There is always joy in seeing your baby for the first time. Nine months inside the womb and all the preparations seem just to have paid off once the baby arrives.
However, sometimes, your baby's cuteness does not seem to be enough to compensate for the sleepless nights.
Most of the time, babies wake up in the middle of the night or at 2 am. That is probably because they need some milk or some diaper change. It is not easy, and at some point, you will start asking yourself, "When will my baby start sleeping through the night?"
There is no plain answer to this question. That is because "sleeping through the night" is different depending on the baby.
According to experts, talking to your health provider about this could be the best option.
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Does "sleeping through the night" means no more sleepless nights?
Sleeping through the night may mean different things. For example, adults consider this as sleeping for six to nine hours. However, for babies, this does not mean uninterrupted sleep for six hours.
This term could mean that your baby is having some quality sleep that could aid in their development. Sleeping through the night could also mean that your baby might still wake up to be fed, but he or she will fall back to sleep easier.
The first three months of the baby are generally full of sleepless nights. What is normal during this stage is the unpredictable sleeping patterns of babies.
Although, the uninterrupted sleep may come to babies at around six months.
How long is the nighttime sleep duration of babies?
According to the National Sleep Foundation, most babies sleep through the night, with very few sleep intervals, by 9 months old. Although it must be noted that every baby is different, some babies could sleep for four to six hours, even though they are only a month old. Some babies, on the other hand, go through a whole year without uninterrupted sleep.
The night time sleep duration of babies tend to increase as they grow older. During the first six weeks, some babies sleep for an average of two to four hours every night. When they reach four to six months, they sleep longer at six to eight hours.
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What could be stopping babies from sleeping through the night?
Teething or gas could be some of the common reasons as to why babies cannot sleep through the night. However, there are instances where there could be an underlying problem.
Some of these problems include sleep regression. It is the time when the sleeping patterns of your baby change. During this period, your baby is often awake at night and has difficulties in going back to sleep.
You may also want to check the sleeping environment of your baby. If the place where they sleep is not conducive to sleeping, they will have a hard time sleeping through the night.
Some experts suggest that making some pre-bedtime habits can go a long way in babies' sleeping patterns.
