| As a new mother, you probably will wonder whether | | | | won’t be in 8-hour cycles, of course. In the |
| your baby is sleeping enough, or sleeping too much. | | | | beginning, those sleep times will be very short. |
| There are guidelines of what to expect, but of course | | | | As the baby gets older, up to about 2 years of age, |
| these can vary from baby to baby. Even if you’ve | | | | she’ll still be sleeping 13-14 hours, but the amount of |
| had children before, each baby will be different. | | | | daytime sleep will diminish month-by-month. By age 2, |
| Newborn babies usually sleep about 16-17 hours in a | | | | your baby should be sleeping through the night with a |
| 24-hour period. Most babies will not sleep through the | | | | 2-hour nap during the day. Again, this will vary by child. |
| night until they’re at least 3 months old. There are | | | | Your baby might need a slightly longer nap or two |
| several reasons why. First of all, their stomachs are | | | | short naps. At this age though, try to discourage naps |
| very small and they’ll get hungry faster, especially if | | | | too late in the afternoon, as this can make it harder to |
| you’re breastfeeding your baby. Breast milk is | | | | get them to sleep a few hours later at bed time. |
| much more easily digested than formula, and your | | | | Once a baby begins to regularly sleep through the |
| baby will need to feed more often, especially in the | | | | night, parents are often dismayed when he/she begins |
| beginning. | | | | to awaken in the night again. This typically happens at |
| Babies also have shorter sleep cycles than adults do | | | | about 6 months of age and is often a normal part of |
| and have shorter dream cycles. In general, though, a | | | | development called separation anxiety, when a baby |
| newborn baby should sleep about 8 or nine hours | | | | does not understand that separations are temporary. |
| during the day and 8 hours or so at night. These | | | | |