Sleeping Patterns

A one-month-old baby may sleep two to three hours between feedings. Sometimes babies this age will sleep as many as five hours at a time at night.

Some babies begin sleeping through the night at a few months of age. Others don’t sleep through the night until they are one or two years old or even older. Sometimes babies will sleep through the night for a while and then start waking up again. You can usually let your baby set his own schedule. If he is waking up too much, ask your doctor for advice.

Some babies want to sleep more in the daytime and as a result they wake more often at night. One thing parents can do to change this is to keep the baby awake during the day. Talk to him. Read to him. Play with him gently. Let him grasp your

fingers or a toy. Keeping him awake more during the day may help him sleep longer at night.

As babies get older, they usually sleep longer at night. They stay up more during the day. As he grows, you will see changes in your baby’s sleep habits.

You want to keep your baby safe when he sleeps. Research shows that babies who sleep on their backs are less likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or crib death. If your baby has a health problem, your doctor may tell you to put him in another position. Otherwise, always put your baby to sleep on his back.

This content has been provided freely by CMC. Click Healthy Start, Grow Smart—Your One-Month-Old for your free download. Click GreatDad Free Ebook to download the entire Health Start, Grow Smart series.

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