Baby's sleep by month according to the table. How does a child’s sleep and wakefulness patterns change from birth to one year?

Every person needs quality rest of sufficient duration. And sleep up to one year is one of the main components for the normal development and growth of a child.

Every baby is unique, so knowing the sleep patterns of children under one year old is, of course, important, but you should also take into account the baby’s temperament and the speed of various processes in the body.

However, there is an average amount of time that a child should sleep at night and during the day in order to feel good and fully develop.

Dreams of infants

What are you dreaming about, baby?
An interesting question that every adult would like to know the answer to. Today, opinions on this topic are very diverse. Some researchers believe that infants do not dream due to the minimal amount of information received from the outside world. Others claim the opposite and even give examples of plots . It turns out that babies dream about their mother’s breasts - the most important and important thing in this period of life

It is important to know! Experts assure that in the first days of a newborn, dreams are rich in various color spots, the palette of which depends on the mother’s mood and the emotional situation in the house. But in general, it is believed that the plots of visions at this age are of a positive nature. Another interesting fact was revealed as a result of their research by scientists from Columbia and Stanford universities

Newborns' dreams begin immediately after falling asleep, unlike adults, who dream only some time after falling asleep

Another interesting fact was revealed by scientists from Columbia and Stanford universities as a result of their research. Newborns' dreams begin immediately after falling asleep, unlike adults, who dream only some time after falling asleep.

What are the phases of infants?

Unlike adults, the night rest cycle in babies differs in time and order.

This is due to the fact that the baby’s brain cannot yet be called perfect, so it is important that the stages of sleep are adjusted to the child’s requirements

Paradoxical phase

This is the name of the REM sleep cycle, which occupies the first place in a baby’s life. It can be easily distinguished from the slow phase, since in it the baby's eyelashes and eyeballs can sometimes move. Therefore, some parents believe that their children are in a state of wakefulness, although they are simply not sleeping soundly.

During fast-wave rest, various processes occur in the baby’s body, namely:

brain reboot;
brain stimulation through dreaming;
relieving tension from the central nervous system;
consolidation of information that the child received throughout the day;
general relaxation of the body.

Paradoxical sleep is a restful state in which the child sleeps shallowly. The brain is active in this state. A couple of months after birth, the baby's REM sleep will be replaced by long sleep, as he will need more time to restore strength and energy.

Orthodox sleep

This is a slow-wave sleep mode in which the eyeball is in a calm state.

This phase is divided into 4 degrees:

nap is a superficial rest when the baby reacts to loud noise;
falling asleep is a state that passes from dormancy to rest (with any extraneous noise the baby will wake up;
deep sleep - the baby’s body is relaxed, the limbs are heavy, and there is no reaction to any interference;
too deep sleep - complete relaxation and disconnection of the brain from reality, in which the body does not “respond” to any extraneous sounds (if the child is woken up, he will feel completely disoriented).

The last phase of sleep is especially important for the full and normal development of the baby, because it is with its help that strength is restored, the brain rests, and the body is overloaded. At first, in a baby, the slow phase passes quickly (in about 30 minutes), but as the child grows up, its time increases, which is caused by the expenditure of a large amount of energy during the daytime.

slow sleep

Slow sleep is a complete rest for the whole body. At this time, the eyelids become motionless, the movements of the eyeballs are hardly noticeable. This state is also called non-REM, orthodox sleep.

The slow phase is divided into 4 stages:

Falling into slumber. Breathing becomes deeper and slows down. The heart beats less often and calmer. Thoughts become confused and turn into dreams.
Light sleep. The muscles are completely relaxed, the eyes are motionless. Body temperature decreases.
Slow sleep.
The soundest, deepest sleep.

Some scientists combine the last two stages. The difference is in depth. If you wake up a child at stage 3 or 4, he will be disoriented and capricious.

In the last two stages, dreams also appear, but they are erased from memory. It is during this period that disorders occur: sleepwalking, enuresis. Stage 4 is the time of nightmares.

Functions of the Orthodox phase:

relaxation, rest;
storing information;
increasing immunity.

