Healthy sleep schedules are vital for every aspect of your little one's body and mind.

From mental development to physical growth and the immunity system that keeps them running, we can help to encourage sleep patterns that will support each part of your little one.

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1. Baby Sleep Schedules by Age
2. Baby Sleep Cycle: What Do They Look Like?
3. When Do Babies Connect Sleep Cycles?
4. How to Change Baby Sleep Schedule
5. Tips for How to Get Baby on a Sleep Schedule
6. Changing Baby’s Sleep Schedule
7. Baby’s Sleep Schedule

Generally, newborns sleep about 8 to 9 hours in the daytime and about 8 hours at night. More than likely in these early days your sweet little bundle will not sleep more than 1 to 2 hours at a time.

As the days go by your baby's internal clock will become more predictable and it will be easier to introduce a sleep schedule.

Newborns have unique needs that cause unusual sleeping patterns.

The first days of life your little ones are just beginning to develop a sense of day and night and still have very tiny tummies that have a tough time staying full for extended periods.

Combined with the need to snuggle, your sweet baby will sleep a lot, but they also wake a lot to eat regardless of whether it is day or night, and this means you will not be able to expect an infant to be on a sleep schedule just yet.

During this sleep deprived days, it is best to remember that fluctuations in newborn sleep patterns are common and do not necessarily point to sleep disturbances.

Babies learn to settle themselves and get back to sleep as they get older, and their natural biological sleep cycle emerges.

Between the age 2 to 3 months, your babies will go through several big growth spurts. You may notice that your baby will suddenly get more hungry and sleepier than usual.

Around this time, you may start getting excited about your baby becoming increasingly alert, but do not be fooled, this often results in shorter and more erratic sleeping.

As your infant grows through the third months, their sleep and feeding schedule may start to regulate itself and perhaps become more predictable.

You may start noticing that they sleep for longer at night and have more wakefulness during the day.

Babies can remain awake for around 1.5 hours before becoming overstimulated or overtired during this time.

For most little ones, this period is a bit too early for formal sleep training. However, this is a perfect time to lay the foundation for a pre-sleep routine by identifying and enforcing fixed points to your little one’s day.

Start by introducing a consistent wake-up time, then move on to a fixed first nap time, then to a fixed bedtime, and so on. This way you can ensure predictability in their sleep which is essential to helping your baby sleep through the night later in life.

Between 4 and 6 months, families begin to see a period of transition that will be working towards a time when you are better at anticipating your baby’s bedtime, naptime, and wake-up times with increasing precision.

Sleepy cues became more apparent and are perfect guides as you work toward finding a balanced routine.

At this stage babies may need fewer naps while others may struggle to get to sleep at all.

Overall, your little one's sleep pattern will start to change. This is the result of developmental changes that get them ready to move toward a habitual bedtime.

During this window, finding the perfect bedtime routine will help make this time more peaceful for everyone.

By choosing and sticking to a calming bedtime routine, you will set the tone for peaceful nights now and in the future.

For the 5th month to 6th month, you will find that your baby is on a roller coaster of sleep patterns.

Starting at around five months of age, babies start to understand that people and spaces around them change and may begin experiencing separation anxiety.

This condition is exacerbated when infants become overtired or overstimulated and you may start to see your little one fighting naptime and bedtimes and increased wakefulness throughout their sleep.

This is when a consistent bedtime and nap time routine is extremely important. This can help your baby soothe, calm down, and be ready to anticipate sleep with gentle ease.

Good news! Around 7 months your baby may again start to sleep through the night without needing to snuggle or have that midnight snack.

An infant may move to around 2 or 3 naps around the same time each day and these will add up to only a few hours a day with the last nap being the shortest at around 30 to 45 minutes.

Which means at night they should start to sleep a beautiful 11 to 12 hours.

At 8 months your little one continues to get the nap schedule down to specific times of the day and can usually sleep between 9 to 12 hours a night without waking.

Big leap and growth spurts lead your 9-month-old baby to need about 14 hours of sleep and settle into taking two naps a day with no more than 3.75 hours between sleep.

Do not get too comfortable, at the end of this month some babies will experience a sleep regression一it can feel overwhelming after coming out of weeks of a good night's sleep.

The signs of the 9-month regression are similar to the restless sleep of the 4-month-old, characterized by increased wakefulness, fussiness, trouble falling asleep, and fighting sleep.

Perhaps the most important thing we can suggest at this age when it comes to sleep is to stick to a bedtime routine and naptime schedule! You will thank us as the months go by.

By the end of 10 into the 11th month, the nights and days of fitful sleep should settle and are likely to even out again.

Developmentally by the end of the 11th month your little one should be sleeping around 12 to 16 hours a day. At this stage, afternoon naps should be earlier enough that they do not interfere with bedtime.

On average, your new little toddlers will get between 10 to 12 hours of sleep at night with a good evening feeding and still take one or two short naps throughout the day, together adding up to 2-3 hours.

