Sleepy Time

How to Establish Healthy Sleep Schedules

Birth to 3 Months

In the first few weeks of life, your baby will likely sleep 14 to 15 hours a day, but only for a few hours at a time. To help him/her get into a healthy pattern of sleep sooner, watch for signs that he/she's getting sleepy so you can put them down before they get overtired and have trouble falling asleep. When he/she starts rubbing their eyes or tugging his/her ear, or dark circles start to develop under their eyes, he/she's trying to tell you they're ready for a nap. It won't be long before you develop an instinct for his/her daily rhythm.

Young babies don't know the difference between day and night, but by the time he/she's about two weeks old, you can start helping him/her get the hang of it. Play with him/her whenever he/she's awake and alert during the day, keep the house bright and don't try to keep out the normal noises of the day like the phone, television and dishwasher. You may be tempted to let him/her sleep through his/her daytime feedings, but don't. When it's time for nighttime feedings, keep the lights low and the room quiet. Don't play or talk much, and he/she'll soon understand that this is the time for sleeping.

After a couple of months, let your baby fall asleep on his/her own if he/she can by putting them down when he/she's sleepy but still awake. Yes, you love rocking or nursing him/her to sleep, but if you do it every night for the first eight weeks, he/she'll come to expect it later on.²

3 to 6 Months

By now, most babies sleep nine or 10 hours at night and take several naps during the day for a total of about 14 or 15 hours a day. Hopefully, by six months, he/she'll be sleeping through the night. There are things you can do to help him/her, which will be a big achievement for both of you!

For starters, decide on naptimes and a bedtime, and stick to them so your baby can start regulating his/her sleep patterns. Between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. seems to works well as a bedtime for a lot of babies; much later and he/she'll get so tired it could be hard to fall asleep.
Babies love consistency, so it's important for her to have a bedtime routine. You might give her a bath, change her diaper, read a story or sing and give her a goodnight kiss. Whatever you do, try to do it in the same order and at the same time every night.
In the morning, it's okay to wake her up if he/she's sleeping past her usual wake-up time. This will help her develop a pattern and keep her naps on schedule.⁴⁸

6 to 9 Months

It's still common for your baby to sleep 14 to 15 hours a day. He/she may be sleeping through the night and taking two to three naps lasting up to a couple of hours each. A predictable daily schedule of eating, napping, playing and sleeping will make it easier for him/her to go to sleep when it's time.

Hopefully, you've both gotten comfortable with your bedtime routine, which could include a bath, reading a story or singing. Try to do it the same way and in the same order every night. Remember, too, to give him/her a chance to fall asleep on their own, without depending on you to rock or nurse them. If he/she cries when you put him/her down, wait a few minutes before doing anything. Unless he/she's really agitated for some reason, they'll probably doze off.

At this age, it's perfectly natural for your baby to start waking up during the night or having more trouble going to sleep. After all, he/she's spending their days learning to sit up, crawl and maybe even trying to stand, and they may not want to stop just because he/she's in bed. If they get overly excited or he/she doesn't know how to lie back down by himself, he/she may start crying. Show them how by sitting or standing him/her up, then showing him/her how to sit or lie back down-both in the crib and when you're playing during the day.⁴⁹

9 to 12 Months

A normal night's sleep for your baby is probably 11 to 12 hours long now. He/she may also be taking a couple of naps lasting one and one-half to two hours. All this sleep is good for their development, so try to keep him/her on a consistent schedule so he/she doesn't wake up a lot at night.

Do everything you can to stay true to your bedtime routine, which will help him/her know what to expect and make him/her feel more secure. Be consistent, but make adjustments if there's something about it he/she doesn't like. If they hate taking a bath, for example, give her one earlier in the day so bedtime will be calm.

As you've been doing all along, try to stick to a regular schedule of eating, playing, napping and sleeping, which will also make it easier to get him/her to sleep at night without a struggle. Finally, letting them fall asleep by themselves without rocking or nursing will help him/her go back to sleep without you if he/she wakes up in the night.

As your baby continues to develop physically, he/she may want to practice sitting up, rolling over and crawling while he/she's in bed. If they wake up and can't go back to sleep on their own, he/she may cry for you. Of course you'll want to check on him/her, but try to wait a few minutes before doing anything to see if he/she calms down. Feeding her may just prolong the problem, since this burst in development isn't the same as a growth spurt, and he/she probably doesn't need to be fed. Separation anxiety could also be a factor at this age, and he/she'll probably be fine once they see you.⁵⁰

12 to 18 Months

Until about age two, babies need about 11 hours of sleep at night, plus naps. At 12 months, he/she's probably still taking two naps lasting an hour and a half or so. The transition to one longer nap comes at about 18 months, and he/she may keep that routine until four or five years old.

Just like your daily pattern of eating, playing and napping, your nighttime ritual should be a well-established habit by now-so keep it up to help your child be a good sleeper. Now that he/she's more active, you may want to let him/her run around to use up some extra energy before actually starting the bedtime countdown, but once you start, be consistent. If he/she knows what's going to happen and when, he/she will feel more secure and in control.

Ideally, you haven't let your baby convince you he/she needs to be sung to, rocked or nursed before he/she can fall asleep. Young children should learn to fall asleep by themselves so they know how to go back down if they wake up during the night-for their sake as well as yours.

If your baby has trouble falling asleep or wakes up more often during the night, it may be because he/she's eager to keep trying to walk and test the other new skills he/she's developing. Most experts say it's fine to leave him/her alone for a few minutes to give them a chance to fall asleep by themselves. It's also okay to check on him/her or comfort him/her if they resist, but your words and actions should be a reminder that nighttime is for sleeping, not playing.⁵¹

18 to 24 Months

An 11- to 12-hour night plus one long afternoon nap or two shorter ones is a common sleep pattern for children this age. Your little one is probably going to sleep on their own now, but if he/she's not, try putting him/her to bed when he/she's sleepy, but still awake so he/she can learn to fall asleep without any cues such as rocking or music.

This is the age when many children start becoming more independent, so don't be surprised if yours starts testing your limits and trying to gain more control. To avoid a bedtime tug-of-war, give him/her a chance to choose between two or three acceptable alternatives during the bedtime routine. For example, let them decide which toy to take in the bathtub, which pajamas to wear or which story to read. Be sure to put limits on his/her choices, however. Open-ended questions can sometimes lead to answers you're not prepared for.

Nighttime safety is another concern for kids this age who start climbing out their cribs. To reduce the risk, try these suggestions:

Lower the mattress to its lowest position so he/she can't climb over the rail as easily.
Take toys and bumpers out of the crib to keep him/her from using them as stepstools.
If he/she climbs out, stay calm, tell him/her not to do it again and put them right back in. If you give him/her a lot of attention or let them get in your bed, he/she's likely to keep doing it.
Use a crib tent, which attaches to the rails.
Watch them from a spot where he/she can't see you, and tell her "no" as soon as he/she starts climbing out. You'll probably have to do this a few times, but it may do the trick.
If worse comes to worse and you can't keep him/her in the crib, put pillows and padding on the floor and on nearby furniture that could hurt him/her. As a last resort, lower the rail and leave a stepstool nearby so he/she can at least climb out without falling!⁵²