Interesting! There is a theory according to which during the non-Ren phase the brain analyzes and regulates the functioning of internal organs and the body as a whole.

How to create a daily routine for a newborn

When a child is first born, he finds himself in an alien environment. And at first, periods of wakefulness and sleep alternate in a chaotic manner. He cannot regulate these processes on his own, which is why his mother should help him and create a daily routine.

The daily routine includes:

Feeding.
Dream.
Periods of wakefulness.
Hygiene procedures.
Hardening and health procedures.
Bathing.
Walks.

The daily routine of a newborn up to 1 month should begin with hygiene procedures.
The biological rhythms of a newborn are just beginning to form

Therefore, during this period it is important to gently guide the child to perform the action that is necessary at the moment. For example, it often happens that a child does not wake up for a long time, but the time to feed has long come

Then you need to wake him up and encourage him to eat.

This will help you develop the correct habit of keeping a certain amount of time between meals. If the newborn is overexcited and does not want to sleep, you need to help him and create comfortable conditions for sleep.

It is important to understand that such a small child is not able to determine what and when to do. Therefore, the daily routine set by the parents will help him adapt and also maintain peace in the family.

Sleeping babies from 1 to 3 months

By 2-3 months of life, the child’s sequence of replacing slow-wave sleep with paradoxical sleep and entering wakefulness has stabilized. The cycle at this age is 40-50 minutes (in adults - 90 minutes). During this same period, deep delta sleep is formed, and the child begins to distinguish day from night.

The share of the orthodox phase gradually increases, thereby reducing the time of the paradoxical one. A restructuring occurs: rest begins with a slow stage and is replaced by a fast stage. At the end of each cycle, the baby wakes up and, in the absence of irritating factors, falls asleep again. If he is uncomfortable - hot, cold, wants to eat, or a wet diaper is in the way, he will begin to sob, grunt or cry.

NREM sleep in infants consists of 3 stages:

entry;
surface;
deep.

For the full formation of the slow phase, greater concentration and development of certain parts of the brain are required. This stage appears by 2-3 months of a child’s life.

How to understand that sleep patterns are disturbed and the child is overtired

Even if the baby “fulfills” the requirements of the table “Baby Sleep by Month,” this does not mean that this time is enough for him. The main indicator that rest is taking the right amount of time is the baby's behavior. The following signs indicate that you need more sleep:

The baby wakes up shortly after his evening bedtime, before midnight. This is a sign of insufficient daytime sleep. Try extending his daytime rest and putting him to bed earlier in the evening.
The baby has begun to eat poorly and is gaining weight late.
It becomes difficult to put the child to bed; the procedure takes 20-30 minutes. The baby resists, screams or tosses and turns restlessly. This is a clear sign of hyperfatigue and that you need to sleep more during the day.
In the evening, the baby shows obvious signs of fatigue: he is capricious, screams, cries, although there is still a lot of time before he goes to bed.
During periods when the baby is awake, he shows unusual restlessness, is not interested in toys, and shows nervousness.

Reasons why your child's sleep may be worse

Sleep disturbances at this age may be behavioral in nature. Let's look at what problems you may encounter.

The baby refuses one of his naps.

Most one-year-old children are not yet ready to switch to one nap, as their sleep needs are still high.

If one of the dreams does not take place, leave earlier in the night to prevent fatigue from accumulating.

If your baby doesn't fall asleep during his second nap, limit his morning nap to an hour. Or shift the start of your lunchtime nap to a slightly later time. This sleep does not need to be limited.

Baby learns new skills

The baby learns to walk, understands that he can get up in the crib by himself, holding on to the side, or actively begins to speak.

Sometimes a new skill becomes so exciting for a child that problems with sleep and behavior arise. For example, a child begins to experience separation anxiety, especially during bedtime. Or practice getting up in the crib instead of sleeping.

In this case, give your child the opportunity to practice the new skill while he is awake. In a week or two he will get used to it and his sleep will improve.

As a result, even many 12-month-old children often wake up at night, sleep short naps during the day, and fall asleep only with the obligatory presence of their mother.

Identify negative associations with sleep and teach your baby to relax and fall asleep on his own. If necessary, consult a pediatric sleep consultant.

