Sleep is a natural phenomenon and an essential part of our daily routine. It is equally important next to food and water. This dynamic process is crucial for health and well-being.

The sleep patterns are way different in babies compared to adults. Watching your cupcake asleep is altogether a peaceful and delightful experience. And it’s so much fun to hold, hug, do a tête-à-tête and play around when they are awake.

In this article, Mommypure brings to you the Baby Sleep Schedule. Do you know that the sleep pattern differs every three months? Now you must be wondering if your baby is getting enough sleep and the overall growth is going great. So come, let us guide you on the Baby Sleep Schedule/pattern changes and help you have a better understanding of handling it.

0-3 months

Out of 24 hours, your Munchkin is sleeping almost 16 hours throughout the day and night. It is in short intervals of 2-3 hours and scattered with the need of feeds and play-time in between. As you try to understand this routine just keep it simple in the beginning, “Follow the lead, your baby is the leader.” Wakey, Wakey baby🡪 change the nappy, have fun, talk, play, cuddle and be musical. And don’t forget to feed. There could be times that your baby may fall asleep soon after the feed. That’s Ok. Also, after some happy playful hours, it is natural to be hungry. So first, feed then let your honey bee sleep. At times the sleep may be prolonged. The sleep quality in new-borns is light and active, unlike adults. So, waking them is easier. The newborn sleep patterns are not accustomed to the body clock (circadian rhythm). But after the second month, you can foster this cycle by making the night-time quiet, cozy, and dim-lit.

3-6 months

Now your bumblebee is growing, the sleep pattern gets enhanced as well. The sleep comes down to 12-15 hours a day with considerable duration during the night. The daytime snoozes now reduce to 3-4 a day and each nap could range from 1-2 hours. It’s more of wake-up time and exploration of their new world with some learning too. You may need to attend a few feeds at night. The possibility of their sleep could be 6-8 hours at a stretch. This is nothing but the fine-tuning to the circadian rhythm and its gradual adaptation. Your honeybees may also start the initial phase of the deep sleep mode like us adults. It is also worth noting that your baby is now active after waking up and doesn’t easily go back to sleep like before. Take good care of their feeds during these gaps. Since once the calories are met during the day chances of their waking up at night is less. Make sure that your baby has good hours of a daytime nap as the shortage may lead to overtiredness. Eventually, this may make them fussy, cranky, refuse to feed, take a long time to resettle, and even be resistant to sleep well at night.

6-12 months

At this stage, the babies have adapted well to night-time sleeping. The sleep pattern is consistent and more predictable. The duration can be 10-12 hours and the daytime naps can go to 2 a day with the duration of 1-2 hours each. At this age top feeds and weaning is at full gear. Sometimes the baby may need to resettle after waking up at night. So, you may help them by gentle strokes, patting them, humming or slow singing, or touching their head lightly with your palm. They may cry for some time but settle down on their own. Adopt sleep training techniques by building a daily schedule of sleep and wake-up time. Take care of their clothing (sleepwear), bed, light exposure, noise control, and clutter around.

After the first birthday, your baby will sleep longer for about 8-10 hours with seldom waking up at night. They may take a nap in the daytime.

It should also be noted that the sleep patterns get affected by sickness, change of routine (like holiday/traveling), new place, someone else attending your baby, growth spurts, teething, or if they don’t see you for a long time. It comes back to normal gradually in a few days with proper attention and care.

Remember every baby is different. Mommypure would like you to be the 3 C’s – Calm, Consistent, and Caring and that is what a Sound Sleep for your baby is all about.