Your Questions Answered
Sleep in a child's first three years
When will my baby sleep through the night?
In the first year, sleeping through the night, for an infant, can be defined primarily as sleeping five hours without waking. All babies will learn to do this in their own way. There is no exact age when this occurs. For the newborn, sleep is interrupted to eat until enough weight has been gained so that they can sleep longer. Some newborns will sleep for a few hours during the day and then be wakeful at night. Parents need to urge them to wake more in daytime hours and then sleep for longer periods at night.
After four to six months, there are things parents can do to support their infant’s sleep: read stories, sing songs, and rock them in the bedroom each night to establish a routine. This will help them learn to relax and calm down at the end of their day, with their parent’s help. As babies identify nighttime with longer sleep and a quiet, calm room, they will begin to sleep longer.
Why does my baby wake up when I put her in the bassinet?
Many parents report that their baby will sleep in their arms for hours but the minute they put the baby in their bassinet the baby wakes. Babies are accustomed to movement, warmth, and sound. In utero, they were rocked to sleep by their mother’s movement, kept warm in a stable environment, and soothed by the sounds of her digestion, heart beat, and breathing. Babies continue to find comfort in these sounds after they are born: those are familiar sounds and feelings. The quiet, still, cool bassinet is a new environment. Babies need to learn about it slowly and soon they are able to sleep on a solid mattress, with cool sheets, and a quiet space around them. By offering babies time in a bassinet when they are awake, they will slowly be introduced to this new place.
How many naps a day does a one-year-old need?
By the time infants are 12 months old they usually require two naps a day. One nap in the morning and one nap after lunch is a typical schedule for a young toddler. Some children have a long morning nap and a short afternoon nap or vice versa. Each child is different, however, it is important for these young toddlers to have a rest during the day even though they seem to have endless energy. Naps help them gather the sleep they need to grow and give them a needed break to reenergize during the day. Sometimes a very late afternoon nap can interfere with nighttime sleep. A useful rule of thumb may be to keep children from napping past 3:00 - 3:30 in the afternoon, in order for them to have enough time to enjoy the end of the day’s activities.
What is a helpful bedtime routine for a toddler?
Toddlers love the familiar and expected events in their lives. Routines for bed send them the message that the day is ending and they are preparing for bed. Some toddlers find comfort in saying good bye slowly to their day: talking about the day’s events, changing into pajamas, choosing a story, singing songs, and then saying good night. Many toddlers may be sensitive to this letting go and need to take time to go through these rituals. Bedtime routines may also include parents rubbing a child’s back or giving them a cup of water before they finally fall asleep. However parents choose to help their child to sleep, it is important to do the same things every night so the toddler knows what will happen next. When they can predict that bedtime is coming they feel more at peace going to sleep.
Growing Babies: Programs for Parents and Young Children at Harbour Women's Health
Growing Babies offers facilitated parenting groups to families with infants and toddlers birth to 3 years old. These groups are ongoing and meet on Tuesday mornings from 9:30 - 11:00. There are also parenting classes on Thursday evenings to address more specific topics on infant or toddler development. Please ask for a brochure at Harbour Women’s Health or call Martha Eshoo at 207.363.3829 for more information.