As babies grow and develop their sleep patterns keep changing. A newborn baby is likely to sleep eighteen to twenty hours a day though this sleep is usually light and of a short duration. Mostly babies don’t enjoy a deep, long duration sleep like adults. This is mainly because they have a small stomach and therefore, tend to feel hungry time and again.

Newborn Baby Sleep Patterns

Newborn babies are likely to wake up at least 5 times at night either for feed or for a change of diapers. Before putting them to bed kiss and rock them in your arms and make sure they are in deep sleep. To know this just lift your baby’s arm or foot a little and let it drop, if she makes no movement means she’s in deep sleep and you can put her back on the bed.

4 to 6 Month old Baby Sleep Patterns

After babies turn 4 months they start forming a sleep pattern. They’ll have figured out the difference between night and day and will usually sleep for 9-10 hours at night. They may take at least three naps during the day. You’ll notice your baby will now wake up just once in the night for a feed.

6 to 10 Month old Baby Sleep Patterns

Once babies turn 6 months they begin staying awake for longer durations during the day. They may still take two naps in the day and a short catnap in the evening. They should be sleeping at least 9 to 11 hours in the night.

10 to 12 month old Baby Sleep Patterns

By the time babies near their first birthday they will be sleeping nearly 11 hours at night. They’ll still need one nap in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Of course this is just a general sleep pattern and your baby’s pattern may differ from it.

To ensure that your baby sleeps well during the day make her sleep after a bath, be sure that her tummy’s full so she sleeps longer. After your baby completes 4 months you can try and form a bedtime schedule for her which matches your own sleep routine.