Updated Mar 1st 2023
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8
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Sleep is an essential part of your baby’s happy, healthy, development. In fact, baby’s are born with twice the number of neurons as adults, in a brain that’s less than half the size. Your baby is born primed for learning and growing, a time ofrapid cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional and motor development – most of which happens when they sleep.
As a new parent, you may be wondering what to expect in terms of your baby's sleep patterns during this crucial time. Rest assured the disorganized sleep that accompanies a newborn baby starts to organize around 3-4 months and while schedules will shift, by their first birthday things will start to settle down.
In this article, we explore the typical sleep patterns and schedules of babies during their first year of life and provide tips and strategies to help you ensure that your baby gets the rest they need to thrive and provide tips on how you can promote healthy sleep habits as your baby grows.
IN THIS ARTICLE:
Know what to expect during the first year of your baby’s life with this simple breakdown by age. It is important to note that since sleep is bioligcial, you should use your baby’s adjusted age if they were born early.
The sleep patterns of newborns can be unpredictable, and they can vary from one baby to another – it’s no wonder newborn sleep is often described as disorganized! Naps of 10-20mins to naps lasting a couple of hours – both are completely normal and expected. In fact, it’s sometimes easier to look at newborn sleep over a 24 hour cycle vs daytime naps and overnight sleep – since they need to wake to eat every 2-4 hours anyway.
Most newborns also don’t yet understand the difference between night and day, this is because their circadian rhythm (their internal body clock) hasn’t developed yet – hence they just aren’t biologically ready to be ‘scheduled’.
Day and night confusion tends to resolve after a few weeks, you can help your baby with this by offering lots of daylight during awake hours and ensuring naps and overnight sleep are in a pitch dark sleep space.
Tracking your newborn’s sleep using the Smart Sleep Coach by Pampers™ helps you see patterns as they emerge and will sync sleeps with your baby’s biological rhythms – so you know when your baby’s sleep drive is the highest and it’s time for a nap. This is an absolute life saver during these first weeks an months!
Just about now your baby’s circadian rhythm is reaching maturity and they are producing enough melatonin to better regulate bedtime. Where as before a later bedtime may have been the norm, you want to consider bringing bedtime earlier now, around 7pm.
With this progression, sleep patterns are adjusting and if your baby seems to be waking more frequently during the night you may be going through the 4-month sleep regression – fear not, this too shall pass. Your baby is now fully waking between sleep cycles and this can cause some sleep disruption if they don’t yet know how to fall asleep independently.
Your baby should be in a pretty solid 3-nap schedule just now and won’t transition to 2 naps (dropping that 3rd catnap) until around 8 months – this transition can benefit from an earlier bedtime to help bridge that last wake window between nap 2 and bedtime until your baby settles into their new rhythm.
It is also very possible your baby is still feeding overnight once or twice, many babies don’t night wean until closer to 9 months of age. The great news is that overall sleep should be much more predictable now, but if night wakings are a struggle outside of feeding, the Smart Sleep Coach app can help you establish ‘ok to feed’ times.
By now your baby should have settled nicely into a 2-nap sleep schedule and sleep should be somewhat more predictable. That said, their increased mobility could be causing some disruption at night, many babies like to practice their new found skills at bedtime, pulling up on the crib and cruising.
It’s also likely that your baby no longer feeds to feed overnight YAY! (it goes without say that you should always check with your pediatrician before night weaning).
That said, the 8-month sleep regression can linger and sleep may not be where you want it to be. Start your free sleep consultation now to get sleep back on track fast.
The schedules shared below are a simply a representation using baby sleep averages. Every baby has a slightly different sleep drive, so your baby’s schedule may be different from what is shown. Use these as a guide and if you have concerns about your baby’s sleep, you can always reach out to your pediatrician.
Newborns need a lot of sleep, typically around 14-17 hours a day, and wake up frequently to feed. Newborns aren’t biologically ready to be scheduled, but if you use the Smart Sleep Coach by Pampers app to track sleeps, the app will help you understand your baby’s natural biological rhythms as sleep starts to organize. As babies get closer to the 2-month mark, they may start to sleep for longer periods at night, but it is still really important to wake your newborn to feed every few hours!
2-month olds follow approximately 75-90 minute wake windows
| 08.00am | Wake Up |
| 09.15am | Nap 1 |
| 11.30am | Nap 2 |
| 2.00pm | Nap 3 |
| 4.30pm | Nap 4 |
| 7.15pm | Nap 5 |
| 9-9.30pm | Bedtime |
Note: At this age, babies will sleep for shorter periods throughout the day and night, with frequent waking periods to feed. It's important to establish a consistent feeding routine but there is no need to establish a strict sleep schedule at this age.
Want to know more specifically what your baby’s day might look like? Check out our schedules for a 1-month old and 2-month old.
