Although newborns have a penchant for sleeping up to 16 -18 hours a day, they do it in short bursts around the clock (luckily, the mother’s sleep hormones are programmed to match the newborn’s sleep pattern, giving her a chance to rest). They also take several naps during the daytime. Eventually, after 3 to 6 months your child will start sleeping at night continuously for 6-8 hours, dropping most of his night feedings, and develop a regular sleep/wake pattern with fewer daytime naps. Below are some general guidelines as to how many hours of sleep the average child requires at various ages.

If your baby sleeps more during the day than at night, help him know the difference. During the day, allow plenty of sunlight into the house. Put your baby down for daytime naps in well-lit rooms. When he is awake during the day, interact with him as much as you can, and don’t worry about minimizing regular daytime noises like the phone, TV, or dishwasher. To induce nighttime sleepiness, install dimmers on the lights not only in your baby’s room but also in other rooms where you both spend a lot of time. Lower the lights up to two hours before bedtime in the evening to set the mood.

A parent who jumps at every squeak transmitted over the baby monitor will teach her child to wake up more often. Waiting a few minutes gives him a chance to soothe himself back to sleep. Relax the rules on diaper changes. Resist the urge to change your baby every time he wakes up — you’ll just jostle him awake even more. Instead, dress your baby in a high-quality, nighttime diaper at bedtime.