The child does not sleep well due to unsuitable sleeping conditions

He is disturbed by too warm pajamas, high/low temperature in the room, insufficient darkness or humidity, an uncomfortable mattress in the crib, noise during sleep.

Review your sleeping conditions and change them if necessary.

The baby reacts to changes in the family.

Any deviations from the usual routine can affect a child’s sleep: the imminent arrival of a second baby, moving to a new house, the appearance of a nanny.

Prepare your child in advance for important changes in the family so that they do not upset the usual daily routine.

The child wakes up due to hunger.

This happens if the baby has not eaten enough during the day or his diet is not balanced. At this age, children are often distracted during feeding and may become malnourished. They are more interested in exploring everything around and playing with toys than sitting in a high chair.

Let's figure out how to establish an appropriate feeding schedule at 12 months.

Baby sleep duration

Each child is an individual. And his body cannot obey generally accepted rules and norms. If one baby needs 10 hours to gain strength, then another needs 12-14. Below is a table showing the average sleep duration for a child by month.

Age (in months)	Daily duration of rest (in hours)	Number of daytime naps	Length of night (in hours)
1	18—22	3	2-4 in a row with awakenings for feeding
2	18—19	3	5 in a row with awakenings for feeding
3	15—16	3	6
4—6	14—15	2—3	7
7—9	13—12	2	9
10—12	13—11	1—2	10

In children under 1 year of age, the need for the amount and duration of sleep changes significantly. And although the period of wakefulness increases, in total it does not exceed the duration of rest.

The phases in the first 12 months of life also transform: the paradoxical phase decreases and the orthodox phase begins to predominate . Adult periodicity is established only by 10-12 years.

Age (in months)	Paradoxical sleep percentage
1	75
2—3	45—55
4—5	35—45
6—12	35—40

Since children most often wake up in the paradoxical stage, infants' rest is intermittent and consists of short periods of time.

Tips to help you put your baby to sleep quickly

To put your baby to sleep, follow these tips:

Check the diaper: if it is wet, change it.
If your child begins to wake up frequently at night, take him to the doctor. Perhaps light sleep and awakenings are a symptom of neurological disorders.
Assess the child's condition. Whims and problems falling asleep sometimes signal an onset of illness. Normalize the condition so that the baby feels better and can fall asleep.
When falling asleep, be close to your child so that he feels the presence of a loved one and feels comfortable. Stroke the baby, talk, sing calm songs.
A favorite lullaby sung by your mother will help you quickly put your child to sleep.

You don't have to strictly adhere to the rules. But take into account the average indicators, needs and characteristics of the child to normalize his rest. Sleep is important and promotes harmonious development, growth and good health.

Sleep in preschoolers

Children 1-2 years old need to be put to sleep 2 times a day. From 3 to 6 one, long, 1.5-3 hours of sleep is enough. At night, babies rest for 9-10 hours.

If the child has not been taught to play at night and the room temperature is normal, then the alternation of sleep phases occurs unnoticed by the baby and parents.

Considering that the full cycle of phase 2 is 45-50 minutes, the optimal duration of daytime rest is 1.30 minutes. or 2.10. Try not to wake up your baby during the slow phase, otherwise he will feel bad and be capricious.

If the baby refuses to go to bed, then the following measures should be taken:

Review loads. The lack of walks and physical activity leads to the fact that you don’t want to rest during lunch. But in the evening, such a daily routine threatens nervous exhaustion and a long bedtime.
Lie down next to the child, reading a book, telling a fairy tale, turn on calm music. Then he will gradually form the habit of daytime rest.
Avoid a commanding tone. Screaming and threatening to put a child to bed will not work.
Wake up the child before 7.30 am, put him to bed at 21.00. Over time, having gotten used to it, he will go to bed on his own.

Benefits of quiet time for preschoolers:

release of necessary hormones;
productive wakefulness;
stabilization of the emotional background.

