Babies under 12 months can sleep up to 14 hours a day. Depending on their age infants will have specific recommendations about sleeping.
With my Ph.D. in raising 5 infants and some research, I will guide through the exact sleep schedule and common questions of baby sleep charts.
0 to 2 months Newborn Sleep Schedule
2-4 months Infant Sleep Schedule
4-8 months Infant Sleep Schedule
8-12 months Infant Sleep Schedule
1-2 years Toddler Sleep Schedule
Moms Concern Questions about Baby Sleep
0 to 2 months Newborn Sleep Schedule
First, let me clarify, it is okay for newborns to sleep most of their time so no worries there.
Total Sleep: They will sleep in total about 14 to 18 hours a day.
They sleep in blocks and wake up every 2-3 hours to get fed.
They will go back and forth alternating sleeping with feeding
Day time: Start for them at 7 am
Nap: They will be napping most part of their day
Nighttime: Sleep time for them starts at 10 pm
At this age, they will tend to move their arms, legs, and smile during sleep. This is normal because they can’t control all their body reflexes.
Tip: If your baby’s nap goes over 2 hours trying to wake them up so you can feed them. Letting them nap longer means they will eat less during the day.
This will make them hungrier at night, and guess what? They won’t stop crying because they are hungry.
Introduce white noise and swaddling since baby’s birth. This will help the baby sleep better.
2-4 months Infant Sleep Schedule
Total Sleep: 13 to 14 hours a day
Day time: Start for them at 6 am
As they get older they tend to sleep longer, but they still should wake up 1-2 times for feeding.
Nap: Baby will usually have 2-3 naps per day, should total 4-8 hours of nap
Nighttime: Sleep time for them starts at 9 pm
As they get older they tend to sleep longer, but they still should wake up 1-2 times for feeding.
They should sleep uninterrupted for 5-8 hours
When babies reach 3 months old most of them should start sleeping during the entire night. [1]
Tip: Get them exposed to things. Sunlight exposure, a warm bath, a calm book story, are all things that will make them tired and relaxed for bedtime.
4-8 months Infant Sleep Schedule
Total Sleep: 12 to 14 hours of total sleep per day
Day time: Day time for them should start around 6-8 am
Nap: Should be about 2-3 naps per day, 3-5 hours total of napping
Nighttime: Night Time starts between 7-9 pm
Also implementing a sleep routine will get them to sleep longer during the night
Baby might be able to 6-10 hours straight, so they finally start sleeping through the whole night.
This is when Separation Anxiety happens.
Try as hard as you can to leave your baby crying until they fall asleep again this will make get on a good sleeping schedule
Tip: Around this age, they should start getting their teeth. So expect pain and extra crying disrupting their sleep at night.
8-12 months Infant Sleep Schedule
Total Sleep: 12-14 hours per day once they get to 8 months
Day time: Day starts between 6 to 7 am
Nap: 2 to 3 hours a day
Nighttime: Night Time starts from 7-9 pm
Baby should sleep straight from 7 to 10 hours at night
Tip: This is the age babies start to crawl/walk so expect a lot more energy from them. The good side is that they will sleep longer too.
1-2 years Toddler Sleep Schedule
Total Sleep:12 to 14 hours in a day
Day time: Day starts for them around 6 to 7 am
Nap: Nap: 2 naps per day, about 2 to 4 daily
Nighttime: Night Time starts 7-9 pm, finally some time for mom and dad
Baby should sleep straight from 7 to 10 hours at night
Tip: your infant is now considered a toddler, go ahead and give them Age Appropriate Toys
Keep things as calm as possible before bedtime.
Toddlers have a hard time quieting down so don’t get them too excited before bed.
Watch out for your toddler trying to sleep with you in the same bed. Don’t start this habit because it’s hard to break.
Moms Concern Questions about Baby Sleep
Since babies are always sleeping, we as moms, get concerned if they are sleeping well.
Here are a couple of concerns that every mom has about their baby’s sleep.
Why do babies sleep and wake up all the time?
According to research, babies get to the stage of deep sleep (REM) faster than humans so their sleep cycles are smaller. Also, babies get hungry and need feeding so they wake up often to eat.
How do I know when the baby is ready for sleep?
Your baby should give you signs of when he’s ready to sleep.
Some of the signs are:
- rubbing eyes
- yawning
- fussing
- Not finishing his bottle
- looking away
When will my baby sleep through the whole night?
After 6 months old is when you should expect your baby to not have any feeding during the day, making them sleep at night without waking up.
How do I know my infant is not having sleeping problems?
According to Stanford Children’s Health, you have to look for patterns to see if it is a frequent problem. Some signs that something maybe is wrong with your child is:
- Waking and crying many times during the night. After already having the habit of sleeping through the night.
- Instant crying when you leave their room
- Not sleeping unless a parent is nearby
What to do next?
The sleeping schedule seems complicated but I tried to make it as simple as possible for you.
Another great tip for your child to sleep better is to have them get distracted during the day.
Toys are a great distraction for kids, check it out our Age Appropriate Toys Guide to know what toys are good for your children.
