Babies sleep a lot. This is common sense for any new parent, particularly if you’ve had a baby for a few months. In the newborn stage, they can sleep up to 17 hours a day! They’re like a cat, minus the fur and the purring.
However, your baby will sleep less with time, and by three months, your baby should be sleeping less. However, if they’re sleeping more, you may wonder the exact reason why. We’re here to help you find the answer. Is it normal to see your baby sleeping more than usual? Let’s find by reading about the sleep tips below.
How Much Sleep Does A Baby Need?
First, you should see whether or not your baby is actually sleeping more than usual and not experiencing a normal 4-month sleep regression cycle due or adjusting during sleep training. You have to remember that with babies, they can sleep a lot and don’t have a consistent sleep schedule due to their lack of circadian rhythms, biological clocks, and waking for night feeds. They can’t tell the difference between day and night, and this can cause the baby to wake up during random parts of the night long after night feedings have ended. Babies who sleep near a white noise machine used during sleep training are likely to sleep for longer periods.
A newborn typically sleeps around 8 hours at night and naps for around the same amount of hours long during the day time. They may sleep a total of about 15 and a half hours, though some newborns may sleep for even longer after night feedings.
A three-month-old sleeps for about 10 hours at night with sleep training and may nap for about five hours. So at three, the amount of time they sleep isn’t too different than a newborn once they get used to the white noise in your home.
A baby at six months starts to sleep a bit less. They’ll sleep more at night, and nap a little less, and get around 14 hours of sleep a day.
Nine months is about the same as six, with slightly less nap time.
Finally, at 12 months, your babies start sleeping even less and get around 13.75 hours of sleep.
But we can’t stress enough that sleep habits vary from baby to baby, so if they’re sleeping a bit more than what is described here, that’s nothing to be worried about.
Why Your Baby May Be Sleeping More
There are quite a few reasons why your baby may sleep more, including:
A Growth Spurt
Babies are growing quite a lot. Every month, they grow a little bigger and gain more independence. Babies have growth spurts during the first few years. These are the times when the baby’s growth and development is the most rapid. Your baby may sleep longer during a growth spurt because they need to compensate for the extra energy used during this period. When babies start going through a growth phase, they will sleep quite a bit.
You may notice a change in babies’ sleep schedules when they are experiencing a growth spurt. Many babies will sleep for longer periods during this time and even sleep through the night. When do growth spurts happen? It all depends. Usually, a baby notices a major growth spurt in four months, but some babies may have it earlier, so a 3-month-old baby sleeping because of a growth spurt isn’t uncommon.
If you want to make sure the baby is sleeping due to a growth spurt, another way you can figure out if it’s one is if your baby is eating more. In addition to sleeping more, your baby will eat more as well. Your baby needs all the energy they can get, so offer an extra bottle or a breast.
Teething
You typically don’t see teeth in a baby until around six months, so you may think that you can rule teething out. However, teething involves the teeth moving around in the gums, and this phenomenon can happen as young as two months, so it’s possible. Whenever a baby is teething, it’s painful and is one of the things that often keep babies from sleeping through the night. When they wake up at night and sleepless due to teething, they’ll end up sleeping more once that teething session is over, which is why you may see your baby taking more naps a day or sleeping through the night as early as 3-months-old.
Teething can disrupt a baby’s sleep schedule and cause the baby to stay awake longer than usual. New parents may notice that the baby’s sleep schedule has been interrupted when daytime sleep turns into hours-long naps.
Teething can account for 3-4 month sleep regression, and short naps can become hours long sleep sessions. Another reason teething makes a baby sleep more is that a teething session can give your baby a fever, which can make your baby sleep it off, which is always a good thing for them. If your baby is sleep, they need all the rest they can get, so give them cuddles and love and let them sleep in a nice, darkroom.
They’re Just Like That
Every baby is different, and they sleep differently. Eventually, babies will develop their own sleep schedules, but at this young of an age, a baby does not have a set bedtime routine. Instead, they sleep whenever they want and will wake whenever too.
A three-month-old who falls asleep during the daytime and seemingly sleeping too much is usually no cause for concern. In most cases, the baby is just getting their Z’s in, and as a busy parent, you may feel glad to have a baby that sleeps so much. Daytime sleep is just as important as nighttime sleep when it comes to sleep training your baby. When you start sleep training to develop your bedtime routine, count the number of naps a day and hours of daytime sleep that baby is getting to learn their sleep routine.
Don’t Be Afraid To See A Doctor
With that said, if you’re a little worried about your 3-month-old-baby sleeping too much, and you think it may be something more than what is listed, there isn’t any shame in seeing your baby’s doctor rule out another disease. Sleep apnea can happen in babies, and other sleep disorders happen as well.
