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Sleep, Your Baby and You |
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Guidelines on Best Sleep
Practices for Newborns to Toddlers
From the National Sleep
Foundation |
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The information you'll find here has been developed by a panel of leading
experts in sleep and pediatrics, brought together by the National Sleep
Foundation and supported by a grant from Johnson's®.
A Good
Night's Sleep for Your Baby and You
A great deal has
been written about babies and sleep. No wonder. It's one of the biggest
challenges new parents face. How well, and how much, your baby sleeps can
play a big part in your experience of parenthood throughout the early months
and years. It also affects your family's new life together, no matter
whether your baby is your first or your fifth. These guidelines have been
prepared—and are being shared—with one purpose in
mind: to help you understand and work with your baby at each stage of
development, so that long-term sleep patterns will evolve naturally as a
partnership between you and your baby.
Working Towards a Successful Sleep
Partnership
The parent-baby partnership works best
when you take your cues from your baby's natural sleep patterns and needs.
But you, the parents, are the ones who determine how bedtime routines will
evolve. Your baby learns from you. It's up to you to make sure that the
routine is one you as parents can live with—both now and months, even years,
from now.
Sleep Essentials
Pointers for Parents: Newborns to
Toddlers |
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Every baby has a
distinctive pattern of sleep and waking. As time passes, you'll see that
these follow a natural and consistent rhythm throughout the 24-hour day. |
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All babies have normal
brief awakenings throughout the night. |
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Sleep patterns affect a
baby's behavior throughout the day—as well as your baby's health and
development. |
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A baby's sleep is
affected by bedtime routines that parents establish. |
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All kinds of outside
influences can affect a baby's sleep habits, including illness, stress and
any change in routine. |
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Sleep patterns change
with age and development. |
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Parents (and older
children) need sleep, too. Try to harmonize your sleep times with your
baby's. |
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Contact Your Doctor If: |
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Your child ever appears
to have trouble breathing or is often a noisy breather. |
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Your child has
difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. |
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Your child has unusual
nighttime awakenings, or significant nighttime fears. |
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Sleep problems are
affecting your child's behavior |
Don't be afraid to
contact your pediatrician any time you're concerned. |
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What to Expect
Patterns to Watch For
Here are some
guidelines on what to expect, from the time you bring your tightly swaddled
bundle home to your baby's third birthday. Remember as you look at the
following information:
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Every child
is different. Your baby's sleep habits will be different from your
friend's baby, or from an older sibling at the same age. |
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Build your
routines and rhythms around your baby's sleep needs and patterns. Once
you're familiar with your own baby's sleep patterns, you can being
establishing regular routines to help your baby—and
the whole family—get to sleep and sleep well. |
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Newborns
0-2 months
No night, no day
A newborn's sleep cycle is disorganized.
In the first few weeks, you can expect your baby's sleep to be distributed
throughout the 24 hours, with each sleep period lasting anywhere from 30
minutes to 3 hours, and with frequent waking periods throughout the night.
In about six weeks a more regular, defined sleep pattern should begin to
emerge.
While sleeping, your baby may be very
busy twitching, jerking, sucking, snuffling—even smiling. This is normal.
Even with all this activity, your baby is actually getting a perfectly sound
sleep. |
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Infants
2-12 months
Getting in the rhythm
Gradually, over
the first few months, your baby will begin to develop a more predictable
pattern. Between 2 and 4 months, you will notice a regular rhythm of
sleepiness and alertness throughout the day.
Between 3 and 6
months, most babies begin to sleep for longer stretches at night. In the
first year, babies naturally cut down their daily naps from 3 or 4 a day to
1 or 2 a day. Note that developmental milestones, such as rolling over and
pulling up to stand, can temporarily upset sleep. |
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Toddlers
1-3 years
New nap schedules
Your toddler may
be finished with morning naptime by around 18 months, and naps will
disappear altogether between 2 1/2 and 5 years.
