How Long Should My 12 Week Old Be Sleeping?

I had the non-sleepers so my instinct is to say enjoy it! If you are super worried you could call the pediatrics department at a hospital and ask if anything weird seems to be indicated by a lot of sleep. I have heard of babies that sleep a lot.My husband sleeps a lot and I don't. It really could be her sleep pattern. It will be interesting to see what the other moms say. When I was a young mom I was soooo jealous of all moms who said their babies slept this way. In fact everyone I talked to seemed to have perfect babies and I was the only one who was up in the middle of the night watching Dick Van Dyke reruns. Did you all know who Dick Van Dyke was? Anyway, I decided one day they were all lying to me Or maybe only fifty percent.My guess is that if there doesn't seem to be anything else wrong then maybe you shouldn't worry so much. But if there's other problems call doctor right away!~

I think it is totally normal for a baby to sleep that much at that age. I know mine did.

C., Theoretically she would still be in the womb sleeping all day so I would think that is normal for a 36 weeker. You should check with your pediatrican though. I think they would just want to make sure she is gaining weight. I would think her weight is being checked more frequently?? Otherwise they aren't concerned about how much they sleep. A.

Check out the book 'Healthy Sleep Habits Healthy Child'. It really explains this stuff. Basically babies sleep a lot and then eventually need us to encourage good habits. For a baby born early, you are suppose to base there sleep needs off the due date. If she's 4 weeks early, think of her as an 8 weeks old as far as sleep. Be ready for the transition soon when you will have to help her by encouraging sleep at the right times.

Please don't worry. My son also was 4 weeks early. He slept quite a bit for the first few months also and is down to 12 hours of sleep, mostly at night, now (almost 7 mos.). All babies are different. As long as nothing seems to be wrong, she is OK.

Hi C.,
Congratulations on your baby! I recommend the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" to answer all of your sleep question from now through your daughters high school years. There's a lot of theory in the first half of the book, so skip to the second half where it's broken up with practical information by age, and he even addresses premature birth, too. It sounds like you're very lucky, indeed, but pick up this book because you're sure to have more questions over the next several years! Good luck!

Trust your instincts...She's doing great. You are very lucky, and talking about it might jinx it. Oh and ignore all the shoulds...all babies are different, and If I listened to all the shoulds with my kids Id be a nervous wreck, which wouldnt be good for anyone. Both of mine have been totally off from what "should" be happening at each earmark, though now my son who's 2, was always behind, is now way ahead. My Daughter is now way ahead in some areas and waay behind in others, she's only 7 months though so IM not concerned. It will all happen in it;s time.

Get the fabulous book "Healthy Sleep Habits, happy baby" by Dr. Mark Weisblut. It is a great book and goes into all the different aspects of sleep. Babies vary on a full spectrum on how much sleep they need. Weisblut talks about how sleep begets sleep and is very good for little babies. he advises against allowing your new baby to be awake more than 2 hrs at a time and so that generally means that once baby has been awake an hour, you look for the signs of tiredness and then before he/she is overtired, you get them back to sleep. This means they sleep a lot in the early days. So your baby may sleep slightly more than an average but is within the ball park. The only thing you have to watch out for is that baby is getting enough to eat ie breast milk or formula. If baby sleeps a lot, then he/she may have to get wakened for feeding, if baby is not progressing weightwise but if that is okay then count yourself lucky to have a contented baby. Good luck and enjoy.

My son who is now 3, never slept as an infant and it was so draining...He was always up, but slept from 7pm-7am his whole first year. I was scared with my daughter when she was born, thinking this was going to happen again. My daughter proved me wrong...she sleeps all the time. She still does at 12 months old. She was always sleeping as a newborn, only really up to eat. Have no worries, all children are different. I considered it a blessing that my daughter was a relaxed and lazy little baby...lol. It gave me one on one time with my son and I was able to get in some naps too! Many of my friends with preterm babies, also experienced them sleeping more than usually, but they need their sleep, and so do you :)

Sounds about right. My daughter was 5 weeks early, and only now (at 17 weeks or so) is starting to fall into the three-nap-a-day pattern, also sleeping great at night. Most babies do sleep this much; you're just used to your "exceptional" one. ;)

No worries!!!

C.,

From what I've read sleeping 18 hours per day is pretty normal at that age. I think you should just appreciate how lucky you are (my daughter is more like your son). :-)

Best,
R.

I think that if she is gaining weight consistently, has wet ad poopy diapers and seems happy then you just thank your lucky stars for such an easy-going baby. And don't jinx yourself, the easy ones sometimes turn out to be the hardest!!!

Your instincts are right. Consider yourself "lucky" because next time you writein, it could very well be to get advice on "why the bottom fell out cause she stopped napping alltogether or she only sleeps 2 hours at a time during the night". It's always something with children and always well worth the little inconveniences. Have fun and get sleep while you can.

C.,
Your 12 week old should be sleeping in 4-5 hour increments. However, every child is different, by 4-6 months your child should be sleeping through the night. It should happen as the "little one" starts to eat solid food (milk and cereal etc.). I use to sprinkle a little cereal in my childrens' milk and they helped alot. Make sure you add the cereal if you think your baby is ready. You don't want them to get constipated.

All the Best,
D.

Hi C.
I too, had a baby born early - my little guy was born at 35 weeks - 5 weeks early. He slept A LOT during the first 6-8 months. My mom made a few comments about his sleeping but my ped said it was completely normal. Some babies/kids need more sleep than others. His sleep pattern sounded exactly like yours - only up for 6 hours per day - sometimes even less!
At 6 months, he slept through an entire loud Christmas party with 50 people. My baby is now 16 months and is still a WONDERFUL sleeper. He tends to need a little more than others his age but I would not worry ONE BIT. It is completely normal and yes be very thankful you have a good sleeper. :)

You instincts are correct, as mothers' instincts usually are! Babies will sleep as much as they need at this age, they're not being lazy, picky or stubborn either way (as you probably know, this comes a few months later!). You are lucky to have such a great sleeper and eater, tell your husband to be thankful!

Just a word of caution, my sister-in-law had the exact same situation - baby #1 didn't sleep well and was fussy, then turned into a great napping/sleeping toddler. Baby #2 slept all the time, just like yours, and had to be waken to eat then fall back asleep. Guess what, he's turning into a very light sleeping toddler and doesn't like naps! I hope your little one stays a great sleeper!