Baby sleep time chart by month of age

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Bui Thi Ha - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.
The average newborn triples its birth weight by 1 year of age, and the baby's sleeping patterns will also change quite a bit during the first year.

1. Children's sleep

1.1 The importance of sleep for babies Getting enough sleep is the best way to help babies grow faster and develop better brains. According to doctors, babies only wake up when they are hungry or have a bowel movement. The rest of the time, the baby will use it to sleep, partly because he is not used to outside light, partly because of the habit of closing his eyes like in the womb.
Benefits of sleep for babies at birth:
Children will gradually increase in height while sleeping. Brain development. Ensures the development of the central nervous system. Help children feel more comfortable mentally. Have a healthy immune system. Good sleep can help your child become active, enjoy interacting with everything around him. =>> Useful advice from the Neonatal Pediatrician of Vinmec International General Hospital:
7 ways to make sure babies sleep safely How many degrees should an infant lie on? 1.2. Is it good for babies to sleep a lot? Children's sleep cycles are shorter than adults, and babies sleep a lot in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is essential for brain development. of children. The characteristic of sleep with rapid eye movement is that it is not as deep as non-REM (Non Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. This makes it easier for babies to wake up.
Newborns in the perinatal period often sleep continuously, even some babies sleep 20 hours a day, they only wake up when they need to eat, or need to change diapers. At 6 to 8 weeks of age most babies begin to sleep less during the day and more at night, and although they still wake up to eat at night, will quickly go back to sleep. At this time, the child's sleep gradually turns into a deep sleep state (Non-REM) more than before.

Between four and six months of age, most babies can sleep for eight to twelve hours a night. Many babies can sleep for a long time as early as 6 weeks, but some babies have to wait until 5 or 6 months old to do so.
Sleeping a lot in the recommended period is very good for the physical and mental development of children.
1.3. Infants who sleep less are affected Children who have difficulty sleeping or sleep little in the period from 0 to 3 months old will greatly affect the brain development and height of children later.
Children need to sleep deeply at 22 hours - 24 hours - 2 hours because this is the best time for height hormones to develop, children who sleep deeply at this stage will develop optimal height. If you miss the child, he will not be as tall as other children. Not getting enough sleep will make children irritable, tired, lose focus, and have poor learning ability.
For children's sleep, sleeping more or less is not as important as having a good night's sleep, the quality of sleep will determine many important factors later. Therefore, it is necessary to create an airy, dark enough space, reduce noise, and have an appropriate room temperature so that children can sleep well and be less startled.

2. Each stage of infant sleep

2.1. Birth to 2 months During the first few months of your baby's life, they will spend up to 15–16 hours a day sleeping. At this time, children's needs only revolve around 3 things: Eating - sleeping - cleaning; The baby's stomach is too small to hold a large amount of milk, so about every 2-3 hours the baby wakes up to ask for food, this happens all day and night, it will make you feel tired.
Many first-time parents will ask why there are so many meals? The answer is: During the first 10-14 days of a child's life they will return to their birth weight. So during this time, you even have to use every way to wake up the baby to feed, avoid letting him sleep too much and forget to recharge.
Some children will not be able to recognize the day-night cycle. Try to wake your child up in many ways: Turn on loud music, take him to a sunny place, play with him. At night, when going to bed, put your baby to sleep in a dark, quiet environment, wrap him in a sleeping bag or cuddle to help him not be startled.
Create good sleep habits by repeating the sleep sequence, putting your baby in the crib or crib while the baby is still asleep.

2.2. 3 - 5 Months Old After the first 6 to 8 weeks of parenthood, you'll likely notice that your baby is more alert and wants to spend more time interacting with you during the day. During this time, your baby will sleep about an hour less each day.
Children can sleep longer than 6 hours at night without waking up to eat. Continuing to maintain the baby's sleep routine, placing the baby in the crib or crib while the baby is still asleep, it will give the baby the ability to put himself to sleep - a very valuable skill later on. when a child enters a sleep crisis or a growth spurt.
Around the age of 4 months, your baby will probably wake up 1 or 2 times a night even though before that he can sleep continuously for many hours. Don't worry, this is just a sign that your child is growing, he will quickly return to his old routine when going through this phase.
2.3 Babies 6 - 8 months old By the age of 6 months, most babies are able to sleep for 8 hours a night or longer. Around 6-8 months of age, you will notice that your baby will take an extra nap during the day because daytime naps can be longer but still ensure a total of 3-4 hours of sleep.
The sleep crisis continues to occur as your child enters this stage when you are gradually leaving him to return to work. Babies will have to get used to not having their mother around, so it's completely normal for them to cry more than usual. Give them time and they will gradually adjust to the change.
2.4. 9 - 12 months old Your baby is growing and coming out of the baby stage. By the age of 9 months, many babies have learned the habit of falling asleep on their own without adult support. At this time, children can sleep continuously for 9-12 hours per night, and daytime sleep is about 3-4 hours.
At the age of 8 - 10 months you may notice that your baby has difficulty falling asleep or waking up from a nap, that's when the baby enters the growth spurt when the baby's first baby tooth comes in. , when children transition from sitting to standing, or babbling the first sounds. As long as you continue to maintain the old habits, your child will quickly return to a normal routine.

3. The chart summarizes the sleep schedule for the first year of life

4. A few tips for children to have a good night's sleep

To help children have a good night's sleep, follow a few helpful tips:
At night, let your child sleep in a dark room, minimizing noise. Establish a routine of going to bed early and sleeping on time, giving your child cues to let them know it's time to go to bed like changing into pajamas, singing lullabies, kissing good night, etc. (this can help when the child enters the sleep crisis phase). Giving your child time to learn how to sleep on their own helps them become more independent and not too dependent on adults. Let your child eat enough meals during the day, do not feed them at night when it is not too necessary. Newborns are generally susceptible to respiratory diseases, respiratory infections and gastrointestinal infections if they are introduced to solid foods early or are not properly stored and prepared. To protect children's health, parents should do well to exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first 6 months (if possible) and vaccinate on schedule.

Children need to provide enough elemental zinc/day for them to eat well, reach the correct height and weight and exceed the standard. Zinc plays a role in affecting most biological processes taking place in the body, especially the breakdown and synthesis of nucleic acids, proteins,... When organs in the body lack zinc, it can lead to a number of diseases such as neurological disorders, easily irritable, ... Therefore, parents need to learn about the role of zinc and guide appropriate zinc supplementation for children.
In addition to zinc, parents also need to supplement their children with other important vitamins and minerals such as lysine, chromium, B vitamins,... errands.
Caring, protecting and nurturing children is a long process, so parents should be a companion to help children develop their physical and mental abilities well. If you notice that your child has unusual signs for his age or has difficulties in taking care of and teaching him or her, you can go to Vinmec International General Hospital to get help from doctors and nurses. Psychologists.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

Reference sources: healthline.com, parents.com