Night wakings and normal sleep development

Newborns sleep in short periods around the clock. Gradually, sleep consolidates into longer nighttime stretches, but this process varies widely between children.¹ By 6 months of age most infants sleep for longer periods at night, but night wakings are still very common.²

Research shows that a majority of infants wake at least once per night at 6–12 months of age. Many wake 2–4 times.² "Sleeping through the night" is often defined in research as 5 hours of continuous sleep, not the 8–12 hours many parents expect.³

Infant sleep architecture differs from that of adults. Infants have shorter sleep cycles (about 45–50 minutes compared with 90 minutes in adults) and spend a larger proportion of sleep in active sleep (equivalent to REM sleep).⁴ During active sleep the child is more easily woken. Brief awakenings between sleep cycles are entirely normal. Even adults wake briefly between cycles but usually fall back asleep without remembering. Infants sometimes need help falling back asleep at these transitions.¹

Initially, infants wake mainly because they are hungry, which is completely normal and necessary. As the child grows older, frequent night wakings are more often about waking between sleep cycles and not managing to fall back asleep independently.⁵ If the child needs help to fall back asleep – for instance through feeding, being rocked or other support – that is perfectly fine as long as the family does not experience it as a problem.² But if frequent wakings negatively affect the child's daytime wellbeing or the family's health, it may be worth reviewing the sleep situation.