Why rest is so important

Children are very active, therefore, when they are awake, they become very tired, literally falling off their feet. To restore strength and energy, you need good rest. During sleep, the following processes occur in the body:

Tissue, organs and energy are restored. When a child is tired, he has trouble controlling his body and falls, hitting objects.
The release of growth hormone, the development of the muscular and skeletal system, organs, and so on are observed. If a baby spends little time sleeping, he begins to lag behind in development, and there is a deviation from the generally accepted norms of weight and height.
There is an active formation of immune cells that are necessary to fight diseases.
A process associated with the development and growth of the brain takes place, new neural connections are formed. During sleep, the child's brain works intensively: it analyzes the information received during the day, remembers it, looks for relationships between events, and consolidates new skills.
Restoration of the nervous system. Children who rest according to the norms have an excellent mood and a cheerful disposition.

Based on the results of a scientific study related to sleep in infants, when there is a lack of rest, the baby’s behavior becomes worse, aggression, tearfulness, and impulsiveness occur. Sometimes what happens is caused by hyperactivity syndrome

We are talking about attention deficit when the child is unable to focus his attention on anything.

Scientists have proven that if babies under one year of age sleep much less than they should according to the norms, behavioral disorders are observed in them even in adulthood.

Therefore, it is necessary to create for the baby the entire set of conditions for quality sleep that meets the established monthly standards. Adequate rest is an excellent prevention of problems in the behavior and development of the toddler.

Does your child wake up too early?

Most children between the ages of one and three like to come to their parents' room after they wake up for cuddles. But your child’s “morning” may be different from yours, because he goes to bed much earlier than you, and by 5.30 am he may already be well asleep. Waking up early is a common cause of parental sleep deprivation because it wakes parents before their dreaming phase is over.

It may be impossible to keep a wide-awake child in bed early in the morning. However, it is quite possible to teach your baby to stay in bed for a while longer. The trick is to tell your child when morning begins. Although dawn may be a very obvious visual cue, its timing may not always suit parents' practical goals.

The best visual cue can be a clock, but children between the ages of one and three years old do not yet know how to tell time by clocks. You can buy special watches with lugs that rise at a set time. But what time should I set? Of course, you don’t want to wake up your child if he suddenly decides to sleep longer in the morning.

An easier solution would be to install a radio alarm clock in another room. When your baby wakes up early, go to him and whisper in his ear that it’s still night and everything is quiet

And when the radio turns on, return to his room, draw his attention to the music playing, loudly wish him good morning. Open the curtains or turn on the lights and begin your morning routine

First, set the radio alarm time very early, on the second day you can delay it by a few minutes, on the third day set the time later, and so on. This way, you will gradually shift your child's wake-up time until it becomes acceptable to you. The child will soon understand that it is time to wake up when he hears music.

Reminder for parents on establishing a daily routine

The daily routine of a newborn (before 1 month it is important to have time to accustom the child to a routine) will create favorable conditions for full growth and development. In addition, it will save time and nerves for young parents

Here are a few rules for creating a daily routine:

There is no need to rush into establishing a routine immediately after arriving from the hospital. It is necessary to give the child a few days to adapt to the new place and smells. The regime should not be too strict and precise without the ability to shift or move this or that activity. The child is small, and his well-being should come first. Don't get upset and give up at the first failure. Sometimes a child may refuse routine activities. You shouldn’t push, after a while you need to gently guide him to the desired action again.

It is important to understand that the child is growing, and the established regime must and will change. Waking time will increase, dream time will decrease

You can accustom your child to the correct daily routine already during the newborn period. And although children under 1 month sleep most of the time, the rest of the time can be distributed with maximum benefit for their full growth and development.

Sleep by month: averages and norms

The baby's sleep gradually changes as he grows up, and the stages of development can be divided into months. A newborn baby sleeps up to 20-22 hours a day, waking up for feedings every two to three hours. Periods of wakefulness between sleep last 20-30 minutes, but by the age of one month they increase to an hour.

A month-old baby sleeps from 15-16 to 18-19 hours a day, 10 of which are spent at night. Periods of wakefulness last up to 70-75 minutes: during this time, the baby studies the world around him with interest, rejoices at his mother, actively moves his legs and arms, and changes his facial expressions. During the day, the baby can sleep several times for 1-1.5 hours.

