{"id":4209,"date":"2021-05-28T17:17:28","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T14:17:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/invidyo.com\/blog?p=4209"},"modified":"2021-05-28T17:17:28","modified_gmt":"2021-05-28T14:17:28","slug":"sleep-in-babies-guide-first-time-moms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/invidyo.com\/blog\/en\/sleep-in-babies-guide-first-time-moms","title":{"rendered":"Sleep in Babies: A Definitive Guide for First Time Moms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Babies seem to do a lot of sleeping, don’t they? <\/span>They have a simple life, and sleep is a major part of it.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

If only sleep in babies was as simple to figure out..<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

This article will be your bible when it comes to understanding sleep in babies. <\/span>We will cover anything and everything that involves sleep, so both you and your little can snooze away!<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Why Does Your Baby Need Sleep?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

To explain simply, your baby needs sleep because at this age, their body is always changing. <\/span>And similar to adults, the body does the restoration and healing best in the state of sleep. <\/span>Your baby is doing all their growing and development in their sleep!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

According to <\/span><\/span><\/span>research,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> babies spend up to 50% in dream or memory boosting REM (rapid eye movement), as compared to adults who spend only 15%.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Your baby needs more REM sleep because they have to process everything they are learning. <\/span>Their little brains get full of the new information they are constantly getting, and they have to sleep to retain that information.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This should explain to you why your baby needs to have frequent naps as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Stages of Newborn Sleep<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

When it comes to stages of sleep, a newborn sleeps differently than adults.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Here are the <\/span><\/span><\/span>stages of newborn sleep<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> :<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Stage 1: Drowsiness in Newborns<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

This is when the baby is on the verge of falling asleep.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Stage 2: REM Sleep in Newborns\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Also known as active sleep, this is when babies tend to twitch or jerk their arms or legs. <\/span>You will also notice their eyes moving under their eyelids.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes in this stage, infants may stop breathing for 5-10 seconds. <\/span>While this may sound alarming, it is relatively common and they grow out of it by the age of 5-6 months.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Stage 3: Light Sleep in Newborns<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

This is the lesser active stage of sleep and breathing is more consistent.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Stage 4: Non-REM Sleep in Newborns\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

This stage is when the infant is in their deepest sleep. <\/span>This is when twitching stops and jerking stops, and the baby can sleep through most inactivity.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Once the baby goes through these 4 stages of falling asleep, they will go back to stage 3, 2 and 1.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This is how the baby drifts from light sleep to deep sleep, and they go through this cycle several times the entire time they are sleeping.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the first couple of months, babies may awaken as they drift from deep sleep to light sleep because it is something they need to learn how to adjust to.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How Do Sleep Cycles Progress as a Baby Grows?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

As a baby grows, they will experience some changes in their sleep cycles.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Age of 1 to 3 Months<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Between the ages of 1 to 3 months, babies sleep for at least <\/span><\/span><\/span>16 hours<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> in the span of 24 hours.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

At this age, their bodies have not quite adjusted to day and night timings, and their sleep cycle lasts for an average of 40 minutes.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This is why babies wake up frequently in the night time, and need to be settled for their next cycle.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Age 3 to 6 Months<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Between the ages of 3 to 6 months, babies still need around 16 hours of sleep but they will be sleeping more in the night time and may only wake up once.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Their day time naps also start lasting longer, and are as frequent as 3-4 times in a day.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Age 6 to 12 Months<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

As the baby gets older, they will need around 14 hours of sleep in the span of 24 hours.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Past the age of 6 months is when baby starts to sleep most throughout the night. <\/span>This is also when their sleep cycles are similar to those of adults which explains why they sleep longer at night.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The frequency of day time naps is also less, and they will nap 2 times in the day.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Between the ages of 6 to 12 months, babies have a relative adjusted sleeping pattern and require minimal assistance to be settled, even if they wake up in the middle of the night.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How Much REM Sleep Do Babies Get?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

Newborn babies get up to 9 hours of REM sleep every day. <\/span>Babies also go right into REM sleep which is the second stage of their sleep cycle.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This is because their brains need to process a lot of information since everything is new to them.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How Long Does it Take for Baby to Fall into a Deep Sleep?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

It can take as long as <\/span><\/span><\/span>20 minutes<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> for baby to fall into a deep sleep.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This explains why babies sometimes wake up 5 to 15 minutes after falling asleep, because they haven’t entered the deep sleep stage.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How Do You Know When Baby is in Deep Sleep?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Deep sleep is the fourth stage of a baby’s sleep cycle.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You will know your baby is in deep sleep when they are super quiet and not moving. <\/span>When babies are in deep sleep, they can also sleep through most noise and activity.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This stage is also known as \u201cnon-REM\u201d sleep, so you can notice that their eyes are not moving behind closed eyelids.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How do I get My Baby to Sleep Through a Sleep Cycle?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

By teaching your baby to sleep through a sleep cycle, you want to make sure that they are taking at least 60-90 minute naps.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You can only begin to teach your baby to have longer sleep cycles when they are at least 6 months of age because before 6 months, their sleep cycles are <\/span><\/span><\/span>not as pronounced.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Here is how you can teach them to sleep through a sleep cycle:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n