The number of hours a baby needs to sleep varies according to his age and growth, and when he is newborn, he usually sleeps about 16 to 20 hours a day, whereas when he is 1 year old age, already sleeps about 10 hours a night and does two naps during the day, from 1 to 2 hours each.
Although babies sleep most of the time, up to about 6 months of age, they do not sleep many hours at a time because they wake up or have to be awake to nurse. However, as of this age, the baby can sleep almost all night without waking up to eat.
Number of hours of baby sleep
The number of hours the baby sleeps each day varies according to their age and growth. See the table below for the number of hours your baby needs to sleep.
| Age | Number of hours of sleep per day |
| Newborn | 16 to 20 hours in total |
| 1 month | 16 to 18 hours in total |
| 2 months | 15 to 16 hours in total |
| Four months | 9 to 12 hours per night + two naps during the day of 2 to 3 hours each |
| 6 months | 11 hours per night + two naps during the day of 2 to 3 hours each |
| 9 months | 11 hours per night + two naps during the day of 1 to 2 hours each |
| 1 year | 10 to 11 hours per night + two naps during the day of 1 to 2 hours each |
| 2 years | 11 hours a night + a daytime nap of about 2 hours |
| 3 years | 10 to 11 hours per night + a 2 hour nap during the day |
Each baby is different, so some may sleep a lot more or for more hours at a time than others. The important thing is to help create a sleep routine for the baby, respecting his pace of development.
How to help your baby sleep
Some tips to help your baby sleep include:
- Create a sleep routine by leaving the curtains open and talking or playing with the baby while he is awake during the day and speaking in a lower and softer tone at night so the baby begins to differentiate the day from the night;
- Put the baby to bed when you see some sign of tiredness, but with him still awake to accustom him to fall asleep in his own bed;
- Decrease play after dinner, avoiding too strong lights or the television;
- Take a warm bath a few hours before the baby goes to sleep to calm you;
- Babysitting the baby, reading or singing a song in a soft tone before bedtime for the baby to realize that it is time to sleep;
- Do not take too long to put the baby to sleep, as the baby can become more agitated, being more difficult to fall asleep.
From 7 months on, it is normal for the baby to be agitated and have difficulty falling asleep or wake up several times during the night because he wants to practice what he has already learned. In these cases, the parents can let the baby cry until they calm down and go to his room at intervals of time to try to calm him down without feeding him or taking him out of the crib.
Another option is to stay close to the baby until he feels safe and falls asleep again. Whatever the option of parents, the important thing is always to use the same strategy for the baby to get used to.
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