At two months, a baby rests on average 16 hours, most of which (10 hours) is spent sleeping at night. Awakenings in the dark become less frequent, as the volume of the stomach increases and the frequency of feedings decreases. The development of the biological clock begins: the greatest activity occurs during the day, and by the evening the baby gets tired. The rapid development of sensory organs can affect sleep, causing the baby to sleep lightly, wake up, and worry.

At three months, stabilization of the regime is observed. There is no clear schedule, but parents can analyze needs, adapt to them and carefully make changes. During the day, the child sleeps up to four times for 50-90 minutes, night sleep lasts 11 hours and becomes stronger. Continuous rest in the dark increases, the frequency of feedings is reduced to one or two. The total duration of sleep is 15-16 hours. A toddler can stay awake for an hour and a half.

At four months, a baby needs 14-17 hours to recuperate. The duration of periods of wakefulness increases to two hours. At night the baby sleeps 11-12 hours, daytime sleep is divided into two or three times. The rapid development of the nervous system can provoke problems with falling asleep.

A five-month-old baby spends thirteen to sixteen hours a day in a crib, 12 of which are at night. The baby is more and more awake, masters new skills, processes information, reacts to external changes, and begins to show emotions. During the day, the baby can sleep two or three times: in the morning and after lunch.

In six months, motor skills are mastered, the speech apparatus develops, so periods of wakefulness increase. The nervous system is stronger, and the baby gets less tired. The duration of rest is about 15 hours, of which 10-12 are allocated for a good night's sleep. During the day, the baby will sleep for one and a half to two hours, and parents are advised to strive for a two-time regimen. Having a third day's rest will shift the time of evening sleep.

At seven months, the child sleeps from ten to twelve hours at night and up to 3-4 hours during the day. The little one gets tired in the morning if he wakes up early. The second rest during the day occurs in the afternoon. Most children do not have evening sleep, but fall asleep occurs at 20:00-21:00. The regime is present if the parents managed to form it, but it will not be clear. Many babies sleep peacefully throughout the night without waking up for feedings, but one nighttime meal is possible and normal.

At eight months, the duration of sleep is 13-15 hours, of which three babies sleep during the day, and they should be divided into two times to ensure proper rest and recuperation. Evening sleep is not recommended, or reduce its duration to half an hour, otherwise the baby will take a long time to fall asleep, as he will not have time to get tired.

At nine months, the routine remains the same, but the baby may sleep less during the day, which will increase sleep at night. Usually the baby sleeps soundly throughout the night, but some babies still wake up and ask for the breast or bottle, which is not considered a deviation from the norm and is due to individual characteristics.

A ten-month-old baby sleeps the same as a nine-month-old, there are no significant differences. Periods of continuous wakefulness increase to 4 hours. If the baby begins to walk, the night's rest will become stronger due to fatigue. But overexcitation, on the contrary, provokes waking up and twitching.

At 11 months, a baby can sleep once a day, but some need to sleep twice a day. The baby stays awake for up to five to six hours without showing any fatigue. But if overwork is not noticed in time, it will negatively affect the nervous system.

A one-year-old child sleeps up to fourteen hours a day, 2-2.5 are naps, which are best planned for the middle of the day. Problems often arise when going to bed, associated with vivid impressions, physical activity, and new information. An evening ritual consisting of bathing and a lullaby will contribute to relaxation and calm.

Peculiarities of sleep patterns in children in different months of life

Any expectant mother is afraid of repeating the existing stable stereotype, which looks like this - night, a crying child, a caring tired mother trying to calm him down. This situation is familiar to many, but the baby does not always behave this way. There is no doubt that the sleep patterns of a one-year-old baby and a newborn are significantly different.