At the same time,
most toddlers will have learned to sleep through the night, although
stressful events and other interruptions (an illness, a trip) can
temporarily upset this welcome patter. Switching to a bed is another change
that can be disruptive for a toddler, especially if it happens too early.
Most toddlers switch to a bed between 2 and 4 years.
If you regularly
have to wake your child in the morning, it could be a sign that he or she
isn't getting enough sleep. The number of hours a toddler sleeps will be
different for each child. However, most toddlers are consistent in how much
they sleep from one day to the next. |
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How Long Will Your Baby
Sleep?
Parents often ask
how much sleep their baby should be getting. That's what this chart is
designed to show. But remember, your baby is a unique individual. These
figures are averaged from many individuals, to use as a reference point.
Some babies or toddlers will sleep up to two hours more, or less, than these
averages. |
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Newborns |
A Wide
Range of Possibilities |
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Newborns have no
regular defined sleep pattern in the first few weeks—which
usually requires some adjustment for new parents |
0 to 2 months |
The Range |
The Average |
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10.5 to 18 hours |
14.5 hours |
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Infants |
Night is
For Sleeping |
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The balance shifts towards longer
nighttime sleep, with distinct daytime naps. |
2 to 12 months |
Age |
Total Average Sleep |
Total Nighttime Sleep |
Total Nap Sleep |
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2 months |
14.5 hrs |
9.5 hrs |
5 hrs |
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6 months |
14.5 hrs |
11 hrs |
3.5 hrs |
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12 months |
14 hrs |
11.5 hrs |
2.5 hrs |
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Toddlers |
Busy
Days, Restful Nights |
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Toddlers continue to sleep long
hours at night, while the need for daytime naps is tapering off. But watch
out! There's nothing more exhausting than an over-tired toddler. |
1 to 3 years |
Age |
Total Average Sleep |
Total Nighttime Sleep |
Total Nap Sleep |
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1 year |
14 hrs |
11.5 hrs |
2.5 hrs |
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3 years |
13 hrs |
11.5 hrs |
1.5 hrs |
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Go With the Flow
The first few weeks of your baby's life are all about adjustment—for
your baby and for you. It's simply too soon to expect structured sleep
patters, so it makes sense to take your cues from your baby. Do what works
for your baby now, and before long you'll have the beginnings of a sleep
routine. |
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How to Help Your Newborn
Become a Good Sleeper
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Learn your baby's
signs of being sleepy. Many babies become fussy or cry when they get
tired, but others will rub their eyes, pull on their ears, or even stare
off into space. Put your baby down for bedtime or a nap when your baby
first lets you know he or she is tired. |
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Follow your baby's
cues. Your newborn may prefer to be rocked or fed to sleep. This is
fine for the first few weeks or months. By three months, however, begin to
establish good sleep habits. |
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Always put your baby
down to sleep on his or her back.
A baby should sleep on a firm mattress, with no fluffy or loose bedding. |
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After the first few
weeks, start to actively encourage nighttime sleep if your baby is
awake a lot at night and sleeps much of the day. Do this by making sure
the bedroom is dark or dim and cutting down on nighttime play. |
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Make sleep a family
priority. It's usual to be sleep-deprived with a newborn. But no one
benefits if you're crying from exhaustion while the baby's crying to be
calmed. Tell your spouse (or a friend who's offered) when you need a
break. And, tempting as it is to use naptimes to get things done, you'll
be able to cope better if you nap when your baby does. |
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Have realistic goals
about sleep. Your baby will not be able to sleep for long stretches at
a time for the first few months. |
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Take the first steps
toward a bedtime routine. The important thing is that it's built
around things that both you and your baby enjoy. Your newborn's bedtime
routine could include:
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Taking a bath |
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Getting a massage |
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Changing into pajamas |
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Rocking and cuddling |
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Sharing a song |
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Or whatever works
best for you and your baby |
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How to Help Your Infant
Sleep Well
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Find a bedtime routine that works. From 6 weeks to 3 months, start
creating a familiar sequence of calming events that unfolds night after
night and clearly says, "it's time to settle down and go to sleep." Now
that your baby's sleep patterns are becoming more organized, it's time for
a bedtime routine that will fit in with your family's needs as well as
your baby's needs. Keep the sequence of events basically consistent even
with caregivers or when away from home. It can also be helpful to have
parents take turns putting their baby to bed. |
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Learn your baby's signs of being sleepy.
