Babies are funny little things. From their scrunched little noses to their over-sized heads to the way they smell, babies just aren’t like other people. sure, they will eventually grow and develop to become more like you (for better or for worse) but for now they can be rather difficult to understand. After all, it’s not like you can remember being a baby, and even if you could it’s not likely you’d be able to truly relate to what your baby is experiencing now.
One of the obvious ways that babies differ from adults is in their sleep. You see, babies have much shorter sleep cycles than we, as adults, tend to have. If you don’t believe it, just stand next to your baby and watch her sleep one evening. Or, sit, if that’s more comfortable.
You’ll notice that about an hour after your baby goes to sleep, he will start to squirm and to toss around. His eyes are going to start fluttering, and the muscles in his face will probably start to grimace. His breathing will become more and more irregular.
This signifies that your baby is moving back up into a light sleep cycle. It’s during the transition period of moving from a deep sleep cycle to a light sleep cycle that your baby is vulnerable to being woken up. if your baby is hungry, has a wet diaper, or there is something else upsetting, he’s likely to wake up.
If he doesn’t wake up entirely, he’ll probably stay in light sleep for about 10 minutes, after which he’ll go back into a deep sleep.
This entire sleep cycle lasts about 50 to 60 minutes for your baby. As an adult, this cycle usually lasts about an hour and a half.