Newborn Sleep: What's Normal
How babies actually sleep and why frequent waking is expected
Babies Don't Sleep Like Adults
Newborns spend about half their sleep time in active sleep, also called REM sleep. During REM sleep their eyes move behind closed lids, they make sounds, their breathing is irregular, and they twitch. This is not a sign of poor sleep. It is how baby brains are designed. Active sleep is lighter and more easily arousable than the deep sleep adults spend most of the night in. Babies enter sleep through this light phase first, they cannot go straight to deep sleep like adults can. Their sleep cycles are shorter, about an hour, and they wake more easily at every transition between cycles. This frequent arousability is a protective mechanism. A baby who wakes easily can signal if they are too cold, too hot, or having trouble breathing.
Why Babies Wake So Often
Frequent waking serves real purposes: hunger (newborn stomachs are the size of their fist), safety (light sleep makes it easier to signal distress), brain development (babies process learning during light sleep), and temperament (some babies are wired to wake more).
Sleep by Age
Here is what typical sleep looks like in the first few years. Your baby may be above or below these ranges and that is usually normal:
Why Frequent Waking Is Normal and Important
The medical definition of sleeping through the night is a five-hour stretch, not eight or twelve. Frequent waking serves real purposes. Newborn stomachs are the size of their fist and need frequent refueling. The lightness of infant sleep means the baby can signal distress more easily. There is also evidence that the active sleep babies get so much of supports brain development, it is when they process what they learned. Some babies are simply wired to wake more often than others, and that is not something you caused or can control. If your baby is still waking at 9 or 12 months, that does not mean something is wrong. It means your baby has a different sleep temperament.