Many babies become
fussy or cry when they get tired, but others will rub their eyes, pull on
their ears, or even stare off into space. Put your baby down for bedtime
or a nap when your baby first lets you know he or she is tired. |
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Start developing a
bedtime routine. Make sure your routine is not too long or too
impractical to stick to. Rock your baby to sleep at 6 months, and you may
end up doing the same when the baby wakes in the night—as all babies do
for short periods—or even when your little one turns two. |
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Set a regular sleep
schedule for your baby. Settle on regular naptimes and a bedtime that
allow your baby to get all the sleep he or she needs. Contrary to what you
may think, cutting down on naps won't help at night. It can be a recipe
for overtiredness and a worse night's sleep. But you'll also want to avoid
naps too close to bedtime. |
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Give your baby
soothing surroundings. Keep the bedroom dark, cool and quiet. And make
sure lights and environment are the same at bedtime as they will be
throughout the night. |
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Wind down your
bedtime routine where you want your baby to sleep. The last part of
the routine should happen in the room where baby sleeps. |
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Avoid making bedtime
feedings a permanent fixture. They rarely help either how long or how
well your baby sleeps. And after 6 months, nighttime feedings are rarely
necessary. Move a bottle or nursing time a little earlier in the evening
to avoid the association between eating and sleeping. |
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Put your baby to bed
drowsy, but awake. This may teach your baby to soothe himself or
herself to sleep, as well as to go back to sleep in the night on his or
her own, with little if any intervention from you. |
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Make sleep a family
priority. Remember, you need sleep, too. If friends and family have
offered to help, take them up on the offer. Resist as much as you can
treating your baby's naptime as your chore time. Take a nap when your baby
does. |
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Build a consistent
bedtime routine you and your baby enjoy. For an infant, this could
include:
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Taking a bath |
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Getting a massage |
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Changing into pajamas |
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Hearing a story |
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Sharing a song |
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Or whatever works for
you and your baby |
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How to Help Your Toddler
Sleep Well
Your toddler's sleep
patterns will continue to change. Toddlers can generally sleep through the
night, although change and stressful events (a trip or illness, for example)
can cause temporary setbacks. All children wake briefly at regular intervals
throughout the night. A toddler who's learned to fall asleep on his or her
own will be able to return to sleep without help from you—although normal
bedtime fears and nightmares may need your reassurance.
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Set a regular sleep
schedule. Establish regular naptimes and a bedtime that allow your
toddler to get all the sleep he or she needs. Restricting naps won't help
a toddler sleep better at night. Quite the opposite—it can lead to
overtiredness and more sleep problems. But, avoid naps late in the
afternoon. |
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Wind down your
routine where your child sleeps. Make sure the last few soothing
minutes of the bedtime routine happen right in your toddler's room. |
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Give your toddler
soothing surroundings. Keep the bedroom dark, cool and quiet. A
night-light is fine. A television isn't. And make sure the environment is
the same at bedtime—lighting, for example—as it will be throughout the
night. |
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Put your child to
bed drowsy but awake. This may teach your toddler to fall asleep, as
well as go back to sleep in the night on his or her own, with little if
any help from you. Whatever routine you have established at bedtime will
need to occur again in the middle of the night. So create a routine that
helps your child fall asleep on his or her own. |
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Set limits. If
your child stalls at bedtime, set clear limits, such as how many books you
will read or how many drinks of water you will allow. |
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Make sleep a family
priority. Remember, looking after a toddler takes plenty of energy.
You need your sleep, too. |
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Build a regular
bedtime routine everyone enjoys. For a toddler, this could include:
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Taking a bath |
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Changing into pajamas |
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Reading books
together |
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Sharing a song |
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Or whatever works
best for you and your toddler |
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