Granted, a baby sleeping too much is rarely a cause for alarm, so don’t go to the doctor the first time you see your baby sleeping too much. Remember that this is quite common. Baby’s sleep cycle will eventually stabilize, and hours of daytime sleep will balance with night feedings as the baby falls into a consistent bedtime routine.
In the meanwhile, keep your baby entertained while they are awake. Give them toys, affection, and talk to them before your baby falls back asleep.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is my 3-month-old sleeping too much?
If you’ve already developed a solid bedtime routine, you may find it unusual if baby’s sleep patterns or bedtime routine change. Sleep patterns between babies can vary, and there are many causes for sleep regressions. In most cases, this is normal.
- Why is my baby sleeping more than usual?
Baby can be sleeping more than usual due to teething or experiencing a growth spurt, which can disrupt the baby’s original bedtime routine. Baby’s who are teething fall asleep when they are out of discomfort. Babies who are experiencing a growth spurt may need more hours of daytime sleep to support healthy weight gain.
- How many hours a day does a 3-month-old sleep?
A 3-month-old typically sleeps between 12-14 hours long in total per day. As your baby grows, they will sleep less over time.
- Is it normal for babies to sleep more when sick?
Yes. Babies who have fever or other medically-related conditions often require more hours of daytime sleep as their bodies fight off the fever. Babies who are sick may take hours-long naps during the day as their bodies fight off illness.
- How long do growth spurts last for three months old?
The length of a growth spurt like sleep cycles can vary from baby to baby.
- What is a good bedtime for a 3-month-old?
A good bedtime for a 3-month-old is largely dependent on your family’s schedule. Place baby to bed at a consistent time to assure that they get the right amount of sleep. The total number of baby needs to sleep will remain between 12-14 hours long, regardless of bedtime.
- Should I wake three months old from a nap?
Waking babies from naps is acceptable if they are sleeping outside of their normal sleep cycle. Once you’ve determined your baby’s sleep schedule, wake them if they go 30 minutes or more beyond their naptime to avoid hours-long periods of waking at night.
- Can you sleep train a 3-month-old?
Yes! Babies are ready to start sleep training between 3 and 4 months old.
- How long should three months old be awake between naps?
Your 3-month-old should be taking about 3-5 naps per day that last between 1 to 3 hours long.
- How do you get a 3-month-old to sleep through the night?
Start sleep training your baby as soon as they show signs of being ready to sleep during the night. When your baby needs less night feeding s/he is ready to begin sleeping through the night.
Conclusion
When a three-month-old sleeping a lot, you should probably let them do that. Babies need lots of sleep to grow, and unless their sleep patterns are way beyond the average, it’s no cause for alarm. In fact, if your baby sleeps a lot, sleep as well. You will need that sleep for when they hit the toddler stage, where the sleeping is a little less, and they’re forming somewhat of a sleep schedule, yet other sleeping problems like sleep regression can occur as well. Here’s hoping your baby has some rad dreams.
FAQs On 3-Month-Old Sleeping A Lot
Is it common for a 3-month-old to sleep a lot?
It varies. Some babies have 2 or 3 longish periods of sleep throughout the day between the age of 3 and 6 months. There is no need to change your baby’s sleep pattern if that worries you.
How long can a 3-month-old sleep at night?
Sleeping through the night at three months should be about 5 hours.
When should I worry about my baby sleeping too much?
Honestly, there is likely no need to be anxious about whether your baby is sleeping too much or not.
Is it okay that my three months old sleeps 10 hours at night?
Yes, of course. A lot of babies sleep for12 hours at night. Some manage to have an 8 hours sleep.
What happens if the baby sleeps too much?
Sleeping too much may cause a baby to have a medical condition. However, it is a rare instance of a three-month-old sleeping a lot.
Is my baby sleeping too much during the day?
A 3-month-old sleeping a lot maybe because of overstimulation and exhaustion. Your baby may be sleeping too much during the day.
Is it normal for a baby to sleep 14 hours?
Yes, that is okay. However, babies still need to wake for feeding at this age.
Why is my baby sleeping so much all of a sudden?
Well, your toddler likely sleeps more than usual due to growth spurt. Do not worry about it because sleeping is vital in physiological developments that take place during sleep.
Can a 3-month-old baby sleep too much?
Allowing your baby to sleep through the night is not a problem as long as your 3-month-old has had sufficient weight gain.
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Last Updated on November 15, 2022 by Rejie Salazar
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