

From Birth to 3 months:

Newborns sleep intermittently during the day and night. They usually only get brief periods of sleep since they need to be fed and changed often. The duration of sleep can vary anywhere from 8 and 18 hours every day on average. During this stage, newborns sleep extremely light; they spend half of their sleeping time in active sleep.?

It is important to understand that a newborn has not yet developed the senses necessary to learn to sleep in the dark. They normally begin to understand the day-night cycle once they are around 6 weeks old. Exposing them to light and playing with them during the day and providing a dim and quiet atmosphere at night can encourage healthy sleeping habits in infants and help them sleep more soundly at night.

From 3 to 6 months:

At this age, a baby may take at least three 2-hour naps during the day. Most will sleep for about 14 to 15 hours per day, with some sleeping up to 8 hours at night. This is the point in their sleep cycle when newborns begin to enter the quiet sleep stage and the quantity of active sleep begins to decrease. However, they still have a habit of waking up at least once during the night.

From 6 to 12 months:

This is the stage when a baby’s sleep pattern begins to resemble his/her parents. At this age, newborns sleep an average of 13 hours every day. They sleep the most throughout the night, averaging roughly 11 hours. Your infant will gradually reduce the number of afternoon naps to roughly two. Their naps are normally about 1 to 2 hours long. Babies, in general, may wake up less frequently during the night since they do not need to be fed as regularly. They will only wake up once throughout the night and will need to be soothed back to sleep.

In rare cases, some will still wake up more often.

Babies at this age may begin to worry about being separated from their parents or caregivers. This may cause them to take longer to fall asleep and may temporarily increase night fussiness. Building regular daytime and nighttime rituals may assist your infant in falling and staying asleep.

After 12 months

Babies start sleeping better at the age of 12 months. They tend to sleep longer, wake up less frequently, nap once or twice throughout the day, and sleep more at night as they approach their first birthday. Sleeping habits of 1-year-olds are more organised and they are likely to sleep 8 to 12 hours each night, awakening just once or twice during that period.

Alert phases of an infant?

When infants are awake from their sleep, they might have different ways to show how alert they are.?

• Quiet alert phase - When a baby awakens at the end of the sleep cycle, he or she usually goes through a quiet alert period. This is a phase when the infant is lying motionless but alert and taking in his surroundings. Babies may glance or stare at objects and respond to sounds and movements during the quiet alert period. This phase is frequently followed by the active alert phase. This is the stage during which the infant is alert to sounds and sights and moves rapidly
• Crying phase- After the quiet alert phase is the crying phase. The baby's body will move irregularly, and he or she will cry loudly. During the crying phase, babies are easily overstimulated. It is typically preferable to find a strategy to soothe both the infant and the environment. Holding your baby close or enveloping him or her in a blanket tightly (swaddling) will help quiet a fussing infant. It is typically better to feed newborns before they start crying. They may refuse the breast or bottle during the crying period if they are agitated. Crying is a late symptom of hunger in babies.?

How To Make A Baby Sleep?

Building good sleep habits become extremely important to help infants sleep better so which makes them less dependent on their parents or caregivers. This way it will encourage them to have healthy sleeping patterns and achieve self-calming abilities.

• Feed your baby shortly before bedtime to ensure that they are not hungry when you place them in their crib.
• Place your baby to bed when they are sleepy. Waiting until the child is asleep may interfere with his/her sleeping pattern.?
• Maintain a consistent sleep pattern and a bedtime routine.
• Always put your baby in their crib on their back. Continue until they are one year old.
• Allowing your infant to slumber for too long during the day may disrupt his nighttime routine. They should go to sleep at the same time each night. Nighttime routines can involve feeding, bathing, stories, soft music, etc.
• The baby can be given a pacifier while they sleep. A pacifier may reduce the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SUIDS). Before introducing a pacifier, make sure your infant can place their mouth around the nipple and latch on. This is commonly between 3 and 4 weeks of age.
• It is advisable not to put your child in their crib with a bottle or cup. Sleeping with milk or juice in their mouths increases the risk of tooth decay (cavities).

Seek help whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed. Whether it’s your partner or a childcare professional, don’t hesitate to ask for help. In case of sleep problems, such as loud snoring, long pauses in their breathing when sleeping or other concerns, get in touch with the child’s healthcare provider.

Here are also a few Do’s and Don’ts with a Newborn that will help first-time parents in taking better care of their newborns!

Being a Patient Parent?

Sometimes it's common for a baby to be about 6 months old and still feel fussy at night. In such cases, check on them, but don’t let them see you. Otherwise, they will have an added expectation of seeing you every time they fuss. Initially, fussing lasts around ten minutes. Allow the fussing to continue a little longer the next night. To make this work, repeat the process over and over again.

Newborns have unique sleeping habits and preferences. Every infant reacts to their surroundings in a unique manner. It's crucial that we design an environment most suitable for them. And it's just a matter of time before things start to improve around 12 weeks of age.?

To sum it up, every baby is built differently and so are their sleeping habits. As long as you’re patient, alert and receptive to your baby’s needs, you’re doing a great job.?

Written by Anika Saha

References:

https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/health-wellness-and-safety-resources/helping-hands/healthy-sleep-habits-for-infants-and-toddlers

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=90&contentid=P02632

https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/sleep/understanding-sleep/sleep-2-12-months