How Long Do Babies Normally Sleep?

Apparently babies have never heard of the expression "sleeps like a baby." One of the most common concerns new parent have is why their new bundle of joy isn't letting them get any sleep.  Here are some facts about sleep and babies from the Mayo Clinic:

• Most babies can sleep for five hours at night by the time they are 3 months old.
• Babies aged 6 to 12 months can sleep from 8 to 12 hours a night, but they will still need naps duringn the day
• Newborns from 1 - 4 weeks need 15 to 16 hours sleep per day, usually in 2 to 4 hour bursts
• Babies ages 4 to 12 months need at least 2 naps per day
• Babies older than one year need at least one nap per day and will continue to need it until anywhere from 3 to 5 years.
• Kids 1 to 3 years old tend to need 12 - 14 hours sleep a day

According to David K. Randall, author of Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep (Thorndyke Press; 2012) babies need to learn how to sleep -- including learning how to fall asleep by themselves.  This is why it's so hard to get a baby to fall back asleep.

The University of Illinois Extension notes that newborns under 3 months old tend to wake up at night becasue they are hungry.  Give them a feeding about 11pm -- wake them up if you have to -- in order to get at least three hours of continuous sleep afterwards.

If your baby deviates from these sleep patterns a lot, talk to your pediatrician.  Please do not use this blog post in the place of a medical professional's diagnosis.  It is common for babies to have some sort of sleep problem.