Any pediatrician will tell you that the sleep pattern of a child under one year old is subject to the following changes month by month:

1-3 months . A specific feature of this period is that children's sleep is quite long - 18-20 hours in the first weeks after birth. By the third month, the amount of rest time decreases to 15 hours. The sleep pattern is still at the developing stage; the baby constantly wakes up to eat. The development of the skill of proper rest is of great importance: signs of deviation from the norm should be noted, and prolonged wakefulness should be prevented, but there is no need to wake up prematurely. Sleep should not be associated with negative emotions. When your baby reaches 7 weeks of age, you should give him the opportunity to fall asleep on his own;
3-6 months . At this stage, the baby should sleep longer at night by reducing the number of night feedings. And by the age of 6 months, night feeding should be stopped altogether. A routine is being formed - the child sleeps 3-4 times during the day, and the duration of night rest is 10-12 hours. It's time to create a ritual of preparing for bed - calm games, bathing procedures, fairy tales and lullabies;
6-9 months . The baby begins to fear leaving his mother. You can eliminate such fear with the help of games of hide and seek and peek-a-boo. The children's play area should be located near the parents so that the baby can see his mother. After 8 months of age, consciousness begins to form, and the fear of separation becomes more frightening. Physical activity is developing rapidly. The child needs activity, but stressful situations should be avoided;
9-12 months . The baby already notices the sequence of actions and is ready to play all day. And since in the near future he will begin to walk, and, accordingly, all his strength is spent on developing the necessary skills, then sound sleep without disturbances is necessary.

Before going to bed, it is not recommended to get involved in active outdoor games, which can excite the child even more. Otherwise, it will not be possible to put him to bed right away, and the rest regime will be disrupted.

Night sleep norms

The daily routine of a newborn (up to 1 month, most of the time is spent sleeping) depends on the correct implementation of each of the above points. The most important thing during this period is the amount of sleep at night.

Improving your child's sleep is the most important task that must be completed after returning from the hospital. After all, for a newborn it makes up most of the day (18-20 hours). During sleep, the child’s biorhythms are adjusted and energy is restored. Before 1 month, it is not customary to divide sleep into night and daytime.

But there is still a difference: a night's sleep is stronger and more restful. Often a nuisance for parents occurs in the form of a change in the rhythms of sleep and wakefulness: the child confuses day and night, preferring sleep during daylight hours. Parents shouldn't get annoyed. Their goal is to help the child return to the correct mode.

To do this, you must follow the following points:

Create a wake-up ritual. In the morning it is necessary to encourage the child to wake up. To do this, you need to open the curtains and turn on quiet but energetic music. If the child does not want to get up, you can take him in your arms or massage him with patting movements. Be sure to say that morning has come and a new day begins.
During the day, limit the number and duration of daytime naps. Every mother dreams of relaxing while the child sleeps. It feels wrong to wake him up. But in case of confusion of modes, this is simply necessary.
In the evening, organize a bedtime ritual. Close the curtains and don’t turn on bright lights. Devote the evening to a relaxing massage and calm games. Even if the child does not fall asleep immediately, under no circumstances should you turn on the lights, TV or loud devices.

Rules for going to bed

At first it is difficult to instill in a child a daily routine; he sleeps and eats according to his inner impulse. After 3-4 months he begins to lead a more active lifestyle and plays with pleasure, although not for long yet. At this time, you need to start instilling in him a certain daily routine that will help him avoid overwork and stress, fall asleep quickly and remain active during the day.

First of all, try to explain to your child the difference between day and night. Show this in both words and behavior. After night feeding, do not sit with him, feed him and immediately put him to bed to sleep. If a child requires your presence and doesn’t want to fall asleep alone, then stay next to him, but don’t pick him up, sit next to him, pat him on the head, sing a song. The ideal time for daytime sleep is from 12 o'clock, and for night sleep from 20:00. There is no need to put toys in the crib; they will only interfere and distract the child from sleep.

Be sure to wake up your baby in the morning, feed him, and then take him for a walk. You also need to create an individual bedtime ritual. Start by playing quieter games before bed and then going for a swim.

Bathing before bed is useful because it calms the baby, and being clean helps him fall asleep more peacefully.

After this, put the baby in the crib, kiss him on the cheek and leave him alone, if you are not an adherent of co-sleeping with your child. The bedtime ritual must be observed daily without changing it.

