Curious about when do babies sleep through the night? It’s a common question I’m asked by new parents – and I wish the answer was black and white! This article answers the most common questions parents have around sleeping through the night.
As you read on, keep in mind that while many babies start sleeping longer stretches at night around 4 months, being able to sleep through the night is a process that often takes a little time. But with the right sleep support, your baby should be well on their way to what’s considered sleeping through the night.
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What Does Sleeping Through the Night Actually Mean?
Did you that no one, babies nor adults, truly sleeps through the night? We all wake between sleep cycles throughout the night whether it is to readjust or go to the bathroom – the difference between babies and adults is that adults know how to fall back to sleep. Babies may need some extra support.
Many pediatricians, and even parents, say that if your baby sleeps between six and eight hours at a time without waking you up, they are "sleeping through the night”. For parents of babies, often “sleeping through the night” is considered when your baby doesn’t wake you up to help them fall back asleep if they wake between sleep cycles.
When Do Babies Start Sleeping Through the Night?
When your baby is around 4 months, their circadian rhythm is forming and they naturally will start to be able to sleep longer stretches at night. Somewhere between 5 and 9 months of age, they may start sleeping through the night.
However, even when you consider your baby sleeping through the night, they will still wake between sleep cycles. If your baby is not instinctively able to put themselves back to sleep when they wake, they may cry out for you to help them fall back asleep – even as they get older. But, once your baby knows how to fall asleep on their own, they will default to that when they wake up in the middle of the night, and likely won’t cry out for you (unless they need to be fed).
Some babies start sleeping through the night with just a consistent bedtime routine, optimized sleep schedule, and comfortable sleep environment.
If your baby is older than 4-months-old and over 12 pounds, you can help encourage them to sleep through the night through sleep training, which is taking a more structured approach to helping them learn to fall asleep independently.
Remember though, there are ups and downs and sometimes some brief backslides to sleeping through the night – all of which is normal and part of your baby’s healthy development.
Why Won’t My Baby Sleep Through the Night?
Another common question we’re asked: why do babies wake so often at night? There are a few possible reasons your baby may wake at night.
- Not Tired or Overtired: Your baby’s sleep timing may need to change day-to-day depending on how naps go. The proper bedtime time is proven to help your baby sleep longer stretches at night – and prevent overtiredness or under tiredness. Luckily you don’t need to guess every night you put your baby to sleep. Take this free 3-minute sleep quiz and get access to a personalized sleep schedule that tells you the exact time your baby should go to sleep so they fall asleep fast – and sleep through the night.
- Hunger: Babies are growing super-fast and need to eat often to meet their developmental milestones. If your baby is still waking up to feed at night, you can still sleep train them to help them get comfortable with falling back asleep if they wake between sleep cycles.
- Dirty Diaper: If your baby wakes and is uncomfortable due to a dirty diaper, you can change them, especially if it’s a poop. If your baby’s diaper is simply wet with urine and they don’t seem uncomfortable, you can leave it until the morning if their diaper is absorbent.
- Sleep Regression: Every few months you may notice that your baby wakes up randomly in the night or has trouble falling asleep. These are technically called “sleep regressions,” we prefer to call these periods “sleep progressions” because they coincide with your baby’s major developmental milestones. What happens is your baby learns a new skill – for example, sitting up – and this can be very exciting for them – far more exciting than sleep – and they may wake up to practice. Coping with sleep regression can be challenging but rest assured there are ways to make sleep regression periods brief.
- Nap Transition: As your baby ages and their circadian rhythm takes shape, they’ll require less naps. Sometimes your baby will drop a nap on their own. For example, around the 4-to-3 transition they may simply stop taking that final nap. Check out our article “When Do Babies Stop Napping?”
- Age: If your baby is a newborn, they are new to the world and need a bit of extra comfort throughout the night. Plus, their circadian rhythm is still forming. Also, newborns should be fed “on demand.” That is, if they wake up crying for food at night, feed them ASAP. Therefore, newborns won’t start sleeping through the night until they are at least 4-months-old.
- Separation Anxiety: It is completely normal for babies to experience separation anxiety around 6-8 months – in fact, it’s a good thing! Separation anxiety in babies shows that they’re learning object permanence: that objects and people exist even when your baby can’t see them. While this is a positive development, it can lead to some sleep disruptions.
- Teething: Babies typically begin teething between 6-12 months, starting a process that can last until they’re 2-years-old. Sometimes teething will distract your baby from falling asleep or lead to some night wakings. Rest assured there are easy ways to help a teething baby sleep, including revisiting your baby’s sleep coaching method.
When Do Babies Sleep at Night Without Feeding?
Somewhere between 5- and 9-months-old your baby may get enough nutrition during the day do they no longer need to be fed in the middle of the night. Speak to your pediatrician to see if your baby is ready to sleep through the night without feeding or go through night weaning.
Every baby is different, and some babies may manage to sleep through the night without a feed sooner, some may continue to feed in the middle of the night a little longer.
Keep in mind even if your baby is ready to drop a night feed, they may still rely on feeding to fall back asleep. This is considered a sleep association.
When Do Breastfed Babies Sleep Through the Night?
Like all babies, breastfed babies may be able to sleep through the night anywhere from when they are 5 months of age to 9 months of age, but this could vary based on many different factors.
Making sure your breastfed baby has a consistent routine, gets full feedings throughout the day, has a cozy sleep environment, and is put to bed when they are tired but not overtired can help.
If your newborn is breastfed they may wake more often than formula-fed babies to feed. Babies stop drinking formula around their first birthday, but babies can drink breast milk well into toddlerhood.
Ways to Get Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night
Some babies may need extra support to be able to sleep through the night or fall back asleep if they wake during a sleep cycle.
To get your baby to sleep through the night, first make sure their sleep fundaments are in place. Sleep fundamentals to help you baby sleep through the night include:
- consistent bedtime routine to calm your baby and get them in the mindset to settle for sleep
- biologically aligned sleep schedule so they are tired at bedtime and not overtired and go to sleep according to their natural sleep cycles
- comfortable safe sleep space, including the ideal room temperature, which is proven to help with staying asleep longer
If your baby is still struggling to sleep through the night despite their routine, schedule, and routine, you can try one of the many different approaches to sleep training to help them sleep through the night.
Benefits of sleep training for sleeping through the night:
- Aligns your baby’s sleep schedule with their natural circadian rhythm so your baby grows tired and wakes up at a rhythm that fits most closely biologically – which is proven to help them sleep for longer periods
- Removes any reliance on external factors such as feeding or rocking to fall asleep
- Improves emotional balance and linguistics – the routine aspect of sleep training is proven to help with this
- Teaches them how to fall asleep independently and stay asleep for longer periods at night
Final Thoughts
The beginning of your baby’s life is exhausting. However, once your baby starts being able to sleep longer stretches at night without waking you up, babyhood may become a bit more manageable.
Sleeping through the night is a process that your baby needs to go through. Even though they always will technically wake up throughout the night, knowing how to fall back asleep without waking you up is the goal.
There are different ways to help your baby learn to fall asleep independently, and sleep training is proven to be successful. There are many approaches to sleep training – some which involve no crying! – so even if you’re unsure if sleep training is for you, the Smart Sleep Coach app is well-versed in many approaches to sleep training, including ones that don’t involve much crying. And as we said earlier, sometimes all your baby needs is the right sleep schedule, routine, and environment to sleep through the night!
