Life
Looking back, I honestly think the only way I made it through the first months of having an infant was ingesting copious amounts of coffee. As someone who loves her sleep more than she should admit, I spent many nights counting down to the day when my little one would reach the sleep milestones a baby reaches in their first year. I'm not going to even pretend like I wasn't holding out for the big one: the glorious day when my son would finally sleep through the whole night. But since that one takes some time, I was thankful to have a few other nighttime wins along the way.
Throughout the first year of life, your baby will experience plenty of milestones, many of which you will scramble to catch on camera for prosperity. And no doubt you will be by their side, cheering them on as they eat their first spoonful of banana puree and take their first cruise around the living room on hands and knees. But sleep milestones are extra special, because it means more snoozing and predictable schedules for you. Once you see these five sleep milestones your little one will experience in the first year, you can start marking your calendar for what you have to look forward to.
1
They Drop Night Feedings
Weaning my kids off night feedings was something I looked forward to, because I knew that meant more sleep was right around the corner. But timing is everything with this one, because if your baby's not ready, the weaning won't work. The prime time to drop night feedings is around six months, according to Baby Center. At this point, most babies can sleep roughly six hours without eating and be totally good to go.
2
They Sleep Through The Night
Depending on how you define "sleeping through the night," your baby can start going the distance sooner than you may realize. As the website for Parents magazine pointed out, babies can sleep eight hours straight around six months old. However, this may be delayed for breastfed babies who can require more frequent feedings, causing them to wake more often.
3
They Sleep On Their Tummy
Although it is always recommended to place a baby to sleep on her back, Parenting magazine noted that she'll start to roll over during the night at a certain point. This happens once the baby is strong enough to perform this cool trick, which is typically six months old. The good news is the peek risk time for SIDS has significantly dropped, since you can't control what you baby does while she's snoozing.
4
They Go Through A Sleep Regression
I know you don't want to hear this, but it's only fair to warn you. Around the four month mark, the Baby Sleep Site noted that many babies go through a period of sleep regression. This means they will change their sleep patterns and could wake more throughout the night. But find hope in the fact that this phase is only temporary and won't last forever.
5
They Consolidate Naps
According to Baby Center, you little one should start a solid routine of two naps a day around nine months old. This means you can wave good bye to all those little cat naps and baby dosing off while you stroll through the store. This is the point your baby start to develop a more consistent daytime sleep routine.