At this age, babies typically need around 14-15 hours of sleep per day, with most of their sleep consolidated into longer stretches at night. By around 4-months they should be settling into a solid 3-nap schedule.
| 6-7.00am | Wake Up – if not awake by 7am wake them up |
| 09.00am | Nap 1 |
| 1.00pm | Nap 2 |
| 3.00pm | Catnap (don’t offer this later than 4pm and don’t let your baby sleep past 4.30pm) |
| 6-7.00pm | Bedtime |
Note: At this age, babies will start to consolidate their sleep, and have longer stretches of sleep at night with fewer nighttime feedings. Many babies will still require one or two feedings at night until 9-months of age.
Want to know more specifically what your baby’s day might look like? Check out our schedules for a 3-month old , 4-month old and 5-month old.
At this age, babies typically need around 14 hours of sleep per day, with most of their sleep occurring at night. Babies may take 2-3 naps during the day, with each nap lasting around 1-2 hours. By 6-8 months of age, many babies may be able to sleep through the night without waking up for feedings, but others will still need to wake for 1-2 feedings. You can expect your baby to transition to 2 naps by around 8 months.
| 6-7.00am | Wake Up – if not awake by 7am wake them up |
| 09.00am | Nap 1 |
| 1.00pm | Nap 2 |
| 6-7.00pm | Bedtime |
Note: You can expect your baby to transition to 2 naps by around 8 months, use an earlier bedtime to help with this change.
Want to know more specifically what your baby’s day might look like? Check out our schedules for a 6-month old , 7-month old and 8-month old.
Babies at this age typically need 2-3 hours of daytime sleep across 2 naps and around 11-12 hours of nighttime sleep.
| 6-7.00am | Wake Up – if not awake by 7am wake them up |
| 09.00am | Nap 1 |
| 1.00pm | Nap 2 |
| 6-7.00pm | Bedtime |
Note: Your baby’s schedule doesn’t change after 8 months until they transition to 1-nap which won’t happen until somewhere between 15-18 months.
Want to know more specifically what your baby’s day might look like? Check out our schedules for a 9-month old , 10-month old, 11-month old and 12-month old.
Despite the typical sleep patterns of babies during their first year of life, many parents find that their babies do not sleep as much or as well as they would like. There are several reasons why babies may have difficulty sleeping, and some of the most common challenges include:
Sleep regressions are periods when a baby's sleep patterns suddenly change, and they may begin to wake up more frequently at night or have difficulty settling down to sleep. These regressions can occur at around four months, eight months, and they are closely related to changes in your baby's physical or cognitive development.
Sleep associations are habits or behaviors that a baby associates with falling asleep. For example, a baby may need to be rocked or nursed to sleep, and they may have difficulty falling asleep without these associations. Over time, these associations can become a source of sleep problems, as baby may wake up during the night and need the same associations to fall back asleep.
Falling asleep is a learned skill and your baby needs the space and time to practice this skill. You can wean them off any sleep support / association using a consistent sleep training approach and the Smart Sleep Coach by Pampers will guide you step by step through that process.
Teething can be a painful process for babies, and it can cause discomfort and disrupted sleep. Teething typically begins around six months of age, and it can last for several months, during which time the baby may experience disrupted sleep.
Colic can also cause disrupted sleep patterns for babies. Colic is a condition that causes a baby to cry excessively and inconsolably, often for several hours per day. This condition can be challenging for parents to manage, and it can make it difficult for baby to sleep.
FAQs
Babies are not biologically ready to be scheduled until they reach at least 3-4 months of age – 4-months is ideal and that’s why we recommend sleep training starts at 4-months.
The 2,3,4 nap schedule uses increasing wake windows to manage your baby’s schedule – so nap 1 is 2 hours after wake up, nap 2 is 3 hours after that and bedtime is 4 hours after the end of nap 2. The problem with this schedule is it can push bedtime into the forbidden zone, that’s why we recommend following biological sleep waves instead.
All babies 0-12 months need more than 12 hours of sleep.
The best sleep schedule is one that is developmentally and biologically appropriate for your baby’s age. It should start by 7am in the morning and follow relevant wake windows with an early bedtime.
Sources:
Baby Sleep: What to Expect in the First Year." American Academy of Pediatrics, 2020. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/Getting-Your-Baby-to-Sleep.aspx
Baby Sleep: 4-6 Months." National Sleep Foundation, 2020. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/baby-sleep/baby-sleep-4-6-months
Baby Sleep: 7-9 Months." National Sleep Foundation, 2020. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/baby-sleep/baby-sleep-7-9-months
Baby Sleep: 10-12 Months." National Sleep Foundation, 2020. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/baby-sleep/baby-sleep-10-12-months
Infant Sleep." Stanford Children's Health, 2021. https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=infant-sleep-90-P02629
Newborn Sleep Patterns: What to Expect." Mayo Clinic, 2021. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/newborn-sleep/art-20046556
Sleep Training for Babies: Techniques and Guidelines." Cleveland Clinic, 2020. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/9618-sleep-training-for-babies-techniques-and-guidelines
Disclaimer:
How We Wrote This Article
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.
