When infants are 6-8 weeks old they will start to have more sleep at night, and less during the day. Their circadian system is starting to become entrained by the environmental light / dark cues.
By 6 months of age, 70-80% of babies are capable of sleeping 5-6 hours at a stretch in the night. Remember though, just like adults, babies will wake 4 to 5 times a night, at the end of each sleep cycle. This is when they may have difficulty returning to sleep on their own and call out to you.
Here’s how an infant’s sleep needs change over the first years:
– Newborns sleep 16-20 hours total
– 3-6 mos olds sleep 12-15 hours total
– 6-9 mos olds sleep 11.5-15 hours total
– 9-12 mos olds sleep 11-14 hours total
– 12-36 mos olds sleep 12-13 hours total