How many hours does a baby sleep at 6 months. How much should a six-month-old baby sleep and what to do with him during periods of activity. How much sleep and wake does a child need

Typical sleep at this age

Children at this age need about 14 hours of sleep per night, and they can sleep for about seven hours straight. If your baby sleeps longer than seven hours, he probably wakes up briefly, but manages to go back to sleep on his own - a great sign. This means that you have an excellent dormouse growing.

He probably falls asleep for a couple of hour and a half or two hour naps, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Remember: a consistent daytime and nighttime sleep schedule helps regulate sleep habits.

Set up a bedtime ritual and always follow it.

While you've probably established some sort of bedtime ritual long ago, your child is only now really starting to participate. Your ritual might include taking a bath, playing quietly, reading a bedtime story or two, or a lullaby. Remember that you must do all of these steps in the same order and at the same time each evening. The child will appreciate your consistency. Young children love a consistent schedule they can rely on.

Your bedtime ritual will indicate that it is time to gradually calm down and get ready for sleep.

Keep a regular daytime and nighttime sleep schedule

Both you and your child will benefit from having a regular schedule that includes both daytime and nighttime naps. This means that you should try to stick to a predetermined schedule. When your child sleeps during the day, eats, plays, goes to bed at the same time every day, it will be much easier for him to fall asleep. Make sure you give your child the opportunity to fall asleep on their own.

The child must learn to fall asleep on his own. Put him in the crib before he falls asleep and try not to accustom him to external factors (sickness or feeding) as a necessary condition for falling asleep. If the child is crying, then further behavior depends on you. Most experts advise waiting at least a few minutes to see if the child is really upset.

Young children who have never had trouble sleeping may at this age suddenly start waking up in the middle of the night or have trouble falling asleep. Why? Sleep disturbances often occur simultaneously with the onset of separation from the mother and the achievement of major milestones in cognitive and motor development. Right now, your child is learning to sit, roll over, crawl, and maybe even stand up on his own - a real list of achievements! Not surprisingly, he will want to try out his new skills while sleeping. For example, a baby may become so excited that he wakes up at night to try sitting up again.

In a half-asleep state, the child sits down or gets up, and then cannot lower himself and lie down on his own. Of course, he finally wakes up and starts crying and calling for his mother. Your task is to calm the child and help him lie down. Remember, feeding during the night will not help your baby sleep better. In fact, it can only exacerbate and prolong the problem.

Advice: If your child goes to bed after 8:30 pm and suddenly starts waking up during the night, try to sleep half an hour earlier. You will be surprised to find that the child began to sleep soundly.

9 to 12 months

Typical sleep at this age

Your baby is already sleeping between 10 and 12 hours at night. And two more times a day for one and a half to two hours. Make sure he gets enough of it - the duration of sleep plays a big role in the development of the child. It's also important to stick to a consistent nap schedule. If this schedule is movable, then it is likely that the child will have difficulty falling asleep and wake up frequently during the night.

How to instill healthy sleep habits?

We continue to work on the methods learned from six to nine months.

Evening ritual

Follow a regular bedtime ritual. It is important! You can take as a basis a script that has been proven over the years: a bath, a fairy tale before going to bed, laying in bed. You can also add some quiet play, just make sure you follow the same pattern every night. Children prefer consistency and feel safe when they know what to expect.

Day and night sleep mode

The child's sleep will become better if you follow the regimen not only at night, but also during the day. If the child eats, plays and goes to bed exactly on the clock, at the same time, most likely it will always be easy for him to fall asleep.

Let your child fall asleep on their own. Don't stop him from practicing this important skill. If a baby's sleep depends on feeding, rocking, or a lullaby, it will be hard for him to fall asleep again when he wakes up during the night. He might even cry.

What difficulties may arise?

The development of the child is in full swing: he can sit down, roll over, crawl, stand up and, finally, take a few steps. At this age, he hones and trains his skills. This means that he may become overly excited and have difficulty falling asleep, or may wake up at night to exercise.

If the child cannot calm down and fall asleep on his own, he will cry and call you. Just don't feed him! Just come and calm down.

Your child may also wake up at night due to "separation anxiety" - he misses you and worries that you will never come back. He will most likely calm down as soon as you approach him.

