What is considered normal baby sleep today is obscured by many myths and opinions. Many mothers are convinced that their child should wake up frequently at night (5-6-10 times). Frequent long-term waking has many negative impacts on the health of both you and your child, as well as on the functioning of the family. Research indicates that quality sleep with as few interruptions as possible is extremely important for children and adults for their proper physical, psychological, and cognitive development, and overall brain development (1,2,3,4,17).
In my work, I don’t like extremes. Night care for a baby is undoubtedly part of parenting. It’s part of the “package” we get along with our baby. Night breastfeeding has many benefits and is not just about hunger. Babies (6+ months) and small children need parental attention, comfort, and love at night. The question is whether it needs to be so extremely frequent.
What is Normal Baby Sleep?
Based on two large studies, scientists have found that babies aged 6-18 months wake up most frequently 1-3 times. From a sleep perspective, we can consider these wake-ups as normal baby/child sleep. The table below provides information on the number of wake-ups during night sleep by age. If we look, for example, at the first row summarizing the results for children aged 3 months, we see that 50% of children wake up 2 times or less during the night and that 75% wake up 3 times or less. We also see that 9 out of 10 children wake up less than 4 times a night and that only one in 10 children aged 3 months wakes up more than 4 times.
Research Findings on Childhood Sleep Problems
Research has shown that sleep problems in childhood can lead to behavioral and emotional management issues later in life for many children (5,6,7). However, there’s no need to worry— not every child with sleep issues will face these problems in the future. Most children between the ages of 6-18 months wake up 1 to 3 times (8, 16). This does not exclude the possibility that some babies/children may start sleeping through the night even earlier. Therefore, this level of waking is typically considered normal night sleep, and if a healthy baby/child wakes up more frequently, it is likely due to some other disruption.
As with everything, the approach to sleep should not be extreme on either end (early through-the-night sleep vs. waking 10 times a night is not ideal). I am convinced that a balanced approach to sleep is the best path. Research on normal night sleep supports this balanced approach. Thus, my goal is to help families with children experiencing very interrupted and short sleep through gentle sleep counseling, ensuring the whole family sleeps better according to the baby’s and child’s age, respecting their parenting style.
How to Improve infant’s and toddler’s Sleep
Many factors influence sleep:
- Sleep hygiene
- Where the child sleeps
- How the child falls asleep
- The child’s temperament
- Distribution and amount of daytime sleep
- The parents’ psychological state and mood (family situation)
- The relationship between the baby and the mother
- Health, allergies, and many others
Solutions are therefore varied and require careful analysis. It is very important for us as parents to have appropriate expectations regarding our baby’s sleep according to their age. At the same time, it is essential not to underestimate our child’s sleep abilities and to trust them. Of course, it is important to remember periods of sleep regression or deteriorated sleep due to illness or discomfort. They are still children, not machines.