Sleep is essential for babies: it supports growth, development, brain maturation, as well as the immune system. An infant can sleep up to 20 hours a day! At first, their sleep cycles don\u2019t match adults\u2019 cycles at all and may seem a bit chaotic. So when does a baby actually start sleeping through the night?<\/p>\n
May breaks it down for you.<\/p>\n
You can say a child sleeps through the night starting at six consecutive hours of nighttime sleep<\/strong>.<\/p>\n For your baby to be able to sleep for that long without feeding, they need to build up energy reserves and also set their internal clock (develop what\u2019s called the circadian rhythm<\/strong>, meaning 24-hour cycles with day and night\u2014in other words, the same rhythm we have).<\/p>\n The question that haunts so many new parents! During your baby\u2019s first months of life, their sleep will evolve<\/strong>. At birth, there are at least three major differences<\/strong> to know between the structure of their sleep and yours:<\/p>\n 1- Their sleep cycles are very short: 40 to 50 minutes on average<\/strong>. At the end of each sleep cycle, your baby may wake up or fall back asleep. Up to one month, they may be able to link two or even three cycles fairly easily. After one month, linking cycles becomes more difficult because the sleep structure changes.<\/p>\n 2- Between zero and three months, your baby\u2019s sleep is structured in two phases: active sleep<\/strong> (REM sleep) and then quiet sleep<\/strong> (non-REM sleep). REM sleep represents about 80% of young infants\u2019 sleep time. That\u2019s why, when they fall asleep, they move, make noises, stretch, open their eyes\u2026 but they are sleeping! When they are in quiet sleep, you\u2019ll notice a calm face, steady breathing, and relaxed feet, hands, and facial muscles.<\/p>\n 3- Newborns don\u2019t distinguish between day and night<\/strong> (the circadian rhythm we mentioned). What drives their wake-ups is the feeling of being full or hungry\u2026 day and night alike!<\/p>\n We observe that most babies start lengthening their nighttime sleep around six weeks of age<\/strong>, but that\u2019s only an average, and it\u2019s completely normal for your baby to wake up at night during the first months.<\/p>\n Also note that this longer stretch of sleep may happen between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.<\/strong> (so it\u2019s not exactly ideal for parents\u2019 sleep<\/strong> yet\u2026).<\/p>\n In reality, your baby learns to sleep through the night (like everything else) at their own pace: every child is different<\/strong>, and if you have more than one, you\u2019ll probably notice they don\u2019t have the same relationship with sleep.<\/p>\n To help your baby sleep well, it\u2019s essential to observe them and respond to their needs. Here are our techniques to help guide your baby into dreamland. Just a heads-up: there\u2019s no miracle cure\u2014if there were, we\u2019d all know it! But we can still offer promising leads<\/strong> to explore:<\/p>\n For their sleep setup to be suitable, it\u2019s important that it meets their need for \u201ccontainment\u201d<\/strong>: your baby would feel lost in a big bed. To fall asleep, they often like smaller sleep spaces (such as bassinets) where they can touch the sides.<\/p>\n In their bassinet, feel free to place your baby close to the edge<\/strong> so they can feel contact. They need to feel boundaries around them. Putting them in a well-fitted sleep sack can also reassure them.<\/p>\n At the beginning, your baby needs a lot of sleep\u2014respect their rhythm<\/strong>: if they\u2019re healthy, there\u2019s no need to wake them up from daytime sleep. Parents often think that by depriving a baby of naps, they\u2019ll sleep more at night, but that\u2019s not true. You\u2019d only disrupt their sleep rhythm.<\/p>\n This differentiation happens gradually, most often around 6\u20138 weeks of age<\/strong>. Here are a few ways to help your baby integrate it:<\/p>\n During the day, make normal noise<\/strong>; don\u2019t close the shutters when they sleep\u2014live as usual! Also expose them to daylight during a daily walk.<\/p>\n On the other hand, at night\u2014even when you feed them\u2014keep a calm, dim environment<\/strong>: try not to turn on all the lights and avoid making too much noise. Put them back down after feeding and limit handling as much as possible.<\/p>\n Avoid letting them cry: they\u2019re very little and those cries<\/strong> express a need you should respond to. Your baby needs your presence<\/strong> to feel reassured.<\/p>\n Of course, some crying doesn\u2019t always require your intervention. \u201cRelease crying\u201d right before sleep may be necessary for your baby to let go of tensions built up during the day<\/strong> without being in a state of advanced stress (on the contrary, it can even help them!).<\/p>\n Are there soothing techniques that promote continuous sleep?<\/p>\n To soothe your baby and hope they sleep longer by linking sleep cycles<\/strong>, here are a few techniques that can do them a lot of good during the day:<\/p>\n Feeling held, close to you, rocked by your breathing, warm, they link sleep cycles more easily<\/strong> with babywearing because you\u2019re meeting their need for security.<\/p>\n Babywearing easily recreates conditions similar to what they experienced in the womb. It\u2019s a great daytime option that frees your hands while keeping your baby close to you. Not to mention all the oxytocin\u2014the \u201chappiness hormone\u201d\u2014released when your child is against you: it would be a shame to miss out!<\/p>\n Be careful: babywearing is recommended when you are active during the day<\/strong>; we recommend not using it when you are sleeping.<\/p>\n In the same way as babywearing, swaddling is also very effective<\/strong> because the newborn regains that sense of containment. Swaddling also helps reduce wake-ups related to the Moro reflex<\/strong> (an infant\u2019s primitive reflex that makes them suddenly fling out their arms and legs).<\/p>\n Be careful: certain precautions must be taken to swaddle your baby safely, such as supervising your baby continuously. We invite you to check our swaddling guide on our May app.<\/p>\nAt what age do babies usually start sleeping through the night?<\/h2>\n
How can I help my baby sleep longer at night?<\/h2>\n
Sleeping setup<\/h3>\n
Rhythm<\/h3>\n
The difference between day and night<\/h3>\n
Crying<\/h3>\n
Babywearing<\/h3>\n
Swaddling<\/h3>\n
Rocking<\/h3>\n