After celebrating the first "half" birthday, many families begin to expect from a 6-month-old child a conscious adherence to the daily routine. And, most surprisingly, they may well wait for it, if, of course, they put in enough effort to form the correct sleep pattern for the child by 6 months.

By 6 months, a baby's sleep schedule includes about 14 hours of rest. The child divides it independently into 3 or 4 gaps. At this age, there are no clear rules for exactly when a child should sleep during the day - the rhythm of his life is easily consistent with the regime for his mother, and the child largely depends on how carefully adults treat this issue.

daytime sleep

Daytime sleep is represented by 2 or 3 periods - it does not depend on meals, only on the degree of "saturation" of the child with new impressions and external conditions. Many kids actively practice and easily fall asleep, tired of walking in the fresh air.

Night sleep

H full-time sleep becomes longer - in is already able to sleep 7 hours without a break. If your baby sleeps more, then you can be congratulated - most likely, he wakes up, but already knows how to fall asleep without your participation. He is healthy and emotionally stable.

If a 6-month-old's sleep patterns continue to be a stumbling block, then you need to help your little one solve the problem. First of all, eliminate the possibility that the baby is experiencing discomfort due to illness - it is known that in this case there is nothing to expect from the child of discipline. In other cases, the problem lies elsewhere - to resolve it, it is worth reading psychological articles. Yes, yes, a personal psychologist is required, and very often it is a woman who takes on this role.

Psychological problems affecting a child's sleep

  • Relations between mom and dad are strained due to the fact that their roles have changed relative to each other. Also, the situation is strained by changes in intimate life - the child feels everything.
  • The family is experiencing external difficulties - financial instability makes the relationship between spouses nervous, it also strains a sharp fall into dependence on the couple's parents.
  • Parents were psychologically unprepared to take responsibility for the child. Often, violations of the regimen affect children growing up in a family in which adults do not comply with the regimen.

Children always feel psychological discomfort very subtly - eliminate it so that your child has no reason to worry. An old English proverb says that it is useless to raise children because they will grow up to look like their parents anyway. It is better to make every effort to educate yourself.

How to help a 6-month-old baby improve sleep patterns

  • Teach your child to discipline and the general mode: by performing the same actions at the same time, he will quickly get used to falling asleep easily at the set time.
  • Teach your baby to be independent so that when he wakes up, he himself lies back on his own. Try to teach him to fall asleep in bed, and not on the arms of his mother.
  • Create the right atmosphere in the nursery: ventilate the room, humidify the air, monitor the cleanliness and temperature of the air in the room.

Be patient with your child - at this age, children tend to be too active to be calm and organized. The kid learns something new every day, which means that his brain works even in a dream - the reason for restless behavior may lie precisely in this.

A newborn baby spends most of the time in a dream and is gaining strength for new achievements. As we age, the amount of time spent sleeping decreases significantly. At six months, the behavior of the child, his development and much more is radically different from this age. This age is a kind of turning point. Therefore, many parents are interested in the norms: at 6 months, the norm of weight, the amount eaten per day, etc. This article will provide answers to these and other questions, as well as provide useful recommendations.

How much should a baby sleep at 6 months?

From six months to nine months, the child switches to a new sleep pattern. From a month to three, he sleeps approximately 20 hours a day. From three to six - about 15 hours. In the next trimester, his sleep lasts about 14 hours. At the same time, the baby sleeps for about 10 hours at night, and three times during the day, an average of one and a half hours. In search of an answer to the question of how much a child should sleep at 6 months old, his individual characteristics should be taken into account. Therefore, the exact duration of a child's sleep is

his own decision. In addition, you should create a favorable environment for the sleep of the baby. The room in which the baby sleeps should be well ventilated and cool. The air temperature in the room is about 18 degrees, relative humidity is about 60%. The bedroom should not be Daytime sleep is best spent on the street. In order to avoid confusing day with night, it is better for a child to sleep with the lights off at night. You should also put the baby to bed at the same time to accustom him to the regimen. In this case, after a while there will be no hassle with going to bed, and the child will be able to fall asleep on his own. At this age, the baby may already have a toy with which he falls asleep better.

How much should a 6 month old baby eat?

