Hey gals! I'm sure many of you would love to be in my position, but I am a bit worried. Since my little guy was born he has been a great sleeper, we would even have to set an alarm to wake him up for feedings. He is a big guy (10 1/2 lbs at birth and has always been in the 98% for height and weight) and I heard that helps with sleeping. From the time we established a bedtime (around 3 months) he would go in his crib at 7pm and would usually wake up 1 or 2 times a night, we would bring him to bed with us, feed him, and he would always fall right back asleep. My question is this, for the last couple of weeks he has not woken up for a middle of the night feeding and is generally sleeping from 7pm-7am. So 12 hours at night, plus 2 naps a day. The morning nap is usually about an hour and the afternoon one about 2. So he is sleeping about 15 hours a day. Most of what I have read indicates 12 hours is normal for his age. Should I worry that he is oversleeping?
No!!!...at 8 months he does not need to wake in the night for a feed , I assume he is on solids aswell? 12 hrs at night plus 2 naps during the day is where he should be at.
NO!
Leave him be and go with it! It wont be like this forever...
No, don't worry a bit! Those numbers are just averages, so what each baby needs is different. Enjoy it!!
Hello Mandy-
I've been working with children for more than 16 years, as a Nanny and parent coach and babies do sleep a lot!! When a baby sleeps, their body is actually growing. I had a child who quite literally out grew his outfit during a nap!!
As for the amount of sleep an infant needs, it's between 13.75 & 14.25 hours a day, that includes night sleeping and naps. Most infants still take a morning & afternoon 2 hour nap each day until about 14-18 months old, then they transition to 1 nap a day. Most infants can sleep through the night around 4-6 months old, not needing the night time feedings.
So long story short, you son sleeping through the night & for long naps is GREAT! You will have a happy and alert baby.
Rebecca Magby
Sounds like my daughter at that age... My daughter slept 12 hours through the night by about 6 months, plus two naps. She was a big baby, too... He's good! :)
That sounds like heaven! My first daughter was the same way (she is now 5). Babies sleep patterns will often change, but as long as they are hitting normal milestones and happy then there is nothing to worry about. Enjoy it.
Anytime you worry about anything at all I would say ask your pediatrician just to be on the safe side.
I do, however, remember my oldest sleeping alot like that when he was little without waking up in the middle of the night to eat and I breast fed him till he was about a yr and 3 or 4 months old. To this day he is a good sleeper and he is 23 now. I never worried and the dr told me that different kids will all sleep differently.
That's fantastic! He's right on schedule and many parents aren't that lucky. ;-) I REALLY recommend the book called Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (by Marc Weissbluth). Here's a link to it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345486455/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0449004023&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0PY3BDZHWZ8MEY90RY9V
Skip all the data and focus on the sections that go by age. It was a God-send for us when our daughter was a baby. :-D
Yeah!!!!
That's good, he might be in a growth spurt. They tend to slow on eating during the growth period and gorge prior to.
Happy sleeping,
Darlene
Sounds totally normal.
Perfectly normal! My son did the same thing.
Definitely do not worry. That is totally normal sleeping for an 8 month old. That is how much my now 2 year old slept at that age. Just love it! He could also be growing in which case it will only last a week or two and then he will sleep less but like I said for the time being just enjoy it!
Hi Mandy,
Don't be worried. At that age they're still growing so much that sleep is a good thing. :)
One word: nope.
Children sleep at all different ranges, and my son tended to sleep more or less depending on growth spurts, teething, and other factors. If he seems happy when awake, he should be fine. My son is 5 1/2, and though he doesn't nap, he sleeps at least 12 hours/night. I have to put him to bed early to make sure he gets enough sleep before going off to school.
My daughter didn't get 12 hours at a year old. She sleeps around ten now, and is very rarely tired. Even adults need varying numbers of hours of sleep. My husband would thrive if he had ten, but I can't make myself sleep more than 7-8.
Enjoy it !!!!!!!!
My 2 boy he is a light sleeper and is hard naps no more that and hour and bed time he woke up every 4 hrs, so is a lot of work and more when a have another one 2 1/2 years old ...that when he was a baby at 3 weeks old he started sleeping for 10hrs i was worry and call the doctor and he told me this enjoy it!! He is a big guy and maybe he doesnt need to eat as much....and after that he was sleeping 12 hrs and 2 naps .....still now he sleep 12 to 14 hrs ....so i dont think is any problem with that, some babies sleep more some dont like mine now ,
so enjoy it and sleep for me....
No, you shouldn't worry. I slept through the night at 2 weeks. Be grateful you don't have to do the "make him sleep through the night because you're exhausted and can't function anymore" routine like we did with both our kids around 10 months!
Hi Mandy - your baby sounds a lot like my son. He was always a great sleeper and even now will take 3-4 hour naps after sleeping a full 11 hours at night. (He's almost 4.) As long as he is growing well (as your son obviously is) I think it's great that he's getting so much sleep. It will help him with all the developmental milestones coming up - crawling, walking, talking, etc. Plus, it probably will only last for a little while since he'll have some growth spurts coming up when he will need to wake for feedings probably. Great job mama!
No, he is not sleeping too much. My son started sleeping through the night at 3 months and my daughter at 5. This is a good thing.
I believe 12 hours is the AVERAGE number of hours of sleep, some need more, some need less. If your baby is happy when he wakes up and growing/developing well (sounds like he is) consider yourself lucky you have such a good sleeper!