Differences in babies' sleep

This page is part of a collection of short articles called Brief & simple, which together make up a quick summary of The Possums Sleep Program in plain language. For comprehensive information and support, please go to The essentials section of The Possums Sleep Program, and begin to work your way through the program's online text and videos.

Some babies need a lot of sleep. But only nine hours sleep total in 24 hours is normal for other babies, even as newborns. And the amount of sleep your baby needs decreases throughout the first year of your baby's life.

Don't worry about 'sleep windows', or advice to 'catch the first tired signs' or 'make sure your baby doesn't stay awake too long' - these ideas can be very unhelpful! Your baby's sleep needs are unique and tend to change a lot.

It's important to know how much baby sleep needs vary, because often we expect our baby to be asleep for longer than they need - which can cause them to wake excessively at night. Too much sleep during the day eventually disrupts your baby's body clock and sleep patterns.

Acknowledgements

I'm grateful to Professor Sophie Havighurst, Ros June, and Caroline Ma at Mindful, The University of Melbourne, for their feedback on the articles in the Brief & simple section of The Possums Sleep Program. They helped to keep the language plain and the concepts as accessible as possible. For comprehensive information and support, please go to The essentials section of The Possums Sleep Program, and begin to work your way through the program's online text and videos.

Recommended resources

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