Sticking to a consistent sleep schedule will be especially helpful as your little one grows and changes.

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Knowing when to expect your little one to be more of a regular routine during bed and nap time is helpful to understand babies' sleep cycles.

The term sleep cycle is often used broadly to describe patterns of wakefulness and sleep in a given period, such as 24 hours.

Baby sleep cycle may also refer to a single sequence of two types of sleep: REM (Rapid Eye Movement) or active sleep and non-REM sleep, also known as quiet sleep.

  💤   In REM, or active sleep, little ones may move around, make noises, and flutter their eyelids 💤

    💤 In non-REM, quiet sleep, your baby sleeps more deeply, there is less overall movement 💤

Babies have sleep cycles that are different from adults. Infants, especially newborns, sleep for short periods of time, similar to the length of what is normally considered a nap.

Interestingly, there are typically five stages that make up a baby’s sleep cycle.

Stage One: Your baby feels drowsy and starts to drift off to sleep

Stage Two: REM sleep, or active sleep phase.

Stage Three: Light sleep where your baby’s sleep becomes less “active.”

Stages Four and Five: Deep non-REM sleep, or quiet sleep.

Families can find themselves quite exhausted after your baby is born. That is completely normal: considering newborn sleep cycles are quite short and they may only sleep for 40 minutes to an hour or two during a sleep cycle.

Unfortunately, this means you are awake at the same time. This can make it seem as though you will never get a good night’s sleep again.

Constantly at your baby’s beck and call, it may seem impossible to think about setting a sleeping schedule but take the time to at least start a sleep routine from the first day, these do make your life easier.

The short- and long-term benefits from the routine will better ensure that your infant is getting the right amount of sleep on a daily basis, which means you are one step closer to getting more sleep yourself!

When your baby is about 3 months old, their internal clock will slowly start to be a bit more predictable, and they start to respond to a routine.

If you have not already this is a perfect time to introduce a uniform nap and bedtime regiment.

Between 4 and 6 months, your baby’s bedtime, naptime, and wake-up times will increasingly fall at around the same time daily.

Anticipating your baby's natural sleepy times will help you work toward putting them down while drowsy but awake, giving the long-term valuable life skill of how to fall asleep on their own.

Keep in mind that baby sleep training in any form (also known as sleep teaching or self-soothing training) should wait until the 4-to-6-month-old range but is not necessary at all.

To help ease your baby into a regular sleep schedule we have some suggestions, but please keep in mind not all of these will work for your little one and you may find one that we have not listed.

In the end, the most perfect sleeping trick is the one that works for your family.

✓ Start Early but Not Too Soon

Newborn babies cannot follow a sleep schedule, their little tummies as well as the developmental necessity for your little one to be held and snuggles make it impossible.

✓ Sleep Cues and Waking Patterns

After the age of 3 months, you will be able to see regular cues to watch for that show when your baby is tired.

You may notice something like eye-rubbing, yawning, or clockwork crankiness. The goal is to put your baby down when she is drowsy but not yet asleep, so she has a chance to learn how to fall asleep without help from you.

When tired caregivers have a tough time thinking, it can help to keep a sleep log to get an idea of when your baby usually sleeps so you can schedule naps and bedtime accordingly and keep track of the amounts of time babies can manage being awake.

✓ Baby Sleep Routine

Routines are reassuring to babies and reinforce natural baby sleep cycles and signaling that it is time to go to sleep.

A good baby bedtime routine might include feeding with snuggling, bath, and massage, reading a book together, and lullaby.

✓ Listen In

Once babies are over 4 months old, they are capable of self-soothing, so do not jump to pick up your baby if she fusses during the night or during naps.

Instead, wait and listen for a moment to see if she can fall back asleep on her own. If she continues fussing, then you can check on them.

✓ Adjust as Needed

Remember that babies' needs, and developmental stages change quickly the first year and you can expect their sleep schedule will evolve with time.

A little trial and error can help you figure out what works for your baby.

As your infant's sleep schedule becomes predictable, it is important to follow along with continuity in a sleep routine.

This comforts babies and allows ease into the transition from the busy daytime to the lull of bedtime.

A sleep schedule featuring bedtime and naptime routines paves the way for eventually teaching your baby to fall asleep on their own and so everyone will have a full and restful night's sleep.

Your baby’s brain almost doubles in size in their first year of life. Throughout this period of rapid development, much of their learning occurs while asleep.

Adequate sleep is vital for newborn brain development and helps to support the formation of new neural connections, making a sleep routine vitally important.

Just as critical for your baby is the need for pure clean nutrition to supplement natural growth and development during sleep and play.

My Organic Company has the very best in European baby formulas to meet every milestone with the very best in organic cow and goat milk based sustenance.

We would love to hear how we can help in your infant’s mealtime journey.

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Frequently Asked Questions