Everything parents should know about baby's sleep in the first few months
"Sleep, little child, sleep..." - This old nursery rhyme often sounds like a pleading mantra from the throats of overtired parents. In the first few months after the birth of their little miracle, they have one thing above all: deep, dark shadows under their eyes. The result of numerous sleepless nights. Although babies sleep a lot in the first few months of life, after 9 months in mom's cozy belly they first have to get used to day and night. But how does baby's sleep develop in the first year of life? And what can you as parents do to help your baby fall asleep?
1. baby's sleep in the first 12 months
How much sleep do babies need?
Babies need a lot of sleep, especially in the first few months of life, but how much varies from child to child: some babies are long sleepers, while others manage with less sleep. In this respect, the little ones are no different from us adults. However, there are average values that you can find in this baby sleep table:
In the first three months, babies sleep an average of 16 to 18 hours a day, spread over four to five naps throughout the day and night. They first have to get used to our colorful world after the cozy darkness of mom's dark belly. Most babies only develop a real sense of day and night from the fourth to sixth month. Until then, they maintain the sleep-wake rhythm to which they have become accustomed in the womb from the 36th week of pregnancy.
From the fourth to sixth month, their need for sleep is already significantly reduced to around 15 hours. They slowly get used to the new rhythm and increasingly shift their sleep to the night until they are 12 months old. Unlike in adults, REM sleep (rapid eye movement sleep) predominates in babies. You can find out more about this in our blog post about Babies' sleep needs.
When do babies start sleeping through the night?
When your little one starts sleeping through the night is just as individual as their personal sleep needs. As you can see from our baby sleep chart, most babies sleep through the night from the seventh to ninth month. For some, it works from the sixth month, while others need a little longer.
Up to the age of one, babies can usually sleep for six to eight hours straight. As parents, you will therefore have to be patient until you are no longer woken up in the middle of the night. However, there are a few things you can do to encourage your little one to sleep through the night, which we will discuss in more detail below.
Sleep log for babies
We also recommend that you keep a sleep log for your baby. Especially in the first few months of life, it helps you to document your baby's sleep patterns and recognize their natural sleep patterns. This usually sets in from the sixth month, but for some children it may take longer, which is no cause for concern.
There can be many reasons for your child's problems falling asleep or sleeping through the night: does your baby sleep too long at midday and therefore not get tired in the evening? Or is it perhaps too warm and sweats during the night? Keep a detailed record of your observations and bedtimes so that you can quickly get to the bottom of the causes of your baby's sleep problems.
In our article "Sleep log for babies" we explain exactly why you should log your baby's sleep and the best way to do this.
2. how can I support my baby's sleep?
Your baby has a mind of its own right from the start and decides for itself when it wants to sleep. However, there are a few things you can do as parents tosupport baby's sleep. The most important thing is to establish a regular daily routine so that your child learns that the night is for sleeping.
Tips for healthy baby sleep:
- Make sure you have a regular daily routine and stick to set meal, play and sleep times.
- Always lay your tired baby on its back in its crib - even during the day. This teaches him that his bed is a safe place.
- Choose a firm mattress and avoid pillows.
- From the sixth month, try to leave about four hours between the last daytime nap and the first nighttime nap so that your baby is tired in the evening.
- Your little one should have had enough to drink in the evening and be full before you put them to sleep.
- Regular evening and bedtime rituals help your child to calm down and feel secure.
- Ensure a pleasant sleeping environment in the nursery. It should be quiet and not too warm (16 to 18 degrees Celsius is ideal). The light should also be dimmed.
- When you put your baby to sleep, they should be tired but awake. This will help them learn to fall asleep without any help.
However, your baby already has a mind of its own. It decides for itself when it wants to sleep and it can always happen that it suddenly wakes up at night. The most important thing then is to keep calm! If possible, avoid switching on the light and don't take your little one out of bed immediately. Instead, say a few soothing words to your baby or sing them a lullaby.
If possible, please don't lie in bed with your baby and don't try to soothe them at night with a pacifier or toy. This could cause your baby to get used to these sleep aids and find it harder to fall asleep without them. Even if the diaper is full, changing it at night should be done as calmly and quickly as possible so that your baby is not unnecessarily agitated.
