Excessive Sleeping in Infants

There are several different ways excessive sleeping in infants can be interpreted. Many people believe it can be a sign of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), but in reality, many healthy infants do sleep a lot during the first few weeks of life. It is important to identify why your baby is sleeping so much and whether it is cause for concern or simply part of the normal growth process.

  1. Defining Normal Sleep

    • Typically, newborns sleep up to 20 hours a day. They are awake for short periods of time to eat, but otherwise are sleeping to enhance the growth process. As long as they adapt to a regular feeding and sleeping routine, this is little cause for concern. However, if you happen to notice the infant is unable to stay awake to feed properly, contact your pediatrician to find out what can be done to remedy the situation.

    Individual Internal Clocks

    • Babies have their own internal clocks, which are different from adults, for the first few months of their lives. This causes them to eat and sleep irregularly until they learn to adjust to a regular routine. It is considered normal to have a baby who sleeps during the day and wakes during the night. As a parent, you'll need to exercise some patience during this period of adjustment.

    Keeping Baby Comfortable

    • A baby can also sleep excessively when he is tightly swaddled. When in the womb, babies are in tight quarters and sleep comfortably when tightly wrapped and kept warm. An infant's temperature inside the uterus is about 98 degrees, so it is a good idea to keep baby's room a little warmer than the rest of the house. This will allow the infant to get the amount of sleep he needs, even if it may seem excessive to you.

    Infant Illness

    • An infant can also sleep excessively because she is suffering from a childhood illness. One of the most common afflictions infants suffer from is ear infections, which can cause extreme discomfort. Excessive sleepiness can result from the infection and fever. The infant's pediatrician should be consulted for further assistance with an ear or other type of infection.

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