Normal Hours of Sleep
How many hours should my baby sleep
in a day ?
According to a textbook formula, a newborn baby should sleep an average of sixteen and a
half hours a day. If your baby sleeps for just 10 hours a day or for around 23 hours,
there is no need for concern as long as your baby seems healthy in every way. The 16 ½
hours of sleep is what is expected from an average baby. This average takes into account
those babies that sleep for less than the prescribed time and those who sleep much more.
It really depends on each individual baby’s degree of wakefulness.
For how long should my baby nap in the day ?
Even after your baby begins to sleep through the night, she will require one or two naps
during the day. By the time she is a year old, a set pattern for her naps will emerge.
Some babies nap right after breakfast, mid-morning, after lunch or in the late afternoon.
Their naps can be as short as 20 minutes and as long as four hours. Napping depends on
each baby’s individual needs.
Do bottle-feed babies sleep better than breastfed ones? Breastfed newborns need
sustenance more frequently than bottle-fed babies. Breastfed babies get hungry about every
two hours which interferes with their ability to sleep through the night. Bottle-fed
babies have a four hour feeding schedule. Thus, they will probably sleep through the night
by about three months.
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