What to Expect: Infants

Months 1 and 2

• 10-18 hours sleep per day, a few minutes to several hours at a time.
• Learn to recognize the signs of sleepiness.
• Develop a bedtime routine that ends by putting the baby in the crib when sleepy, but not yet asleep. This helps your child learn to fall asleep by him or herself.
• Put them down on their back with their face and head clear of blankets or other soft objects.
• For longer nighttime sleep, expose the baby to light, sounds, activity, and play during daytime.

Months 3 – 11

• Need 9 to 12 hours sleep/night, plus 1 to 4 daytime naps of 30 minutes to 2 hours.
• By 6 months night feedings may not be needed.
• By 9 months he or she may sleep through the night.
• During this time babies may have separation anxiety, which is less of a problem if the baby has learned to settle herself to sleep.