Infant Sleeping

Infants need to be fed, dry, warm and they need enough sleep. A newborn spends most of the day sleeping. Newborns wake up, eat and go back to sleep for 2 to 3 hours and repeat that pattern all day and night. As infants get older, they eat more actively, stay awake longer, and get into their own sleep pattern. Some babies need more sleep and some need less, but they all need more than what most parents think.

            An infant wakes up in the morning hungry and wet. After a quick change and a full feeding (don’t limit the amount you feed - feed him until he stops eating), your baby should be awake and happy. However, even a happy baby will occasionally just scream or cry for no apparent reason. Don’t worry. He is just practicing different forms of communication.  He’ll soon be smiling again without you doing anything. This is a wonderful time to interact with your baby.

            After a few hours of being awake, your infant will start to get crabby. He might also rub his eyes and face. He is getting tired. Some infants like to have a little more feeding at this time, but, because they aren’t really hungry, they might just push the bottle away or suck a few times and start to fall asleep. If a fussy baby is not hungry or wet and he has been awake for a few hours, he is tired. Quiet rocking in a darkened room with a pacifier might help your baby fall asleep but be sure to lay him in his crib before he is completely asleep. Often, parents will carry and walk a fussy baby. The baby will keep waking up with the bouncing or, if he falls asleep, he will almost certainly wake up again when he is laid down in the crib. As he gets more and more tired, he will cry harder and harder. Often, what is called “gas” or “colic” is exhaustion. As hard as it is for parents, the infant who doesn’t fall asleep with quiet rocking should be placed in his crib and allowed to cry until he goes to sleep. Don’t allow him to fall asleep in your bed with you. Co-sleeping is dangerous. Falling asleep in swings or car seats is also not good for infants.

            Most infants require at least a morning and an afternoon nap. From birth to 3 months of age, most infants will wake up about two times during the night to eat. From 3 to 6 months of age, they usually need a feeding at least once in the night. Most infants don’t sleep through the night without feeding until 6 months of age.

            Babies can need 12 hours a day of sleep or more up to 1 year of age. If you learn the clues that tell you when your baby is tired and allow the baby to go to sleep when he needs to, you both will be a lot happier.