When will my baby sleep through the night?

You are very cute. Are you ever going to sleep?

---

​Are you exhausted, or trying to prepare yourself for the exhaustion that everyone has warned you is coming? Every parent or expecting parent has been there! The good news is that babies sleep 12-16 hours every 24 hours (sometimes up to 18 hours for a new-born). The chart below, taken from the Caring For Kids website (of the Canadian Paediatric Society), gives you a summary:

Age

Total hours of sleep per 24 hours

​Infants (4 to 12 months old) 

12-16 hours 

Toddlers (1 to 2 years old)

11-14 hours 

Children (3 to 5 years old)

10-13 hours 

Children (6-12 years) 

9-12 hours

Teenagers (13-18 years old)

​8-10 hours

It is important to note that “sleeping through the night” for an infant means sleeping six uninterrupted hours. Some infants will wake up but will then self-soothe and go back to sleep. Most babies (around 60%) start to sleep through the night at around 6 months, but over a quarter of them (28%) are still not sleeping through the night at 12 months.

Also cute. Also not sleeping.

Some healthy sleep habits for your new-born from the Caring For Kids website:

• New-borns can take time to establish their sleep routine, so it is essential that you provide consistency. For example, always placing your baby, on their back, into their crib for sleeping, keeping soft items like pillows and stuffed animals out of the crib. By around 3 months of age, your baby will start to understand that this is the place for sleep and settle more quickly.
• An overtired baby has more trouble sleeping. Napping actually helps a baby to sleep better at night, so keeping your baby awake during the day will not help your baby sleep longer at night. I have seen the truth in this with my own children. Missed naps often meant a difficult night in our house whereas extra naps or a longer nap-time had no negative impact on my kids being able to sleep at night.
• Put your baby in bed when they are drowsy, but awake. Putting your baby in their crib to sleep before they have fallen asleep gives them the opportunity to learn how to fall asleep on their own. My two youngest had an ideal window of time when they were ready to go to sleep, and if we pushed past this, they seemed to get a second wind and had a hard time settling down for the night.
• It’s okay to cuddle and rock your baby. You cannot spoil a young baby by holding them. They need the contact and reassurance, and so might you!
• Your baby will stir during the night. Resist the urge to immediately rush in and sweep them up in your arms. Give them a few minutes to try and settle on their own before going to them. You might actually be waking them up when all they were doing was moving around a bit as part of their sleep cycle.
• Avoid stimulation during night-time feedings and diaper changes. Keep the lights dim. Keeping your baby’s room dark is an important part of helping them fall asleep and sleep through the night.

Cuddling? Or praying for more sleep?

If you are concerned about the amount of sleep your baby is getting, you should talk to your paediatrician. If you are able to keep a journal of your baby’s sleeping habits, this will help your doctor to ensure that your child is developing healthy sleeping patterns. 

This is a wonderful, frustrating, magical and exhausting time for you. All you can do is enjoy the good moments and try not to linger over the difficult periods. The time you have with your new-born will go by so quickly. Make the most of the magic and be assured that the difficulties won’t last forever. And whenever you can, get some sleep! ​

Want to read more? Visit:
​Safe sleep for babies | Caring for kids (cps.ca)
Bedtime habits for infants and children: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
​