Possible problems with organizing a child’s routine

There will be no problems if you strictly follow the sleeping and feeding schedule of your newborn baby, bathe before bed and follow the bedtime ritual. Poor sleep can be caused by gas and colic. To avoid them, you need to hold the baby in an upright position for 10-15 minutes after feeding. After 8 months, the baby may wake up at night due to its own uncontrolled movements, but this is natural. To calm the baby down, just pat him on the head, sing a song and kiss him.

Many young parents are concerned about the question: why does a newborn groan in his sleep? The answer is read in our article. Information on what to do in the first days of a newborn at home is here. The main thing is to calm down, distribute responsibilities between family members and stick to the plan.

Features of children's sleep

A newborn almost always sleeps, waking up only to eat;
At one and a half months, the baby is already able to distinguish between day and night;
And by three months, a clear pattern of dreams and wakefulness appears. It becomes easier for you to plan your day.

Although, of course, this doesn’t look much like a pre-pregnancy, free life.

Normally, children should sleep at a certain time, which depends on their age. Up to three months, a newborn should sleep at least 16-17 hours a day, but from three months to six months – 14-15 hours.

After seven months, up to a year, the baby should sleep 13-14 hours. Small deviations in time are considered normal.

Up to three months, the baby’s life consists mainly of eating, sleeping and communicating with his mother.

The time spent awake increases every month. Read the details in the article Sleep norms for children under one year>>>

Know! Among infants there are those who do not recognize the regime and wake up whenever they want. At the same time, the child doesn’t care whether it’s day or night

He woke up - that means he needs attention

If problems with confusion between day and night have not gone away by 2 months, then the child needs help. Read the article What to do if your child confuses day and night>>>

Babies have two stages of sleep - REM and NREM.

During the fast phase, he dreams and during this period he can move, shudder, and sob.

In the first months, the child receives a huge amount of information, which is processed during sleep. His dreams reflect the impressions and emotions of the past day, as indicated by sobbing, smacking, and whimpering.

REM sleep

Time for dreams and colorful dreams. The eyelids tremble, the eyeballs move. Hence another name for the phase – REM. Such a dream is called paradoxical, because in appearance it is similar to wakefulness (especially in children under one year old).

In the paradoxical phase, a person is on the verge of dreams and wakefulness - facial expressions, a smile, etc. appear on the face. Old people say that angels talk to the baby. Scientists explain this more simply: the baby dreams of the mother’s breast, affectionate touches.

REM functions:

stimulating the development of the nervous system;
processing and sorting of received information;
regulation of hormonal processes.

Attention! Wikipedia provides data from an experiment on mice. They were deprived of the paradoxical phase. The rodents died after 40 days.

What is the best way to plan your daily routine?

When planning a daily routine for your child, do not forget to take into account the peculiarities of his biorhythms. Among children there are both “larks” and “night owls”. Some people like to get up early and go to bed late, and some like the opposite. Some people have a big appetite, some have a smaller one. Some children are too active and mobile, which is why they spend a lot of energy, while some love peace and spend much less energy

This must be taken into account when creating a daily routine for a child.

First, take a closer look at your little one - what does he do while he’s awake, when does he go to bed, and after what time does he ask for food? Look how the baby sleeps at night, and if he gets up, how often? Based on the information received, try to perform all the necessary manipulations at the same time: feeding, walking, putting to bed, morning and evening toilet.

How to teach your baby to follow a daily routine

It will take a long time to get your baby to follow the schedule. In the first months of life, children's organs and systems are not yet fully developed. Biorhythms are also at the stage of formation, which is why they can confuse day and night, sleep and wakefulness. Your task is to help your child learn to correctly perceive the surrounding reality. Observe how often the baby asks to eat, what time he goes to bed during the day and at night. Based on the data obtained, sketch out the child’s daily routine on paper. Try in the near future to ensure that your baby eats and goes to bed at the same time. This is the main task of the child's regime. For the next two to three weeks, continue to stick to your chosen schedule. During this period, the little one should get used to the current routine. The result depends on the individual characteristics of the child: some get used to it faster, others slower

On average, 8 weeks is a good indicator. It is important to know that a breastfed baby will ask to eat more often than a formula-fed baby, since breast milk is easier and faster to digest than an adapted formula. For bottle-fed children, pauses will last up to 3-4 hours. Try to wake up at your scheduled time in the morning

If the baby had a restless night, this is not a reason to break the schedule, gently lift him up, give him a morning toilet and feed him. Try to do games, sleep, walks, bathing and feeding strictly at scheduled times. The result will not be long in coming, and your little one will do everything with great desire exactly when it is needed. After about three weeks, try not to breastfeed on demand. If after 1.5 hours he reaches for his chest again, give him some water - perhaps the little one is just thirsty. At night you can read a book or sing a song. If your baby wakes up at night, do not talk to him loudly so that he understands that he needs to continue sleeping.