At six months, the baby can begin to introduce complementary foods. However, the main food for him will be (if for some reason he is transferred to artificial nutrition) or breast milk. The approximate number of feedings per day is about eight times. The volume of milk drunk is approximately one liter. If the baby eats breast milk, then you do not need to give water. Also, you should not refuse the little one in night feedings or offer water instead of the breast (milk mixture). The sleep of a well-fed child is much stronger.

How much should a baby weigh at 6 months?

The weight of the baby depends on many important factors, including birth weight, type of feeding (breast or artificial), how often and intensively he eats, etc. Therefore, it is definitely impossible to say how much a peanut should weigh. However, the average weight of a child can be calculated individually by month. So, in the first month of life, the average weight gain is 600 grams, in the second and third - 800, in the fourth - 750, in the fifth - 700, and in the sixth - 650 grams. In order to calculate the approximate weight of a child of 6 months, his birth weight is taken as the basis. For example: 3300 grams (at birth) + 3500 (the sum of the average weight gained per month) = 6800 grams.

Summarizing

In search of an answer to the question of how much a child should sleep at 6 months (and others like him), one should not forget about the individual characteristics of the baby. The surrounding physical and psychological environment also plays an important role. So, the moral state of the mother, the type of feeding (artificial or breastfeeding), the air temperature in the room, and much more will affect the weight, sleep and nutrition of the crumbs.

All mothers, of course, are worried about whether there is enough time for the child to sleep, how much time the child needs to sleep for full development. A lot of reasons affect the duration of a child’s sleep: the psychological state, temperament, teething, the established daily routine.

If the baby is healthy, active throughout the day, plays, laughs, but sleeps less than expected, parents should not worry in advance. There is a certain relationship - the smaller the child, the more sleep he needs. So how long should a baby sleep at 6 months? The answer is simple: the baby sleeps as much as he needs.

Features of the development of a six-month-old baby

The child lives in the house for half a year, difficulties with feeding have already been overcome, the first illnesses of the baby have been experienced, the first tooth has appeared. But after six months, parents begin to notice signs of a “crisis”.

The daily routine of a child at 6 months has already changed. The kid behaves in a new way, he learned to roll over, get on all fours. Some kids already know how to sit on their own. The kid tries to use these formed skills to study the world around him.

A six-month-old baby no longer wants to be alone, during periods of wakefulness he does not want to let his mother go away from him. Frequent crying of the child is an attempt to attract attention. Such emotions at this age are absolutely understandable.

Why do you need to know the rate of sleep?

Almost all mothers know how much the baby should gain weight, how much to eat, but not everyone knows and understands how much the baby should sleep at 6 months.

Sleep is a natural process. If the baby is tired, he will want to rest. If you do not want to sleep, then the body does not need rest yet. If the child’s temperament is docile, then almost from birth, he has a sleep and wake schedule. Such children sleep long and soundly and do not cry during awakening. A "difficult" baby sleeps much less.

Parents in most cases need to have (at least approximate) an idea of ​​how much sleep and walk the child should have throughout the day.

Why you need to know:

  • to be able to prevent overwork of the child,
  • to prevent the accumulation of fatigue, as well as hyper-fatigue,
  • so that the child sleeps enough time, which is necessary for the development of a growing organism,
  • so that the child is cheerful and cheerful.

How to find out if a child is a dormouse or not?

Babies are all different. Some sleep a lot and often, while others are awake for most of the day. The duration of children's sleep can have a difference of 2 hours (in the direction of increasing or decreasing the duration), compared with accepted norms.

If the baby sleeps less than the norm, is often irritated, naughty, has a sleepy look - he needs to sleep more. If the sleep rate is reduced, but these signs are not observed, then everything is in order, the child simply does not need a long sleep.

Remember, a child is 6 months old:

  • Sleeping a little more than normal?
  • Gaining weight well?
  • Is he very active while awake?

If you answered “Yes” to all the questions presented, then do not worry, your child is a sleepyhead. If at least one answer to the question was negative, you need to consult a pediatrician about the condition of the baby.

How to change the baby's daily routine?

Children often sleep a lot during the day and little at night. They can easily fall asleep at 8 pm, but already at 5 am they wake everyone up and do not want to fall asleep again, despite the best efforts of their parents. In this case, it is enough to change the mode of the children.

