Many new parents either do not know much about the patterns of an infant, or have heard too many horror stories and worry their child will be fighting sleep forever more. Here are afew things to think about when you are working to get your newborn to sleep (so you have afew minutes of sleep too!).

A newborn may sleep as much as 16 hours a day (or even more), often in stretches of 3 to 4 hours at a time. And like the sleep all of us experience, babies have different phases of sleep: drowsiness, REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, light sleep, deep sleep, and very deep sleep. As babies grow, their periods of wakefulness increase.

*** My son and daughter both were on two hour feeding schedules until about 3 months of age. I did not sleep much the first month with either. :)

Establishing a routine right from the beginning can be helpful. How we sleep is based in large part on habit and what our bodies use as the signals that it is time to sleep.

*** I did this with both children, or attempted to. My son got away more with sleeping with mom or dad on our chest though, and you will quickly learn when they put on more weight - its not the most comfortable way to sleep!

You can help adjust your baby's body clock toward sleeping at night by avoiding stimulation during nighttime feedings and diaper changes. Try to keep the lights low, and resist the urge to play or talk with your baby. This will reinforce the message that nighttime is for sleeping.

*** I tried this more with my second (last year) since I remember how hard it was getting used to sleep schedules with a newborn (my son born in 02) when I went back to work, and worked the night shift and took care of him during the day. The most important thing is a sleep routine!

By 2 months most babies are sleeping 6 to 8 hours through the night. If your baby isn't sleeping through the night by 4 months, talk with your baby's doctor about how you can help this to happen.


*** With my son, he never slept "through the night" (most consider 6hrs at a time) until he was about 3 months old, with my little girl she started sleeping 10/hrs a night when she was 5 weeks old! Amazes me still, but with some discipline - no matter how tired you are - it can be done. :)

Right now my baby is sleeping almost six hours at a clip. I still feel wore out, but compared to the first week or two, I feel alot better. I am not breastfeeding anymore, and he is doing just fine. I spoke with my Aunt today that has her baby girl who is 9 months and my baby cousin is 20lbs, I think that is small, is it? My baby seems huge now, so I am not really too sure. :confused:

Right now my baby is sleeping almost six hours at a clip. I still feel wore out, but compared to the first week or two, I feel alot better. I am not breastfeeding anymore, and he is doing just fine. I spoke with my Aunt today that has her baby girl who is 9 months and my baby cousin is 20lbs, I think that is small, is it? My baby seems huge now, so I am not really too sure. :confused:

There's such a huge variation in the weight of babies, kiico. From what I've read, the range for a 9 month old is between 15.6 lbs- 24.0 lbs in weight. Height range was between 26 inches and 29.9 inches. It sounds to me that the baby's just about right for its age then weight-wise. :)

Casting my mind back though to when my son was a baby and attending baby clinics, there was always noticeable differences between all the kids that were born at the same time. One lad (not mine) grew up to be over six feet tall by the time he was twelve and next to him, my son always looked way too small to me. As long as the children are happy and healthy, that's what matters I think anyway, more so than what a chart or tape measure says. :)

I was lucky with mine regarding sleep, he slept through the night within three months, even though it felt like a lifetime then! The one bit of advice I'd give you if you don't mind is sleep when they sleep if at all possible. Leave the housework etc, even if it's the middle of the day, and go to sleep too. If you can get your sleep, everything else you'll be able to handle miles better than if you're not rested. There's nothing more exhausting than an extended period with a lack of sleep, that's for sure. I wish you lots of luck with your baby, kiico. Nice to meet you! :)