Phase alternation is the cause of night awakenings

The body is an intelligently structured system; not everything in it is controlled at a conscious level. The instinct of self-preservation and survival leads to the fact that a person of any age wakes up in the middle of the night to check if there is danger nearby. If everything is normal, the awakening lasts a few seconds and is erased from memory. When thirsty or another physiological need occurs, the adult wakes up to satisfy it.

The same thing happens with a newborn child. If he is comfortable, he immediately falls asleep. Parents may not notice the second awakening. Upon waking up, the child may feel:

thirsty;
hunger;
wet diapers;
the need to change position;
overheating, stuffiness.

The faster the problem is resolved, the better the baby will fall asleep. It is important not to start playing with the child and not to delay hygiene procedures. Otherwise, the baby will begin to confuse day with night, which will cause a lot of inconvenience for him and his parents.

Similar “checks” occur between cycles. Since in newborns their number reaches 13-15, there can be about the same number of night rises.

Remember! From 3 months, the baby’s phases alternate less frequently.

Day and night sleep

A one-year-old child needs to sleep about 14 hours a day.
By the age of 2, this indicator will decrease by only 1 hour. This is the total duration, which includes an 11-hour night's rest. He usually makes up the missing time by sleeping during the day. Note that at 1 year old the baby still feels the need to go to bed twice during the day. But by the age of 1.5 years, his body is sufficiently prepared to restore strength in one episode. This regime is established until 4 or 5 years. For older children, night time is enough for proper rest. The transition period from 2 naps to 1 nap a day can be extremely difficult. To make it softer, pediatricians advise alternating days with 2-time and one-time rest.

In addition, it is recommended to take into account the time of going to bed at night. For example, if the baby rested only once during the day, it is advisable to put him to bed in the evening a little earlier than usual. Then the child’s well-being will not suffer, and he will not be capricious because he did not get enough sleep.

From one and a half to 2 years, the duration of night sleep in children should be approximately 10-11 hours. A one-time rest after lunch for 2 hours will help restore strength during the day. However, there are also children who still feel the need for 2 short episodes. There is no need to fight this, since this is a variant of the norm.

At the age of 2-3 years, a child needs to sleep about 11 hours at night. But that is not all. During the day you should also rest for at least 1.5-2 hours.

Many children of this age go to bed between 19.00 and 21.00. They usually wake up from 6.30 to 8.00. At first glance, it is very similar to the daily routine of an adult. However, in a child under 4 years of age, most of the sleep occurs in rapid phases. His stages of sleep change more often, and accordingly, there will be more awakenings in the middle of the night

Therefore, it is very important that the baby learns to fall asleep independently. Then your vacation will be truly complete

Sleep chart for a child up to one year old

To make it easier to perceive information about a newborn’s sleep norms by month, the data is summarized in the table:

Current month of life	Duration of sleep, hours
Current month of life	during the day	at night
First	Up to 22 per day, no division into day/night rest
Second	up to 8	to 10
Third	5,5 — 6	until 11
Fourth	4 — 6	until 11
Fifth	3,5-5,5	up to 12
Sixth	3-4,5	up to 12
Seventh	3-4	10-12
Eighth	3	10-12
Ninth – tenth	2-3	10,5-12
Eleventh – twelfth	2-2,5	11-12

Attention! The table shows the daily routine of a newborn by month in general terms; you should not worry if the child’s rest and wakefulness times are out of line with the average. The main sign that the regime is correct is the baby’s normal behavior, good appetite and mood.

Baby's sleep by month: sleep chart for a baby up to one year old