How Much Sleep is Enough for a 3-Month-Old Baby? Tips for New Parents

The baby's need for sleep depends on his age. Although a newborn baby sleeps most of the time, he does not sleep for a long time at a time, but sleeps for short periods at a time. As the baby grows up, the total amount of sleep he gets reduces. But the sleep at night increases. Usually, a newborn sleeps for 8 to 9 hours during the day and about 8 hours at night. But the baby does not sleep for more than 1 to 2 hours at a time.

Usually, until the baby is 3 months old or weighs 5 to 6 kg, he is not able to sleep for a full night i.e. about 6 to 8 hours without waking up even once in the middle of the night. About two-thirds of the children start sleeping regularly at night by the time they are 6 months old. The sleep cycle of children is different from that of adults and the sleep cycle of babies is also very short. 

(Read more: How to set a good sleep pattern for your newborn baby)

In the first few weeks after birth, newborn babies sleep most of the time during the day and night and wake up 3 to 4 times at night to drink milk. Since the sleep cycle of babies is shorter than that of adults, they wake up after sleeping for about 40 minutes. By the time they are about 3 months old, the baby starts learning to stay awake for long during the day and sleep for long at night (about 4-5 hours of sleep). A 3-month-old baby also wakes up 1 to 2 times at night to drink milk.

According to the National Sleep Foundation of America, a newborn baby from birth to 3 months must sleep at least 14 to 17 hours in 24 hours. Many of these babies take short naps 2 to 3 times during the day, while they sleep for long at night despite waking up in between to drink milk.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that parents should share a room with their newborn but should not share a bed with the baby until the baby is 6 months or 1 year old. Room sharing means that you are keeping your baby's crib or bed in your own room instead of keeping it in a separate room or nursery so that it is easy to get up in the middle of the night to feed the baby, soothe him if he wakes up, and keep an eye on the baby while sleeping at night.

• Room-sharing is safe, but putting a newborn baby to sleep in your own bed is not considered safe because bed sharing also greatly increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and many other sleep-related problems.
• It is important to make the baby's sleep environment safe so that your baby can sleep comfortably every night without any discomfort and get a full night's sleep. Follow these tips:
• Always put the newborn baby to sleep straight on its back. Never put the baby to sleep on its stomach or on its side. The rate of sudden newborn death syndrome has reduced significantly since the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggested this in 1992.
• The bed on which you are putting the baby to sleep should be solid and strong. Spread a sheet over the mattress which fits well. Make sure that the swing or cradle you are using is safe from the safety point of view.
• Do not keep any kind of toy, pillow, blanket, shade, comforter etc. where the baby is sleeping.
• Dress the baby according to the room temperature and do not put him to sleep by wrapping him too much. Also keep the room slightly warm, do not overheat so much that he starts sweating.
• Keep the baby completely away from people who smoke.
• If you want, you can also give the baby a pacifier to put him to sleep. But if the baby is taking the pacifier out of the mouth, do not forcefully give it to him. If the pacifier comes out of the child's mouth during sleep, there is no need to put it in the mouth again.
• Do not keep any kind of wire, ribbon or rope or any sharp-edged object within the reach of the baby.

(Read more: Baby development in the first month after birth)

As you understand your baby, you will know when the baby is feeling sleepy and you should put him to bed to put him to sleep. Before the baby learns to speak and can tell by himself, the baby starts giving many signals when he is tired and sleepy. Most babies show the following signs related to sleep:

• Yawning
• Becoming very quiet, not showing interest in playing
• Muttering, showing irritation
• Rubbing eyes
• Starting crying
• Closening fists tightly
• Starting thrashing hands and legs etc.

(Read more: Sleep problems in children)

The baby cannot make his own sleeping and waking pattern. You will be surprised to know that most children do not know how to fall asleep or how to sleep on their own. Also, there are many babies who, once they wake up at night, are not able to sleep on their own. Therefore, it is better to make a sleep routine for the baby.

It is very important that you do not put the baby to sleep in your arms or lap right after birth. By doing this, they will get used to it and then they will not want to sleep in the bed. Children and babies who feel safe are able to sleep comfortably, so hug the baby, love him, play with him as much as possible during the day so that he feels that he is completely safe. Tips for putting newborn babies to sleep-

• According to the age of the baby, let him sleep for some time during the day as well.
• Do not play any kind of game or activity just before bedtime at night.
• Make a routine before sleeping like bathing the baby with lukewarm water, telling him stories, reading books or lightly rocking him etc.
• When the baby starts feeling sleepy, play soft music.
• If the baby wakes up in the middle of the night, do not lift him from his bed, keep him lying there and try to calm him down lovingly and put him to sleep again.

(Read more: How to set a good sleep pattern for your newborn baby)

From birth to 3 months, babies sleep most of the day as it is an important part of their development process. At this age, babies can sleep for 14 to 17 hours a day, divided into several sleep cycles during the day and night. Newborns usually wake up every 2-4 hours, especially to feed. As the baby grows, his sleep pattern becomes a little more stable, and he starts sleeping for slightly longer periods at night. However, every baby's sleeping pattern is different, and it is important to pay attention to their cues.