In order for the baby to sleep well at night, you do not need to let him sleep for a long time during the day. If the sleep pattern of a child at 6 months is reduced to two daily periods of sleep, then their total duration should not exceed 2.5-3 hours.

If the child falls asleep at 7-8 pm and wakes up very early, you should try to slightly shift his schedule and put him to bed half an hour earlier. A toddler's habit of falling asleep late can become a serious problem as they grow older.

Sleep rate

Let's try to decide how much a baby should sleep at 6 months.

There are certain rules:

  • transition to 2 sleeps,
  • sleep in the daytime - twice for 2-3 hours,
  • night sleep - 10-12 hours,
  • the total duration of sleep is 14-16 hours.

This data can only serve as a rough guide for parents. Sleep and wakefulness of the child cannot be adjusted to a certain time. If the child behaves calmly, does not cry, is not irritated, then, given the characteristics of the child, deviations of an hour in any direction are normal.

The daily routine of a child at 6 months should provide a good rest. Lack of sleep is very harmful, it can lead to chronic overwork and nervous system disorders. If the baby is naughty, does not want to play, is lethargic, you may need to try to change the daily routine, go to bed early, give the opportunity to sleep longer during the day.

How to improve your baby's sleep

Not all babies are ready to sleep and stay awake according to the regimen, so parents can switch to one nap during the daytime or, conversely, to three naps for 1.5 hours a day.

How much should a baby sleep at 6 months? The main guideline is the condition of the baby. If during the day he is naughty, does not play with toys, turns around in the crib for a long time and cannot fall asleep, then the child does not get enough sleep.

How can sleep be improved? The easiest option is to walk more in the fresh air. At a temperature not higher than -10 degrees, the baby can sleep outside during the day, at a lower temperature - in a room with an open window. The sleep of a child at 6 months should take place in a quiet place, without extraneous noise.

If the baby does not fall asleep well in the evening, you can do a soothing bath before bedtime. To do this, steam medicinal herbs in a thermos: mint, chamomile, lemon balm, valerian. Proportion: 3 tablespoons of grass pour a liter of boiling water. Each herb is brewed in turn, different every day. The finished broth is poured into the bath. Swimming is enough for 10-20 minutes.

Instead of tea at bedtime, you can give your child a decoction of the listed herbs to drink, the proportion: 1 dessert spoon of herbs per 1 cup of boiling water.

In this article, we tried to figure out how much a baby should sleep at 6 months.

As a short conclusion, we can say that in order for the baby to sleep well, he must be tired. Listen to your child, monitor his mood and trust your feelings. Only following these tips, the baby will be healthy, cheerful, get proper rest and sleep.

It's so nice to watch a sleeping baby! Dad photographs his baby for a family album, and mom sighs tenderly and just admires. But rare happy parents can boast of sound sleep of their child.

Let's find out what problems young parents may face and how to deal with these problems.

If you are concerned about the question of how much a baby should sleep at 6 months, then you should know that the physiological needs of different children are different. But at the same time, there are standard norms from which all pediatricians are repelled. At this age, the baby should sleep about 13.5-16 hours a day. As you can see, the interval is quite large, because even it takes into account the individual characteristics of the child's body. During the day, the baby should sleep a total of 3.5-4 hours, and at night 10-12 hours.

Features of a child's sleep at 6 months

A six-month-old baby already understands and knows a lot, he begins to grow up gradually, because 6 months is already a serious milestone. And over time, the cub, who slept like a groundhog most of the day, refuses to sleep during the day. Moms are sounding the alarm and bombarding the forums with questions: “What if a child at 6 months old does not sleep during the day?” or “What should I do if a baby at 6 months does not sleep well during the day?” In fact, there is nothing wrong with this. Many pediatricians, including Dr. Komarovsky, argue that if the little one gets enough sleep at night, then he probably will not want to sleep during the day. You can easily determine whether to cancel daytime sleep or not. If your baby is cheerful and active during the day, this means that the baby has chosen his own individual, suitable for him, mode. If he is naughty, whimpering, but still refuses to sleep during the day, then you should consult a doctor.

