- Number of hours of baby sleep
- How to help baby sleep
- Is it safe to let the baby cry until it calms down?
The number of hours the baby needs to sleep varies according to his age and growth, and when he is a newborn, he usually sleeps about 16 to 20 hours a day, while when he is 1 year old. age, already sleeps about 10 hours a night and takes two naps during the day, 1 to 2 hours each.
Although babies sleep most of the time, until about 6 months of age, they do not sleep many hours in a row, as they wake up or have to be woken up to breastfeed. However, after this age, the baby can sleep almost all night without waking up to eat.
Number of hours of baby sleep
The number of hours a baby sleeps per day varies according to his age and growth. See the table below for the number of hours the 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 a night + two naps during the day from 2 to 3 hours each |
| 6 months | 11 hours a night + two naps during the day of 2 to 3 hours each |
| 9 months | 11 hours a night + two naps during the day from 1 to 2 hours each |
| 1 year | 10 to 11 hours a night + two naps during the day 1 to 2 hours each |
| 2 years | 11 hours a night + a nap during the day for about 2 hours |
| 3 years | 10 to 11 hours a night + a 2-hour nap during the day |
Each baby is different, so some can sleep a lot more or for more hours in a row than others. The important thing is to help to create a sleep routine for the baby, respecting its rhythm of development.
How to help baby sleep
Some tips to help your baby sleep include:
- Create a sleep routine, leaving the curtains open and talking or playing with the baby while he is awake during the day and speaking in a lower, softer tone at night, so that the baby starts to differentiate the day from the night; sleep when you notice any signs of tiredness, but with him still awake to get him used to falling asleep in his own bed; decrease the games after dinner, avoiding too bright lights or the television; give a warm bath a few hours before the baby goes to sleep to soothe him; lull the baby, read or sing a song in a soft tone before laying the baby down so that he realizes that it is time for bed; do not take too long to put the baby to sleep, as the baby may be more agitated, being harder to fall asleep.
From 7 months, it is normal for the baby to be agitated and have difficulty falling asleep or to wake up several times during the night, as he wants to practice everything he has learned during the day. In these cases, the parents can let the baby cry until it calms down, and can go to the room at intervals of time to try to calm him down, but without feeding him or taking him out of the crib.
Another option is to stay close to the baby until he feels safe and fall asleep again. Whatever the parents' option, the important thing is to always use the same strategy for the baby to get used to.
Is it safe to let the baby cry until it calms down?
There are several theories on how to train baby sleep. A very common one is to let the baby cry until it calms down, however, this is a controversial theory, as there are some studies that indicate that it can be traumatic for the baby, that he may feel abandoned, causing stress levels to increase.
But unlike these studies, there is also other research that supports the idea that, after a few days, the baby understands that it is not worth crying at night, learning to fall asleep alone. Although it may seem like a cold attitude on the part of parents, studies indicate that it works and that, in fact, it does not cause any trauma to the baby.
For these reasons, there is no real contraindication for this strategy, and if parents choose to adopt it, they must take some precautions, such as: avoiding it in babies under 6 months of age, introducing the approach gradually and always check the room to confirm that the child is safe and well.
