Talk to any new parent or caregiver, and you’re likely to hear stories of long, sleepless nights. Yes, babies bring joy and warmth to life, but they also seem to need constant attention. Cries for a midnight feeding, rocking or cuddling can lead to serious sleep deprivation.
Fortunately, there’s light at the end of the tunnel for new parents. Here’s what you need to know about when babies should start sleeping through the night.
When the average baby will sleep through the night
Most babies should be able to sleep through the night by the age of 6 months, according to the National Library of Medicine.
“Most healthy infants should be able to sleep eight hours or more in one stretch — without the need for feeding — between the ages of 3 and 6 months,” confirms Valerie Crabtree, sleep expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and mother of two.
Nonetheless, parents and pediatricians know that every baby is different. Dr. Mary Carol Burkhardt, a primary care pediatrician at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, adds that there is a range of ages when babies can sleep in longer stretches. She says typical healthy, full-term infants can sleep for up to six hours by 4 months of age. Most can sleep through the night between 4 and 6 months.
How to know when a baby is ready to sleep through the night
Physical and emotional readiness are two different things. Dr. Mayuri Morker, a pediatrician at Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, says some babies are physically able to sleep through the night as young as 1 month of age. That’s based on the fact that healthy infants don’t typically need nighttime feeding after their first month. “But realistically, babies will eat at night time until 4-6 months,” she says. “After that, they should be able to sleep through the night.”
Patti Ideran, a pediatric occupational therapist at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage, agrees. She says the key to knowing whether your baby is physically ready to sleep 6-8 hours is a healthy weight. Babies have small stomachs, after all, so it’s important to make sure your little one has the capability of sleeping for hours without going hungry.
Of course, the fact that a baby is physically able to sleep through the night doesn’t mean that he or she will. Many parents and caregivers calm babies by offering milk. Ideran, who is also a mother and the author of “The CALM Baby Method: Solutions for Fussy Days and Sleepless Nights,” says, “It’s what we call sleep association. The baby thinks ‘This is how I fall asleep.’” When a young child associates nursing or bottle-feeding with sleep, the need for nighttime feedings is psychological, not physical — but it can feel like a legitimate need regardless.
Why some babies don’t sleep through the night
There are a few reasons babies wake up and cry throughout the night. They may be hungry or they’re experiencing separation anxiety. But all four medical experts say the most common cause of restless nights is that the infant hasn’t learned to self-soothe.
“We all wake up intermittently during our sleep, but it is a skill to learn to fall right back asleep,” says Burkhardt. “Babies need to learn to do this. So we recommend putting them in their cribs while they are still drowsy, not fully asleep, to practice independently falling asleep from the start.”
Crabtree says feeding, rocking or holding a baby to put them to sleep often backfires. This teaches the child that they need external help to fall asleep. “For babies who can self-soothe, they will return to sleep on their own. For those who rely on their caregiver to soothe them, they will cry out to have help returning to sleep,” she says.
“Even in early infancy, parents can establish a bedtime. This should be earlier than 8 pm, with a consistent pre-bedtime routine.”
— VALERIE CRABTREE, SLEEP EXPERT AT ST. JUDE’S CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
How parents and caregivers can help babies sleep through the night
Ideran stresses that though each baby’s temperament and developmental stage can influence sleep patterns, there are still tried-and-true ways to help your little one sleep through the night.
1. Establish a pre-bedtime routine
Experts suggest putting your baby to bed at the same time every night.
“Even in early infancy, parents can establish a bedtime,” says Crabtree. “This should be earlier than 8 pm, with a consistent pre-bedtime routine. This can include a bath, feeding, diaper change, and putting on pajamas.” A consistent routine helps children feel safe while setting up the expectation that sleep is soon to follow.
2. Create a sleep-friendly environment
Like adults, babies sleep better in a quiet, dark room. Avoid exposure to screens for at least an hour before bedtime, suggests Burkhardt. If the baby does wake up to eat in the middle of the night, keep the lights off or low during the feeding.
For safety, Crabtree says to place the baby on their back on a firm surface or crib mattress free of soft bedding or toys.
3. Put the baby to bed drowsy, not asleep
Pediatricians and sleep experts alike suggest this technique. By making sure your baby falls asleep outside your arms, you’re helping them learn to drift off to dreamland independently.
This can be tricky because many little ones fall asleep while feeding. Ideran suggests gently waking newborns before putting them in the bassinet. Establishing this routine from the very beginning guides the baby toward sleeping through the night later.
Once your baby is old enough to physically sleep through the night, Crabtree recommends moving the last feeding before a diaper change or other activity that will gently wake the child. “At the end of the bedtime routine, your baby should be drowsy but not fully asleep,” she says.
4. Stay consistent and confident
When you wake up to a wailing baby at 2 a.m., it’s normal to want to pick her up or offer him a bottle. Sleep-deprived parents naturally gravitate toward quick, easy solutions. But once your baby is physically ready to sleep through the night, and you are emotionally ready to let them, pick a routine and stick with it.
“I always talk to my moms about confidence,” says Ideran.
Morker adds that consistency is key. If you’re transitioning away from nighttime feedings, expect a bit of fussing from your baby. But when you use the same strategy each time — whether that’s letting her cry it out or gently rubbing his tummy without picking him up — the baby will start to calm down more quickly, she says.
When to be concerned if your baby isn’t sleeping through the night
“These are very challenging and frustrating situations for parents,” acknowledges Burkhardt. Fortunately, fussing at night does not usually indicate a problem. Most often, it’s a sign that your baby needs a bit more practice self-soothing.
In rare cases, sleep difficulties can indicate an underlying problem. Crabtree notes, “If parents are ensuring that their child is falling asleep on their own and they have responded consistently and minimally to cries for attention without improvement over the course of several weeks, they may want to consult with their pediatrician.”
