It is very common to see newborns sleeping a lot, but how do we know if this is normal or ok?
Unfortunately there is not an exact schedule for newborns to sleep, they don’t distinguish between day or night for sleep, they just do it when they need to. At first, you may have to help your baby to know when to sleep and to go back to sleep if he/she wakes up too quickly, you can learn more about sleep patterns in this article.
Although there isn’t an exact schedule it is important to be aware of any changes in your baby’s sleep pattern, some sleep disturbances are simply due to changes in development or because of overstimulation but others may have to do with a problem that needs to be attended to by a healthcare provider.
In this article we will tell you about some things that are important to be aware of when you want to make sure that your baby is ok regarding sleep matters.
Sleep regression
Sleep regression is what happens when your baby has a shift in his/her sleeping pattern. You can know if your baby is experiencing it if he/she is taking shorter naps, skipping them, having difficulty falling asleep or is frequently waking up at night when all of this wasn’t happening before.
There isn’t a lot of research done in this matter but some suggestions say that sleep regressions are responses to developmental changes such as learning to crawl, walk and talk or it can be due to separation anxiety or growing desire for independence.
Regressions can also be due to life changes such as potty training, moving from crib to bed, getting a sibling, having a life loss, moving to a new home, traveling, etc.
Sleep regressions are often compared to a sleep disruption due to teething, hunger, reflux or growing pain. Your baby may also have trouble falling and staying asleep if there isn’t an established sleeping routine.
If your baby is having a sleep regression do not worry, this is completely normal. Some parents tend to think that they have done something wrong that made this happen but this isn’t true; there are some reasons why this happens as we just mentioned here.
So, if this is happening to you, first of all to keep in mind that this is normal and temporary, after this, keep up with the sleep routine as consistent bedtime routines creates a predictable pattern and a habit that will help your baby to get back to sleep; also this quiet moments soothe your baby and help him/her relax.
*If your baby isn’t sleeping long enough, recommendations are to not offer an extra nap, instead shift bedtime earlier.
Nap length
Sleeping is important for a baby’s growth, development and overall health. Your baby´s total sleep time includes the sleep he/she gets at night and the naps during the day.
As your baby is growing up he/she will need less sleep and will sleep more during night time; it’s almost impossible to have an exact sleep or nap schedule for a newborn as they confuse night and day and sleep whenever they feel like it (if you want to learn more about sleep patterns click here).
Daytime naps go through developmental changes and become less important with brain maturity, so as your baby grows he/she will need less naps, which is healthy and ok.
Every baby is unique and has different sleep patterns, we can’t expect all babies to act the same way when it comes to sleep, but we can have an idea of what is common when it comes to baby’s sleep patterns, such as:
- Newborns tend to sleep on and off around day and night with a total of 17 hours of sleep per day. Their naps aren’t predictable, but they usually wake up every 3 hours or less to eat.
- Babies from 4 to 12 months old sleep patterns tend to start to set and your baby may sleep longer at night, but still napping 2-3 times a day with a total of 16 hours of sleep per day. By this age, let your baby nap for as long as he/she wants, unless your baby has difficulty falling asleep at night.
- Toddlers from 1 to 2 years may take 1-2 naps a day of one or two hours length with a total of 14 hours of sleep per day.
Is my baby sleeping too much?
If your baby is occasionally sleeping longer than usual, it doesn’t mean that there is something wrong unless there are other symptoms which could mean that he/she is ill or has feeding difficulties.
Your baby may also sleep longer if he/she is having a disruption on the regular routine or for this other reasons:
- A growth spurt or developmental leap.
- Minor illness, such as a cold.
- A serious infection (this is not very common).
- Jaundice (a condition caused by the build-up of bilirubin in their blood) can make your baby sleepy.
- Breathing and heart disorders may affect sleep, and premature babies often have different sleep patterns from full-term babies.
*Jaundice is not usually a cause of concern, even so it’s important to determine by a doctor if your baby may need some treatment for it.
Sometimes, babies may sleep too much because they are not getting enough to eat or they may get dehydrated:
If your baby isn’t getting enough to eat he/she will not be gaining weight, will seem lethargic or unresponsive, wont seem calmer after eating or may be sleeping too much. If your baby has any of these symptoms, doesn’t feel content or if you have any concerns please let your pediatrician know as soon as possible so your baby can get proper treatment.
In Breastfeeding 101 we hope this information has been of great help for you to know more about your baby’s sleep, please keep in mind that your doctor has always the best call when it comes to your specific case.
We would love to invite you to follow all of our content regarding baby challenges and if you want to learn more about your baby’s sleep patterns, we share with you some of the sources that made this article possible:
Are Sleep Regressions Real? I The NewYork Times
Baby naps: Daytime sleep tips I Mayo Clinic
Infantile regressions: Disorganization and the onset of transition periods I Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology
Infant sleep problems and interventions: A review I ScienceDirect
What are the stages of sleep regression? I MedicalNewsToday
Is my newborn sleeping too much? I Medicals News Today
Newborn Sleep Patterns I Stanford Medicine
Spotlight on daytime napping during early childhood I National Library of Medicine
The science of naps I American Psychological Association
Annie Rueb