Posture on the stomach


Now you know how much a child sleeps at 6 months during the day and what to do with sleep disorders. But modern mothers are concerned not only with the duration of sleep, but also with the position of the baby at this time. They wonder if a child at 6 months old can sleep on his stomach? Scientists have not come to a consensus on this matter. It is believed that a completely healthy baby, choosing this position, sleeps stronger and longer. It is even useful for the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the muscles of the back and neck. But some doctors say that lying on the tummy, the baby can suffocate, because he still does not see the connection between a closed nose and shortness of breath. However, this version has not been scientifically proven, but exists only as an assumption.

How to help your baby sleep better

  • Take a walk in the fresh air before bed. Choose quiet streets, away from heavy traffic.
  • Perform a daily bathing ritual. The water in the bath should be warm and pleasant for the baby. You can bathe the child in a decoction of mint, chamomile and other medicinal herbs. But use only mild plants, because herbs such as celandine can harm the skin of not only a baby, but also an adult. After bathing, wipe it with a soft towel and massage with special oils or baby milk. There is a series of children's cosmetics, which is designed to be used just before bedtime. If you do this every day, the baby will get used to this regimen and remember that after bathing you need to go to bed. And warm water and massage will relax and prepare him for this.
  • Try not to play active games before bed, do not make the baby laugh, do not play fast music for him, do not throw him in your arms. Before falling asleep, you need to be as quiet as possible. Turn off the TV, computer and other sources of sound and radiation. Turn off the main lights and turn on a night light with a soft and subdued light.
  • Check the temperature and humidity in the children's room. Newborns need warmth much less than their mothers think. The room should not be stuffy and dry. Ideal conditions for sleeping are humidity of about 60% and temperature not higher than 20°C. Drying of the mucosa can be a serious discomfort for the baby, so he will wake up and cry at night.
  • Feed your baby, he is still at the age when eating before bedtime is useful.
  • Check if your baby has skin irritation, use powder and put on a diaper. If you are using plain gauze diapers, check on your baby during the night and change wet diapers.
  • Take care of the comfort of the baby in the crib. It should have a firm mattress and a small pillow. Rough or scratchy bedding causes discomfort.
  • Sing a lullaby or tell a story- the voice of parents has a beneficial effect on the condition of the baby. It is believed that a monotonous father's voice lulls you even faster than a mother's lullaby.

Mode at this age

Mode plays a big role even in the life of an adult. It has long been proven that people who live according to a routine feel much better, this also applies to children.
Teach your baby to the correct daily routine. Do not try to make the baby sleep a certain number of hours and wake up every day every second. Firstly, nothing will work out for you, and secondly, you will spend a lot of time and effort accustoming the baby to a strict routine. But still, you can begin to gradually prepare your little one for adulthood. Try to feed him at the same time, this will have a beneficial effect on the digestive system. Repeat walks, baths and going to bed every day with the same interval, and then your little one will get used to the new regimen. But this will not happen immediately, please be patient.

Nighttime baby sleep at 6 months


At night, the baby's body needs to rest and recover the most. The night seems to be specially designed for this: the room is quiet and dark, and all evening preparations are completed. But your little owlet does not want to sleep, he spins, cooing and demands to turn on the TV and give him toys.

This can happen due to several reasons:

  • Excitement from new experiences.
  • Too long naps.
  • Violation of the usual regimen or a change of scenery, for example, visiting a grandmother.

If a child at 6 months not only sleeps poorly, but is also naughty, then perhaps he is uncomfortable or sick. It could be a cold or simple dental problems.

Video

Watch this video to learn what to do if your 6 month old is not sleeping well at night.

  • In continuation of the topic, we recommend that you read about -. We will tell you how this calming method works.
  • Six months is the ideal age to start weaning. Pick the right ones for your little one.
  • Do you know what to do if there is not enough breast milk and? We will tell you about it.
  • While feeding with mother's milk, babies get all the necessary substances, but what about mothers? What can they eat so as not to harm the baby and enrich their body with vitamins? Find out how the composition of milk is affected.

Girls, answer a few questions in your comments, tell us how many months old is your little one? How does he sleep during the day and at night? And have you established a clear regime of feeding, walking and evening bathing?

Similar posts