Sleep is a developmental process and our sleep needs change throughout our lifetimes.
Newborn babies can sleep for up to 18 hours a day, however, this is usually only for 2-3 hours at a time so can include several awakenings per night, some babies only sleep for 8 hours a day and others up to 22 hours! It can take many months for a regular day-night sleep pattern to be established but over the first year of life all infant’s sleep patterns will change and it is not uncommon for babies to wake for a feed during the night throughout at least the whole of their first year of life – it is still not known why some babies sleep through the night and others wake frequently. All babies are different and this doesn’t mean they aren’t developing as expected.
Find more information in the preventing sleep problems leaflet and tips for establishing bedtime routines leaflet.
Support for dealing with night terrors and nightmares is available at Night terrors and nightmares
Sleep Scotland are a charity based in Edinburgh who provide sleep support for all children aged over 18 months living in Scotland. Find out more on the Sleep Scotland website
