A Guide to Baby's First Year of Sleep

by Nicole Johnson

During the first year, navigating baby’s sleep needs can be downright overwhelming, especially if you’re missing out on those all important ZZZs yourself. This sleep guide to the first year will give you the peace of mind you need and will help your baby sleep, well, like a baby. If your little one is having trouble at a particular stage, just know you’re not alone. Many babies just need a little guidance in getting it right.

Newborn to 3 months

In the first weeks of your baby’s life, her schedule is likely to be inconsistent. Preventing your baby from becoming overtired is the key to better newborn sleep. Most newborns can’t stay up for even one hour before they need to sleep again and short naps are common up through six months. Bedtime will vary a lot and your baby should be sleeping 10 to 12 hours at night and three to four hours during the day. At the beginning, your newborn baby will likely have day/night confusion, which can take several weeks to sort out, and he will need to eat every three hours. Some babies will continue to need a feeding every three hours until they are 3 months old.

4 to 6 months

If your baby started to sleep in longer stretches through the night, but now seems to be regressing to shorter periods, she is most likely between 4 and 6 months old. You are not alone and this is very common with 4 month old sleep. During this time, babies start processing sleep more like adults, which can introduce the issue of sleep associations if your baby does not learn how to fall asleep on her own (without a pacifier, you rocking her, etc.). Many 4-month-olds still need up to two feedings each night, with their longest stretch of sleep usually being the first five hours. An early bedtime and good naps are critical to a good night’s sleep, but it still might be too early for a schedule for many babies. At this age, you can expect an early bedtime (6-8 p.m.) and your baby should be sleeping 11 to 12 hours at night and two to three hours during the day.