Sleeping Babies
How
much does a newborn sleep? A newborn may sleep anywhere from
Why do they wake up so often? Newborns simply do not sleep in the same way as older children and adults. They spend a much higher portion of their sleep time in “light” sleep from which they’re easily aroused, and less time in very deep sleep.
This frequent waking may actually help to protect babies from SIDS.
Newborns also need to eat fairly often. Breastfed babies who are sleeping with their parents may want to nurse as much as every hour and a half. Breastfed babies sleeping in another room may need to nurse every three hours. Formula fed babies may feed every 3 to 4 hours.
Where should baby sleep? At night time, newborns may share a bed with their parents, or may sleep in a “sidecar”, cradle, or bassinet in their parents’ room, or may sleep in a crib in a separate room. Informal estimates are that about 1/3 of American children always share their parent’s bed, 1/3 occasionally sleep with parents, and 1/3 never sleep with parents. (World-wide, the majority of cultures expect babies to co-sleep in the same bed with other family members)
For naps, babies can be put down in a crib, or can sleep in whatever room their parents are in.
The important factor in where a baby sleeps is safety: a sleeping newborn should be put on his back, on a firm surface, with only a light sheet or a blanket to cover him. For more on safe sleeping, see: http://www.nd.edu/~alfac/mckenna/faq.html
Co-sleeping. Co-sleeping, or the family bed, or sleep-sharing all refer to circumstances where one or both parents sleep with the child.
How does it affect sleep patterns? Bed-sharing infants wake more frequently, spend more time in light sleep than deep sleep. They nurse twice as often (average interval: 1½ hours between feedings), for three times as long per bout. But they rarely cry, and they sleep for a longer total time than solitary sleepers. Mothers who sleep with their babies tend to get at least as much sleep as mothers who sleep without them.
Benefits for Baby: Babies are born with immature nervous systems. When an infant sleeps with an adult, the adult’s body may serve as a cue or trigger to help the baby regulate temperature, breathing, and arousal patterns.
Cautions: Babies should not co-sleep on soft mattresses, including waterbeds; infants should not sleep with an adult who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Solitary Sleeping. Refers to babies who sleep in cribs or other infant beds, typically in a separate room from their parents.
How does it affect sleep patterns? Solitary infants wake less often, and spend more time in deep sleep. (Although this sounds easier on the parents, it may be less healthy for the babies: SIDS risks seem related to babies who sleep deeply and are unable to arouse themselves.) They nurse less often during the night: average interval between feedings is 3 hours. However, the total amount of time that they (and their parents) spend sleeping per night tends to be less than babies who co-sleep. When they wake up, they may have to cry loudly or for a longer time in order to be heard, and may be harder to settle down after waking than a co-sleeping child.
Combination of co-sleeping and solitary sleeping.
Elias, et al (1986) studied the impact of night-time parenting on sleep patterns.
Some of the babies were parented as Dr. Spock recommended, with minimal night-time contact and feeding; some babies were parented as La Leche League recommends, with breastfeeding, more frequent contact, and co-sleeping.
Maximum length of a bout of sleeping: Spock-style: 6.5 hours at 2 months of age; more than 8 hours by second year of life. LLL-style: 5 hours at 2 months of age; just over five hours in second year of life. So, Spock-style had longer bouts of uninterrupted sleep.
Total sleep time (average). Spock-style: 13-14 hours a day. LLL-style: 15 hours a day at 2 months; 12.5 hours at 4 months; 11 hours a day by two years of age. So, LLL-style babies slept longer as young infants, when parents are most in need of sleep themselves.
Infant sleep studies were primarily done in the 1950’s and 60’s, when breastfeeding was at an all-time low, and formula feeding was common; it’s important to understand that infant feeding choice affects sleeping patterns.
Long-term Effects of Sleeping Location
Since many people wonder about the long-term effects of infant sleeping location on children, these effects have been examined in a few studies. Researchers have found that planned co-sleepers tend to have higher self-esteem, less anxiety, and better behavior in school. Solitary sleepers may be harder to control, have more tantrums, cope less well with stress, and may be more dependent. Reactive co-sleepers, in other words, those whose parents only took them into their beds on “bad nights” may tend to have more long-term sleep struggles, due to this inconsistency.
Compiled by Janelle Durham
Sources:
Our Babies, Ourselves, by Meredith Small. “The Anthropology of Babies”
lecture by Meredith Small,
For
more information on sharing sleep, see The Baby Book by William Sears.
Ø Home