Study Shows 3 Months Is Most Likely Age for Babies to Sleep From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Oct. 25, 2010 -- There's light at the end of the sleep-deprived tunnel for parents of newborns. By age 3 months, and sometimes as early as 2 months, most infants are sleeping through the night, according to a new study, although their sleeping hours may not exactly match those of their parents early on. "Two months was identified as the most likely age for infants to begin sleeping through the night under both the midnight to 5 a.m. criteria
(the one criterion traditionally used to describe sleeping through) and an unspecified eight-hour criteria," says researcher Jacqueline Henderson, PhD, a post-doctoral research fellow of psychology at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. By age 5 months, more than half of the 75 infants studied were sleeping the same hours as their
parents, the researchers found. The study is published online in the journal Pediatrics. Typically, infants' sleep becomes more consolidated with age, evolving from short periods of several hours of sleep followed by several hours of wakefulness over the 24-hour day to
a more uninterrupted nighttime sleep. To investigate how the consolidation takes place and when, Henderson and her colleagues tracked 75 typically developing infants for 12 months. Their parents completed sleep diaries for six days each month and those sleep reports were backed up by videos of the infants' sleeping times. The researchers considered three different criteria for sleeping through the night: For both the midnight to 5 a.m. and the eight-hour criteria, two months was the most likely age for infants to do this, Henderson says. ''Three months was the most likely age for infants to begin sleeping through from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m, a criterion that better reflects typical family sleep
requirements," she says. "By 5 months of age, 73% were sleeping from midnight to 5 a.m., 62% were sleeping for an eight-hour period, and 53% of infants were sleeping from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.," she says. "Further, by the end of the first year, 87%, 86%, and 73% of infants had met the criterion, respectively." The practical applications? "This is a developmental guide for parents of the capability of healthy, typically developing infants
for sleeping through the night," Henderson tells WebMD. "Please remember that each child develops at their own rate as reflected in the different and increasing rates of sleeping through over the first year." "Parents should not be worried if their infant has not begun to sleep through the night at 2 and 3 months," she says, noting that not all did so. The new research adds some additional data to previous research
and conventional wisdom, says Judith Owens, MD, MPH, associate professor of pediatrics at Alpert Medical School at Brown University and director of the pediatric sleep disorders clinic at Hasbro Children's Hospital, Providence, R.I. Sleep consolidation, she tells WebMD, "is an important developmental 'sleep milestone' occurring in the first four months of life." "While two months is perhaps a bit earlier than typically predicted for 'sleeping through the night,'
the findings in general are in agreement with previous studies," she says. Common wisdom has it that an infant will begin sleeping through the night at around age 3 months, Owens says. Before that, short periods of sleep, typically three or four hours, interspersed with short periods of wakefulness, two hours or so, are normal. "At around three months
we start to see this ability to consolidate sleep." Using the criteria of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., she says, is more helpful as it is more practical for most parents.
Infant SleepWhat are an infant's sleep needs?Sleep needs for babies vary depending on their age. Newborns do sleep much of the time. But their sleep is in very short segments. As a baby grows, the total amount of sleep slowly decreases. But the length of nighttime sleep increases. Generally, newborns sleep about 8 to 9 hours in the daytime and about 8 hours at night. But they may not sleep more than 1 to 2 hours at a time. Most babies don't start sleeping through the night (6 to 8 hours) without waking until they are about 3 months old, or until they weigh 12 to 13 pounds. About two-thirds of babies are able to sleep through the night on a regular basis by age 6 months. Babies also have different sleep cycles than adults. Babies spend much less time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (which is dream time sleep). And the cycles are shorter. The following are the usual nighttime and daytime sleep needs for newborns through 2 years old:
What are the signs of infant sleep problems?Once a baby begins to regularly sleep through the night, parents are often unhappy when the baby starts to wake up at night again. This often happens at about 6 months old. This is often a normal part of development called separation anxiety. This is when a baby does not understand that separations are short-term (temporary). Babies may also start to have trouble going to sleep because of separation anxiety. Or because they are overstimulated or overtired. Common responses of babies having these night awakenings or trouble going to sleep may include the following:
Sleep problems may also happen with illness. Talk with your baby's healthcare provider if your baby begins having trouble going to sleep or staying asleep, especially if this is a new pattern. Signs of sleep readinessYou can help your baby sleep by recognizing signs of sleep readiness, teaching him or her to fall asleep on his own, and comforting him or her with awakenings. Your baby may show signs of being ready for sleep by:
Helping your baby fall asleepBabies may not be able to create their own sleeping and waking patterns. Surprisingly, not all babies know how to put themselves to sleep. And not all babies can go back to sleep if they are awakened in the night. When it is time for bed, many parents want to rock or breastfeed a baby to help him or her fall asleep. Creating a bedtime routine is a good idea. But don't let your baby fall asleep in your arms. This may become a pattern. And your baby may begin to expect to be in your arms in order to fall asleep. When your baby briefly wakes up during a sleep cycle, they may not be able to go back to sleep on their own. Babies who feel secure are better able to handle separations, especially at night. Cuddling and comforting your baby during the day can help him or her feel more secure. Other ways to help your baby learn to sleep include:
Reducing the risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related infant deathsHere are recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on how to reduce the risk for SIDS and sleep-related deaths from birth to 1 year old:
Can I let my 2Most babies don't start sleeping through the night (6 to 8 hours) without waking until they are about 3 months old, or until they weigh 12 to 13 pounds. About two-thirds of babies are able to sleep through the night on a regular basis by age 6 months.
How long should a 2Between the age of 2 to 3 months old, healthy babies are often able to sleep for six hours without feeding. Research suggests that about half of babies are able to sleep at least six hours without a nighttime feed by 3 months of age.
HOW LONG CAN 2Two- to 3-month old babies can sleep for five- or six-hour stretches. That said, most 3-month-olds still need a feeding or two during the night, especially if they're nursing.
Can I let my 2As far as naps go, you're probably looking at two or three a day. Some babies can sleep up to eight hours at a stretch at night, but most will still be waking once or twice to feed.
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