You’re just after giving birth, lying in bed and just hoping your baby will fall asleep during the night so you can get a few hours of sleep. You watch their eyes close and their little chests rise and fall – finally, you allow yourself to doze off too. But just like that, you are woken up by a tiny squeak from your baby’s stroller. It’s only been 15 minutes, but your previously sleepy baby is wide awake – how is that possible?

Well, a newborn’s and baby’s sleep cycles are very different from yours and it can take a little time for them to settle into a familiar sleep pattern. If you’re wondering what exactly baby sleep cycles look like, here’s a breakdown. Plus read on for tips on how the whole family can get closer to catching more than forty winks before the next diaper change and bottle.

What is a typical baby sleep cycle?

To understand your baby’s sleep cycle, you first need to understand what a typical sleep cycle looks like for you: “There are two types of sleep: REM (named for the rapid eye movement that characterizes it) and non-REM,” it says. Violet Giannone, RNpediatric sleep expert and founder Pediatric Sleep and Parenting Institute. Then for adults that sleep is further categorized into 4 to 5 different stages. The brain and body usually associate one phase with another without you realizing it.

In the first two months of life, however, infants do not experience these distinct stages of sleep and instead cycle between what is often called “active” and “quiet” sleep—the infant equivalent of REM and non-REM.

“During the active phase of sleep, which is similar to what we know as REM sleep in adults, babies tend to twitch, smile or make sucking movements,” he says. Nilong VyasMD, Board Certified Pediatrician, Sleep Coach, and Founder of Family Sleep Counseling Services Sleepless in NOLA. “(This) can be confusing for parents and they can intervene, assuming the baby needs something,” she adds.

After “active” sleep, babies will then go into “quiet” sleep. “The quiet sleep cycle, similar to our non-REM sleep cycle, is a state of deep sleep without much movement,” says Dr. Vyas. Once a baby has gone through the “active” and “quiet” sleep cycles, this will complete their sleep cycle and begin their next waking window. REM sleep starts to decrease when your baby is 3 months old, and by 6 months your baby will spend only about 30% of his sleep time in REM sleep.

It may take trial and error, but with consistency and routine, your baby’s sleep routine will become more regular.

– Nilong Vyas, MD, pediatrician and sleep coach

How your baby’s sleep cycle changes in the first year

In the first few months of life, your baby’s sleep cycles evolve very quickly, going from many short sleep cycles in a 24-hour period, to finally learning to link the sleep cycles to longer continuous periods of sleep (mostly concentrated at night) until the end. their first year.

In the newborn stage, babies sleep up to 14 or 17 hours a day according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. However, this sleep is very fragmented, usually lasting only one to two hours.

At 4 months, your baby will usually sleep about 15 hours in a 24-hour period, including four to five hours of daytime sleep and 9 to 10 at night, but as he approaches his first birthday, it will be closer 14 hourswith only three hours of sleep during the day and 11 at night.

If your baby is struggling to establish a consistent sleep routine, be sure to review her wake-up windows for signs of overstimulation.

When do babies begin to associate sleep cycles?

Most babies will begin to associate sleep cycles around 6 months of age. By the end of their first year, their sleep cycles will be more similar to adult cycles. Between six months and one year, many babies will begin to sleep through the night undisturbed, while still napping for one to two hours once or twice a day. That means fewer nighttime awakenings – hooray!

As you monitor your baby’s development and notice that sleep cycles are getting longer, there are many ways you can support your baby’s healthy sleep habits. Of course, you’ll always want to follow the AAP’s safe sleep practices and keep up with your typical bedtime routines. Being consistent about when you put your baby down for naps and bedtime, and what you do before, can help her find her way to sleep. This means that a proper relaxation routine, such as dimming the lights, reading a book and taking a warm bath, can signal to them that it’s time to rest.

The AAP also says that after six months, when your baby’s sleep cycles have matured, taking a short break before you rush to comfort them at night can give your baby enough time to fall back asleep as they connect their sleep cycles.

This may require trial and error, says Dr. Vyas, but with consistency and routine, your baby’s sleep routine will become more regular. “As parents focus on establishing a consistent schedule that includes regular meals, wake time, teaching and allowing the child to fall asleep independently, a well-developed sleep cycle will emerge with a happily rested baby.”