These are your child’s sleep rhythms by age

Baby

Sleep, sleep and sleep again: a baby likes nothing better. On average, he sleeps about fourteen to twenty-four hours a day and in between he wakes up for his food.

In the beginning, your baby is completely unaware of the difference between day and night. Usually this starts at about ten or twelve weeks. The sleep in the evening and night becomes deeper and longer – but you cannot call it (unfortunately) sleeping throught.

When does your baby sleep through?

Your baby will still wake up hungry because he needs his nighttime food. To avoid breaking yourself up for getting out of bed, consider co-sleeping. Your child will then lie in a special crib or crib next to your own bed, so you don’t have to get out at night to feed or reassure him.

About seven out of ten babies sleep through the night as soon as they are six months old – and we’re talking five consecutive hours. But don’t be blind to these figures. Every child is different, so it may well be that yours sleep through earlier or a little later. If it is difficult, you can try sleep training.

Also read:
What are normal bed times for children? >

What if your baby is sleeping restlessly?

Your baby may be a restless sleeper – from birth or after a few weeks. For example, he cries a lot or keeps himself awake because he kicks off the blankets, for example. Or he is too cold or too hot. Always check the temperature of your child and work with layers: if it is too hot, you remove one layer (garment, sheet, etc.). Is your baby in a sleeping bag? Then take the TOG value into account.

If your baby is sleeping restlessly, it can help to swaddle him. You then safely wrap it in a special swaddle cloth or bag, but you can also use a hydrophilic diaper, for example. Swaddling helps a baby to calm down for the first weeks or months, making it easier for him to fall asleep. Most babies eventually cry less and sleep better, which helps you build a healthy sleep rhythm.

Another tip: try white noise. This is a monotonous sound that calms many babies – compare it to a vacuum cleaner or rotating fan. Doesn’t sound great to you, but your baby associates it with the sound they heard in the womb and calms it down.

If the night feeding is no longer necessary and your baby has discovered how he sleeps through the nights, then the flag can fly. One-year-old children sleep an average of eight to nine consecutive hours. Keep in mind that your child can always go to sleep more restless at a certain time, for example if he starts dreaming or learns new things during the day and is therefore a bit more stimulated.

Toddlers and toddlers

Once your child is a toddler, he will sleep for about ten to twelve hours at night. Although that is quite long, he usually also takes a nap during the day.
How long that afternoon nap lasts varies enormously per child. One is awake after an hour, the other is not burned out of bed after three hours. This can also be different from day to day – perhaps your toddler refuses to sleep once or you are on the road and sleeps less than usual.

Did you know that the afternoon nap is very important? When your child gets tired, he usually sleeps less well at night. So try not to skip that afternoon nap, if possible. Most children need less and less daytime sleep between the ages of two and three.

Also read:
‘My two-year-old son is still not sleeping through’>

From the age of four

The older your child gets, the less sleep he or she needs. Four-year-olds usually still sleep around noon, but if your child is about nine, it is ‘only’ ten hours.

Research shows that for most children there is no difference between sleep during the week and during the weekend. Try to have regular bed times regardless of the day of the week. Do not allow bedtimes to deviate by more than an hour and a half during the holidays. Here you can read some great tips to get your child back into their normal sleep rhythm after the holidays.

Is your child standing next to your bed much earlier in the morning than you would like? Here you will find tips on how to let your child lie down longer. You can also teach him when it is time to get up with a sleep trainer.

Source: Netherlands Youth Health Center