Infant and Toddler Care Guide - Sleep (Part 1)

2020.10.08

Helping your baby sleep well at night

The younger the baby, the more sleep they need. Sleep is spread evenly across day and night at birth, then gradually shifts to less in the morning and more at night. At 0-3 months, a baby's sleep cycle lasts about 3-4 hours, and a newborn may wake when a cycle ends. Because the nervous system is still immature, primitive reflexes can disturb babies and cause startled crying; some of these reflexes fade over the first few months. A baby's nervous system develops in a set direction, following three principles: from head to toe, from the center of the body outward, and from simple to complex.

If a baby wakes and cries mid-sleep, first check the diaper, hunger, and how they are feeling physically. What parents can do is step in as little as possible. Soothing or picking up the baby too often can wake them fully and lengthen the crying, keeping them from moving into the next sleep cycle. Caregivers should avoid over-intervening and help the baby build the habit of self-soothing.

Sleeping through the night

Studies of baby sleep cycles show that about 70% of babies can sleep 8 hours in a row at night by around 3 months old, and nearly 85% sleep through the night by 6 months. After age 1, about 10% of children still cannot sleep until morning. These figures are closely tied to everyday care routines and the home environment, and every child is different, with the gaps between children growing wider as they get older.

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