Baby Sleep Schedule by Month: Naps, Night Sleep and Safe Sleep (Video)

Transcript

Did you know babies need up to 17 hours of sleep a day?

Did you know babies need up to 17 hours of sleep a day?

Safe Sleep First

Did you know babies need up to 17 hours of sleep a day? Let’s explore how to keep them safe while they rest.

Why Sleep Matters

Safe sleep comes first, then the schedule is mostly about how long a baby can stay happily awake. A newborn manages just 45 to 60 minutes, while a nine-month-old can stay up for about three hours. Total sleep drops from 14-17 hours at birth to 12-16 hours by the first birthday.

At a Glance

Remember these basics: always place baby flat on the back, never on the side or tummy. Use a firm, flat mattress with just a fitted sheet, no pillows, blankets, or toys. Keep the cot in your room for at least the first six months.

Unbending Sleep Rules

These rules don’t bend. Lay baby on their back with feet touching the foot of the cot so they can’t slip under a cover. The mattress should be firm, flat, and fit the cot with no gap wider than two fingers. Keep the room between 16 and 20 degrees Celsius, and check warmth at the back of the neck, not the hands.

Bare cot, flat back, own space. Everything else is a preference.

Sleep Schedule by Month

Most babies fit somewhere in this chart. Newborns sleep in short bursts of two to four hours around the clock because they need to feed. By two to three months they start to settle into one- to one-and-a-half-hour awake windows, with four to five naps a day. At four to five months the awake window stretches to one and a half to two and a half hours and naps drop to three or four. By six to eight months many babies are taking two to three longer naps, and total sleep settles between twelve and sixteen hours a day.

Bedtime Routine 6-8 Weeks

A consistent routine works best. About thirty minutes before sleep, dim the lights and turn off the TV. Give a warm bath or a quick top-and-tail wash, full baths only a few times a week. Change the nappy, dress in sleep clothes, maybe a gentle massage if baby likes it, then feed in a quiet, dim room. If you miss a step, just do the last two and put baby down; one night off won’t reset anything.

Traditional Practices

Many families rock babies in a cloth jholi or jhula, and some still use a mustard-seed pillow for a ‘round head’. Rocking is fine while you’re watching and the baby is awake or just drifting off, but once asleep move them to a flat cot. Any pillow, even a soft one, is a suffocation risk for infants under one year.

Sleep Training Basics

Sleep training simply means teaching baby to fall asleep without being fed or rocked all the way. It’s a personal choice, not a requirement. Some parents use gentle methods like sitting beside the cot or timed check-ins; others skip training entirely. Most doctors suggest waiting until at least six months and until the baby is growing well. Never leave a sick baby to cry for long, and never train a baby who is unwell.

Myth: Propped for Cold

The idea that a baby with a cold or reflux should sleep propped up is the most dangerous myth here. A propped or tilted baby can slip into a curled position or roll onto a pillow, increasing suffocation risk. Back-sleeping remains safe, healthy babies protect their airway when they spit up. If the nose is blocked, clear it with a gentle saline solution before sleep, and hold the baby upright while they’re awake.

When to Call Doctor

Seek immediate medical help if your baby feels floppy, is unusually hard to wake, stops breathing for twenty seconds or more, or turns blue or grey around the lips. Also call if they breathe fast, grunt, have a fit, or have any fever under three months. For less urgent concerns, snoring with pauses, excessive sleep, fewer than six wet diapers a day, or sleep problems with poor weight gain, schedule a doctor’s visit soon.

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Read the full guide

For the full guide, with every detail and answers to common questions, visit thecareonline.com. You'll find more short videos like this one on our YouTube channel. This is general information, not medical advice, so check with your doctor about your own situation.