Updated Jan 31st 2023
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8
min read
Medically Reviewed By
Board Certified Pediatrician & Lactation Consultant
It’s one of the questions we get asked the most: Is My Baby Getting Enough Sleep? The answer depends in large part on how old your baby is and the quality of their sleep… Is your baby having trouble falling asleep? Are they sleeping for long stretches without waking?
To help you keep your baby’s sleep on track, this article will answer some of the most common questions parents have about their baby’s sleep, including “Why is my baby taking short naps?” and “How many hours of sleep does my baby need?”
IN THIS ARTICLE:
If you’re concerned that your baby isn’t getting enough sleep or maybe you think your baby is sleeping too much, get the most comprehensive view of your baby’s sleep by tracking with the Smart Sleep Coach by Pampers™. Take your free assessment today to get started!
The amount of sleep a baby needs changes as they age, but it’s safe to say babies sleep (and need to sleep) a lot more than adults.
Here’s a very brief rundown of how many hours a baby should get by age – keep in mind this is just an example and every baby is unique. If you have fundamental concerns about the amount of sleep your baby is getting it is always smart to consult your pediatrician.
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Newborn (0-3 months): |
Aim for about 14-17 hours over 24 hours, though some babies may sleep closer to 11, others more like 19. |
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4-11 Months: |
12-15 hours over 24 hours is a good, healthy sleep goal for babies this age. As little as 10 or as many as 18 is normal, though. |
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1-2 years: |
After your baby turns 1, they should ideally sleep 11-14 hours over the course of a day. As always, every baby is unique: your baby may sleep as little as 9 hours or as many as 16 – that’s perfectly healthy. |
Another common question – “Is my newborn sleeping enough?” Considering how often newborns wake to feed, it may seem like they never sleep. In fact, newborns sleep often but in small bursts.
Some only sleep for 45 minutes before waking up to eat again. Others are closer to 2 hours.
For convenience, here are some more specific numbers as it relates to newborns’ sleep and eating habits:
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, “wake window” is the period of time your baby is awake between naps or sleeps.
Wake windows are a vital part of managing sleep because keeping your baby up past their age-appropriate wake window can lead to overtiredness, which throws off your baby’s entire sleep cycle.
That’s why sleep training with an app like the Smart Sleep Coach by Pampers™ is so helpful: its 1-click sleep tracking tool automatically updates your baby’s sleep schedule and gives you a heads up when their wake window is coming to an end so you can prepare them for sleep when their body is most biologically ready..
Average wake windows by age:
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Birth to 3 months |
30 to 90 minutes |
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3 to 6 months |
75 to 120 minutes |
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6 to 8 months |
2 to 2.5 hours |
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8 to 10 months |
2 to 3 hours |
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10 to 16 months |
2/3/4-hour schedule |
For more precise wake windows suited to your baby’s age, check out these month-by-month baby sleep schedules.
When your baby is born, their sleep schedule is very disorganized, they are growing rapidly and need to get use to life outside of the womb. All of that eating and ‘awake’ time takes its toll and as such, wake windows are short and newborns need to eat and sleep often.
As their circadian rhythm matures (around 16-weeks) sleep starts to consolidate and become more organized. Your baby is adjusting to life on the ‘outside’ and can be awake for longer periods of time.
As your baby ages, their sleeps consolidate more and more at night, which extends their wake windows and ultimately reduces the number of naps they need.
While this is a natural process, the act of falling asleep is a learned skill and your baby needs the space and time to practice it. Sleep training teaches your baby how to put themselves to sleep – a skill that guarantees they’ll take the lead on their sleep. For more on how to teach your baby to fall asleep independently, download the Smart Sleep Coach by Pampers™.
While every baby is different, there are some tell-tale signs your baby isn’t getting the rest they need:
Fussiness or Crankiness: If your baby is fussier or easily frustrated than usual, especially at bedtime or naptime, they may not be getting enough sleep.
Frequent Night Wakings: Waking up over and over at night (and not for food) indicates your baby isn’t getting enough rest.
Early Wakeups: While babies naturally wake up early, a baby who isn’t getting the right amount of sleep for their age or who isn’t on a consistent sleep schedule may wake up earlier than usual.
Truncated Naps: Shorter naps are another symptom your baby need more rest.
Now, you may be thinking – “Why does a tired baby taking shorter naps?” or “Why would a baby wake up at night if they’re not sleeping well?” The answer: circadian rhythms.
