There is a lot of information out there when it comes to baby sleep. I get it, sleep is VERY important for our health & well-being. Newborn babies need to feed frequently day and night to maintain their milk production (if we are breastfeeding) and to fill their tiny bellies. This means that we as parents are waking with our babies night after night, with no end in sight. It’s completely normal to ask yourself, “when should my baby sleep through the night?”

It is biologically normal for our babies to wake up for feedings and comfort throughout the first year of their life & beyond. For example, a longitudinal study done in the ’90s demonstrated that out of 640 babies, 84% were not sleeping through the night at 6 months old. A systematic review done in 2011 showed a wide variation in night wakings that gradually decreased from 0-2 years of age.

There is no hard and fast rule that babies should be sleeping through the night by a certain age or weight, though sometimes we hear this from well-meaning health care professionals. Babies are all different, just like we as adults are. When looking at whether your baby will sleep through the night and how best to support their sleep, we need to take an individualized approach.

How many hours is sleeping through the night for a baby?

There are many different definitions of what sleeping through the night really means for a baby. Many people define sleeping through the night as sleeping a stretch of 6 hours, while others think of sleeping through to be 9 hours or more.

Your friend may tell you that her baby is sleeping through the night at an early age, but really they are sleeping one 5 hour stretch and waking a couple of times after that to feed. In most situations, comparing your baby to other babies just leads to frustration, disappointment & resentment on your part.

At what age is it possible for my baby to sleep through the night?

As long as your baby has surpassed his/her birth weight, most health providers agree that babies can be left to wake on their own day and night. These babies can sleep for one 4-5 hour sleep stretch in a 24 hour period. I know it may not seem like much, but when you have been living off of 2 or 3-hour stretches, a couple of extra hours of sleep feels SO good.

Some babies will begin to extend these sleep stretches before 3 months of age, and even sleep 6-8 hours in a row. As long as your baby is gaining appropriately, you shouldn’t need to wake your baby up for feedings. Some moms need to pump during these times to avoid a low milk supply and to relieve engorgement. It’s also important to note that I do not encourage you to use things like the SNOO and swaddles to encourage your baby to sleep long stretches before they are ready. Waking through the night is your baby’s natural alarm system to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

What do I do if my baby stops sleeping through the night?

If your baby was sleeping longer stretches in the early months and is now waking more frequently as an older infant, please know that you are not alone! There are so many reasons why our babies wake at night. Here are a few of the most common reasons:

• Sleep progressions
• Working on mastering new skills
• Pain related to teething or growth spurts
• Nap transitions causing routine changes
• Environmental factors – temperature of the room, noise, light, wet/dirty diaper
• Separation anxiety
• Discomfort related to allergy, reflux, low iron, tongue tie
• Hunger/thirst
• Wanting to be close to you!

These are all very normal needs that babies have. Unfortunately, our society has made it extremely difficult for parents to follow their instincts and listen to their babies. Night-time parenting is SO hard, but it is very important that you continue to keep responding to your baby’s needs.

If you are struggling with your baby’s sleep but the regular sleep training approaches don’t align with your parenting values, book a free discovery call with me to see how I can help. As a baby-led sleep & well-being specialist, I help you get to the root of the reason why your baby is waking while helping your family get more sleep.