When will my baby sleep through the night?

When our babies are waking up overnight, it is normal to ask when they will sleep through the night. Let’s talk about what to expect with sleeping through the night.

First though, is important to remember that with our children we always want to keep our expectations in line with what is developmentally appropriate. If we aren’t doing this, we are setting everyone up for failure, disappointment, and frustration. 

What is sleeping through the night?

The holy grail of ‘sleeping through the night’ is actually considered a stretch of 5 or 6 hours – not 12 hours. Newborns will sleep for shorter periods of time and wake more frequently as they need to feed frequently, both day and night. This is true for both babies who are fed formula and breastmilk, even when solids have been introduced. 

Babies waking overnight is developmentally normal.  In fact, did you know that we all wake up briefly during the night between our sleep cycles? When this happens to us as adults, we often just fall right back to sleep without even remembering it. 

When will my baby sleep longer at night?

The answer to this question really varies from baby to baby. In general, babies really can’t be expected to sleep more than three hours straight until they are about two months old or weigh at least ten pounds. This may not be what you would like to hear, but many babies will continue to wake at least once overnight for feeding throughout the first year. 

Babies need to be feeding well during the day and gaining weight and growing appropriately before they will sleep through the night. Many families will find their babies will start sleeping through the night, getting that stretch of 5-6 hours, around 6 months of age. If your baby was born premature, you want to keep that in mind as they may need extra time to reach that milestone.

It’s also helpful to keep in mind that in general, progress isn’t always linear and sometimes there will be steps back. So, this means that once your baby starts sleeping through the night, it may not be consistent every night. There are different things that can interrupt your child’s sleep and this is totally normal. Things like illness, growth spurts, and separation anxiety can all cause your baby to wake more frequently at night. These are typically just temporary changes to your child’s sleep and aren’t a reason to worry.

How can I help my child sleep longer at night?

Now we know what it means to sleep through the night and when we can expect it to happen. If a baby isn’t ready to sleep longer stretches we can’t just make that happen. However, there are things we can do to support our babies to get the best sleep they possibly can. 

One thing is making sure that our babies are feeding well. You may even notice your baby will cluster feed in the evenings, which can help prepare them for a longer stretch of sleep. You can’t force feed your baby, so if they aren’t interested in cluster feeding that’s okay. We also want to look at our schedules and make sure that it hasn’t been too long since baby has fed when it is time for nap or bed. If it has been more than a couple hours, then it makes sense that baby would not be able to sleep for too long before waking up for a feeding. In this case you can offer your baby a feeding before it’s time to sleep. 

Setting up the sleep environment can also help anyone sleep better. We want it to be dark and quiet. Many babies respond well to white noise. If you have found that white noise is overstimulating or disruptive to your child’s sleep, I would suggest trying putting a sound machine outside of their room to help block out environmental noises. 

Also, keeping the sleep area at a good temperature and making sure it isn’t too hot or too cold. Generally, between 68° and 72°F (20° to 22.2°C) is the recommended range. 

Having a routine before sleep can be helpful so your child knows that it is time to sleep. As a newborn they probably aren’t making that connection, but as they grow they will begin to become more aware and start to associate their routine with bedtime.  A calming routine can also help prepare your child’s body for rest. Things like reading stories, quietly singing songs, gentle massage if your baby likes it, and getting in a sleep sack are all great to include in your pre sleep routine. Keeping the routine calm and consistent is best. We can start routines with our newborns and continue them as our children grow, adjusting them to fit everyone’s changing needs. 

Your child will sleep through the night!

I know it may feel like your baby will never sleep through the night sometimes. When they are ready though, it will happen. I think it can be helpful just to know that you are not alone and that it is totally normal for your baby to be waking up during the night.  If you are struggling with sleep and feeling like the wakeups will never end, feel free to reach out to me!

Research:

Cadwell, Karin, and Cindy Turner-Maffei. Pocket Guide for Lactation Management. Third ed., Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2017. 

Mindell JA, Li AM, Sadeh A, Kwon R, Goh DY. Bedtime routines for young children: a dose-dependent association with sleep outcomes. SLEEP 2015;38(5):717–722.