How much sleep is enough?

How much sleep is enough?

Many parents ask how much is enough sleep for their little ones.  This is like asking how long is a piece of string?  It is an individual thing and is best worked out by watching your baby.

Watch your baby

How much sleep your baby needs changes as they mature and is different from person (baby) to person.  A newborn generally requires much more sleep than a six month old and a twelve month old generally more than a 2 year old.  Some babies never seem to “need “ a lot of sleep.  Other babies seem to need quite a lot of sleep.  The important point is to go by your baby and what he or she needs.

Sleep Cycles

Remembering our sleep cycles, if your baby has one cycle of sleep and wakes up and is happy, then that may be enough sleep for that cycle.  If your baby wakes up after one cycle and is crying, cranky and unhappy, then we would think your baby probably needs more sleep. 

 Unless you think your baby needs a feed, nappy change, is hot or cold or has wind, if your baby wakes up crying and it has only been a short cycle, we would think that more than likely your baby needs more sleep.

If your baby is overtired , you will probably have to help your baby off to sleep again.  Babies who know how to self settle may not need to be helped to sleep.  They may simply need to be given the environment and opportunity for sleep.  This may mean back in the cot, give a pat to help them off to sleep or rock the pram etc. or just let them know you are there and that it is sleep time.

There is not one answer

As with all aspects of baby care, there is not a black and white, one answer for everyone.  Babies are individual and there are many solutions to the one problem.  The trick is to find the solution for you.

If you are struggling with working this out, call us, book a time to talk and we may be able to help you work out what will work the best for you. insyncwithinfants.com