Bedtime rituals for babies
Babies and toddlers have an immense fear of being abandoned and prefer to have their parents very close to them. If your baby has to go to bed alone at night, this always means separation from mom and dad for your little one. They find it difficult to accept this parting, as babies in particular do not yet understand that their parents will not leave them alone and will only stay close to them in the next room. With a ritual that is always the same, which you can introduce from the eighth week of life, you can make it easier for your child to say goodbye at night and prepare them for bedtime in a playful way.
How you organize your ritual is up to you. However, it is important that it calms your baby and prepares them for sleep. Romping around, playing wildly and a TV on are absolutely taboo before bedtime, as they would get your child too excited. Instead, you should make your bedtime ritual as calm as possible and plan about half an hour for it.
It's up to you whether you start with evening personal hygiene in the bathroom, with a children's book on the couch or directly in the nursery. However, it is a good idea to make washing, brushing teeth, changing diapers and putting on pyjamas part of your evening routine. We also have the following suggestions for anage-appropriate bedtime ritual :
- For the very little ones: cuddling, breastfeeding and rocking in the swing2sleep cradle while spit up.
- Look at a picture book or read aloud to promote your child's cognitive skills and language development.
- Singing aloud or singing together (with toddlers).
- Wind up a music box or play a radio play.
What do I put on my baby at night?
To make it easy for your baby to fall asleep, the nursery should not be too warm. The ideal sleeping temperature for both babies and adults is 16 to 19 degrees Celsius. It is therefore a good idea to check the room temperature regularly with a thermometer. However, your baby's sleepwear is also important to avoid overheating.
For a safe night's sleep, you should do without a comforter and use a baby sleeping bag instead. This not only prevents your baby from getting too warm, but also greatly reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. In a sleeping bag, your baby cannot easily turn onto its stomach or get under the blanket and, in the worst case, suffocate. Your little one will also feel safe in the sleeping bag and won't get too cold. You can find more tips on choosing the right sleepwear in our blog post "Dressing babies at night".
3. how do I recognize sleep disorders in babies?
Problems falling asleep and sleeping through the night are relatively normal for babies and toddlers and are not usually a cause for concern. As long as you pay attention to a regular daily routine and support your baby in finding a natural and healthy sleep rhythm, your child's sleep should settle and improve over time.
However, there may of course also be a specific reason behind your child's sleep problems. If your child is very cranky or unbalanced during the day because they don't sleep well at night, there could be a sleep disorder behind it.
Snoring and apnea
Yes, even babies can snore quite a lot and wake their parents up with loud sawing, especially if they sleep in the same room (see our article on "Co-sleeping"). However, breathing interruptions, technically known as apnea, are also possible in babies and should definitely be clarified. This is usually caused by a misalignment of the jaw, a cleft lip and palate or enlarged tonsils.
Night terrors
Night terr ors (pavor nocturnus) usually only occur in children between the ages of two and six, but we would like to include them here because they are one of the most common wake-up disorders. Although it is often harmless, it literally gives you as parents a real fright: Your baby has just slept like an angel and suddenly he or she is screaming and crying like a baby. You can tell that this is a night terror by the following signs:
- Your baby still seems to be asleep.
- It is difficult or impossible to wake it up.
- It seems anxious, cries in panic.
- The next day, it can't remember anything.
The night terror usually disappears as quickly as it came, as it is often just a symptom of another problem, such as
- Lack of sleep
- fever
- emotional stress
sleep drunkenness
This problem is not actually a sleep disorder as such, but it is very common. If your baby is suddenly woken up or wakes up in the middle of the night, it often takes around 15 minutes for them to get their bearings. Sleep drunkenness is mainly characterized by
- a lack of orientation in terms of time and place
- slurred speech (in infants and children)
- slowed reactions
Looking for more tips on how to improve your baby's sleep? In our baby sleep blog we regularly publish helpful articles on this topic to help you and your baby get to sleep better and at least keep parental dark circles under your eyes to a minimum.
If your newborn finds it particularly difficult to fall asleep, you can gently rock them to sleep with our swing2sleep cradles. And the best thing is: youcan also rent our cradles, as you often only need them for a few months. This also gives you the opportunity to test how your little one reacts to the vibrations of our cradles.
We wish you and your baby the most restful nights possible and, above all, lots of sweet dreams!
