As a parent, you may wonder when your baby is going to get a full night’s sleep. Getting up every couple of hours to feed your baby is very tiring even though the baby sleeps often. Newborns tend to get a lot of sleep, just not when you want it. They need to feed every three to four hours and when they are hungry, they are going to let you know.

All babies have different sleep cycles, so even if you have other children the sleep patterns of all them could be different. Newborns sleep about 16 hours a day. The babies sleep a lot, but these are very staggered sleeps. The baby will wake up every few hours because they get hungry, even earlier if they are breastfed because babies digest breast milk easier. Your baby needs about eight to 12 feedings a day.

As the baby grows the sleep cycle changes a bit. They will sleep slightly less, but only by a few hours, and in bigger bulks. The baby will sleep through the night, which will make the parent’s night easier. However, around six months of age the baby could begin waking up during the night again. This will happen due to separation anxiety. Once they realize they are on their own and being transitioned into a nursery, they will begin to cry in the middle of the night or when you are putting them down to sleep. Both of these situations make getting any type of rest pointless. Once your child is comfortable again, he or she will begin sleeping through the night.

Around two years old, your child will reduce their sleep by a few hours. Their daytime sleep will get shorter, but your child is going to need a nap, possibly two short naps, during the day. The nap will probably last about two hours. Try not to let it go any longer. If they sleep too long during the day time you are going to have a hard time getting them back to sleep at night. Your child needs the nap to get through the day. You probably want your child to get this nap because a cranky baby is not a fun one to deal with. Try not to make these naps too late in the day either. This could disrupt the child’s sleep pattern and they could have a hard time going to sleep at night.

Remember, all children are different. If one child liked to take his or her nap around 2 p.m., but the other likes to go to sleep at noon, don’t fight it. Let the child sleep when they like. Just monitor them to make sure they aren’t sleeping too much during the day to help both of you get a peaceful night of sleep. However, if you notice severe disruptions in sleep patterns or inconsistent patterns, speak to your doctor.