Every human has a circadian rhythm, including babies. Circadian rhythms are the internal “clocks” that regulate our sleep.
If your baby’s sleep schedule and circadian rhythm become misaligned, your baby can become overtired, which can lead to frequent night wakings, shorter naps and early wake ups – all that fun stuff.
In addition to overtiredness, truncated, or short, naps may be a sign that your baby is ready for a nap transition. Nap transitions are when you drop a nap from your baby’s sleep schedule. For example, around 7-8 months, your baby will transition from 3 to 2 naps. Nap transitions often happen on their own. Symptoms your baby is nearing or going through a nap transition include:
To calm your baby before bed, take them into their room, dim the lights, and speak in a low voice.
We also recommend creating a calming bedtime routine before bed – a set of soothing, actions, such as reading a story, cuddling, and/or taking a bath. The goal of bedtime routines is two-fold:
Bedtime routines are a cornerstone in your sleep coaching journey. Learn how to set up your bedtime routine and get started by downloading the Smart Sleep Coach by Pampers™. This innovative app can improve your baby’s sleep in just 7-days.
Important Tip: Give your baby the space and time to learn how to fall asleep independently by placing them down when drowsy, but awake. In other words, they’re very tired but still alert. The goal with sleep coaching is to teach your baby to fall asleep independently. That means you cannot and should not rock them to sleep, cuddle them to sleep, or feed them to sleep.
Babies need sleep because sleep is when they grow physically and mentally helping them to meet their developmental milestones.
But sleeping well at night goes beyond being less fussy the next day: being a strong sleeper has long-term benefits, including improved learning and reduced obesity.
Separation anxiety is an important part of your baby’s development. Yes, you read that correctly: separation anxiety is a natural and essential part of your baby’s growth.
Babies get separation anxiety when they realize objects and people, like you, continue to exist even when out of sight. This typically happens around 8 months and is often associated with the 8-month sleep regression.
Before this point, objects and people, including you, were out of sight, out of mind; now your baby understands you’ve gone somewhere else, and they wonder where. This creates a bit of separation anxiety.
If separation anxiety is interrupting your baby’s sleep, we suggest two things:
And for more on separation anxiety in babies, read our piece How to Cope with Separation Anxiety in Babies.
Even with sleep training, your baby will periodically experience what are popularly known as “sleep regressions,” but we like to call them “sleep progressions.” That’s because “sleep regressions” coincide with major developmental milestones.
For example, your baby will experience their first sleep progression around 8 months, when they’re first learning to crawl.
Here are the most common months for baby sleep regressions:
You can learn more about coping with sleep regressions here.
While newborns may not show signs they’re not sleeping enough – aim for at least 14 hours of sleep for newborns – babies older than 4 months will be cranky or have disorganized sleep if they’re not getting enough sleep. If your infant or toddler is very cranky or waking up randomly in the night, they’re probably not getting enough sleep. Try an earlier bedtime, in addition sleep training can help you get your baby’s sleep on track – and fast: people who use the Smart Sleep Coach by Pampers™ see results in as a little as a week.
Infants need sleep to grow physically and mentally. Without proper sleep in the short term, your baby may be cranky and unpleasant, but continued lack of sleep can impact their emotional balance and potentially developmental milestones. It’s important that your baby always gets the sleep they need for their age every day.
Newborns, 1-month-olds, and other very small babies need to eat often – some will wake up every hour to feed. Generally, though, 1-month-old babies should feed every 2-4 hours, depending on whether they’re breastfed or formula-fed. This pace will slow down around 4 months, when most babies have gained enough weight to sleep for longer periods.
Not enough – newborns require a lot of nurturing and attention in those first few weeks: there’s lot of feedings and diapers and very little sleep because newborns wake often for – well, feedings and diapers. Rest assured this is a brief period; your newborn’s sleep will settle into a more predictable rhythm soon. Until then, though, follow our advice on how new parents can cope with sleep deprivation.
“Developing circadian rhythmicity in infants,” Pediatrics.
“Normal sleep patterns in infants and children: a systematic review of observational studies,” Sleep Medicine Review.
“On sleep and development: recent advances and future directions,” Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development.
The information in this article is based on the expert advice found in trusted medical and government sources, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. You can find a full list of sources used for this article below. The content on this page should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult medical professionals for full diagnosis and treatment.
