When your child is just a newborn, you can pretty much count on the fact that she’s going to sleep more or less around the clock. Granted, she’s going to be awake every couple of hours, so it’s not like she’s going to sleep through the night. Still, you know how much sleep to expect.
Throughout that first year of life, your baby’s sleep schedule is going to begin to normalize. By the time he hits two months or so, chances are pretty good he’s begun to let you get at least five or six hours of sleep at night. From there, things usually only get better. He’ll nap a couple of times during the day, and he’ll get to the point where you rarely have to get up with him at night. Even then, it’s usually because he doesn’t feel well, or because he’s learning a new skill and feels compelled to practice it throughout the night.
By the time your baby hits a year of age, things have pretty much normalized. She’ll sleep at night, and nap some during the day. Consider the basic statistics:
- Most babies at this age need to have between 13 and 14 hours of sleep per day.
- Nine out of ten one year-olds are able to sleep through the night (that is, at least from midnight to 5 AM).
- About a third of one year-olds require at least one visit during the course of the entire night.
- About a quarter of one year-olds need a while to fall asleep – at least 30 minutes. This is completely normal.
- If you have a baby that takes some time to fall asleep, he may require you to come check on him. About 15 percent of babies at that age do.
- It’s not just babies that have sleep issues. Children under the age of five typically have disrupted sleep. Almost three quarters of them have at least one waking period during the night each night.
If you’re concerned that your baby isn’t getting enough sleep or is getting too much sleep, talk to your pediatrician.