When Do Newborns Stop Sleeping All the Time?

Newborns seem to sleep all the time and not at all. Newborns' sleep cycles are much shorter than an adult's and occur in a fairly regular round-the-clock-pattern. Your infant will still require lots of sleep as she gets older, but you'll find that she'll start sleeping in longer chunks of time, hopefully mostly at night.

  1. Newborn

    • Newborns tend to sleep most of the day and night, waking every two to three hours to be fed and changed. A newborn has a tiny stomach and digests food quickly, so she must be fed more often than older babies. Newborns sleep up to 18 hours a day -- about 75 percent of a 24-hour period. A newborn's sleep cycle may seem short during the night when parents want to sleep, and yet, far too long during the day when parents would like some interaction with their baby.

    Age 2 to 6 Months

    • As your baby grows and develops, she'll move from the newborn stage of mostly sleeping and eating, to staying awake and interacting more regularly. You'll also see her start to sort out her days and nights and spend the bulk of her sleep hours at nighttime. Babies ages 2 to 6 months generally sleep for a total of 14 to 16 hours a day, or between 58 and 67 percent of the time. This sleep time is generally shared between 9 to 10 hours at night and 4 to 5 hours over two to three naps.

    Age 6 to 12 Months

    • Your baby is now way past the newborn stage, but still requires plenty of daytime sleep. She will probably sleep around 14 hours a day, or 58 percent of the time. She'll spend between 10 to 12 hours sleeping a night, but will still need 2 to 4 hours of daytime sleep over two to three naps a day. You'll still be spending lots of your daytime hours getting your baby to sleep, but she'll also be much more interactive when she is awake.

    Age 12 to 18 Months

    • Your tiny newborn is suddenly a toddler and her sleep has certainly changed. She is no longer sleeping all day like your newborn did. In fact, you may find yourself anxiously awaiting nap time to get a short break from being the parent of an active toddler. At 12 to 18 months old, your child will probably sleep a total of 13 to 14 hours, or between 54 to 58 percent of the time, with 11 to 12 of those hours at night and only 2 to 3 hours during the day spread over one to two naps.

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