How many hours does the baby have to sleep? 2026

Doubts are inevitable when we talk about sleeping and the baby: is it normal for him to wake up so much? Why are baby's naps so short? Don't worry, they have just come into the world and are learning to sleep, eat... You just have to know this adaptation process so that they sleep peacefully... and so do we!

All babies sleep in their mothers' wombs. At birth, their rhythms are not marked, since the secretion of melatonin (a hormone that induces sleep) is very low and continuous, that is, it does not appear at night and disappear during the day as in adults. Until 4-8 weeks the baby does not acquire an adequate day-night rhythm. To help you modify your habits, without forcing your natural rhythm, it is advisable to:

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• During the day, especially in the morning, expose him to natural light as much as possible with walks, light through windows, etc. At the end of the day, try to ensure that it receives less light. Always carry out your daily routines and care at the same time. The ideal is to give it a relaxing bath in the late afternoon.
• At night, when he wakes up, wait a little before offering him the breast, to prevent him from associating waking up with feeding. Make sure that night shots are quiet, without light or with as little light as possible.

Do they sleep all night straight?

The newborn has a sleep rhythm marked by feeding and wakes up approximately every two or three hours. In the second trimester he gradually acquires some habits and usually takes a nap in the morning, another in the afternoon and has a long night's sleep of four to five hours. From 6 months onwards, you can start sleeping through the night, as long as we understand the whole night as five or six hours, and on the baby's schedule. That is why it is good for parents to adapt their rest hours to the rhythms of their little one so as not to become exhausted.

Do I have to listen to him when he protests?

When a baby protests, it is always for something, even if he complains to us ten times in one night. He may have a tummy ache or a dirty diaper, or he may simply feel alone. It is not good to let him cry without consolation until he falls asleep from pure exhaustion. He will not understand what is happening and will feel abandoned and insecure. You have to go to his side, reassure him and check that nothing important is happening to him.

What if he only falls asleep in your arms?

In general, up to 3 or 4 months sleep problems do not occur due to using extra aids to start it. The problem can appear when, from that age onwards, father and mother believe that they should put the baby to sleep and to do so they resort to their arms. In reality, you don't have to put him to sleep, but rather provide him with the appropriate place and environment. You can rock the baby to provide security, but leaving him in his crib before he falls asleep completely.

Sometimes, the baby gets used to arms because in his first months he has suffered from colic. He has been cared for every time he cried, so he has not learned to fall asleep at night or to be alone during the day. Over time, the colic disappears, but the baby's behavior remains. Nothing happens, nor is there any need to be alarmed. The main thing is to convey peace of mind and security to the little one. We will have to start by getting him used to being alone for short periods of time during the day (with familiar lights and sounds) and once this is achieved, the problem at night can be treated.

Sleep with the baby

Practicing co-sleeping is a custom increasingly defended by pediatricians and child psychologists. Have you tried it at home? Do it as an experiment to see what happens. You are going to have the pleasant surprise of finally eradicating your "insomnia."

During the day, when your baby is most relaxed is when you hold him in your arms and snuggle him against your chest. It is logical: he is no longer inside you but he needs to have you close to feel safe and protected. The problem comes at night: you put him in the crib and he takes a long time to fall asleep, or he has a restless sleep, or he wakes up countless times.

No, don't think that he doesn't know how to sleep, the only thing that happens to him is that he lacks you. Lie down with him, wrap your arms around him, sing him a soft lullaby and doesn't he fall asleep in a matter of seconds? You just found the solution to your "insomnia."

Many more advantages than you thought

«Many parents believe that when they sleep with their child they will not be able to sleep a wink and when they try it they discover that just the opposite happens: since the child sleeps more peacefully, they do not have to get up in the middle of the night and they also rest better. As for the benefits for the child, they are almost innumerable," says psychopediatrician Rosa Jové, author of the book Sleeping without Tears (Ed. La Esfera de los Libros).

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Advisor: Dr Gonzalo Pin, pediatrician, medical director of the Children's Sleep Unit of the Quirón clinic, in Valencia and Rosa Jové, psychopediatrician.