Yes, of course you will! Eventually you will sleep again. I promise.

Some babies will magically start sleeping through the night on their own at 2 or 3 months. Ok, it’s not magic but it sure feels like it! They figure out how to self soothe, they adapt easily to sleep changes, and they start sleeping well with little to no effort from the parent. These are “unicorn” babies and often NOT the ones I get to work with. There is no need to hire me!

Then there are the babies who do eventually start sleeping through the night because parents have started “working on sleep”. They spent time teaching their little one how to fall asleep on their own, and their efforts paid off. 

Then there is the last category (which I fell into when my daughter was an infant), those of us that hope and pray the chunks of sleep our little one is sleeping will get longer and longer and then magically the wakes will just stop happening. There’s that magic word again. 

What I realized is that for most babies, they do not start sleeping through the night on their own. Sleep struggles do not magically disappear on their own. It takes the parent taking action to make sleep easier. 

Having said all of that, it does help to understand what can be expected from a baby at each age. So here is a run-down of what you can expect during the first year in regards to sleep. 

0 – 3 Months 

Sleep can be really unpredictable and erratic. One day naps might be long and easy and the next, you struggle to get your little one to fall asleep.  

Naps: Taking 4 – 5 naps (maybe even 6 when they are really young)

Wake Time: 45 – 60 minutes 

Nights: Stretches will start to get longer as baby is able to go longer between feeds, but still waking multiple times to eat. 

3 – 6 Months 

Your nights will be more predictable. Most babies are capable of being down to 1 feed or sleeping through the night 10 – 12 hours. Naps can still be erratic; however, patterns do start to emerge. For example, the first nap of the day tends to always be the longest one.  

Naps: Taking 4 Naps – then down to 3 naps

Wake Time: 60 minutes (3 months), 90 minutes (4 months), 2 hours (5 months)

Nights: Around 4 months is when most babies are capable of sleeping through the night for 10 – 12 hours without a feed. Some babies are still waking once to feed though. 

7 – 12 Months 

This is when sleep gets really predictable! You will love it! Most babies around 7 months (even some 6 month olds) can handle being put on a 2 nap schedule and actually do better with that predictably every day.

Naps: Taking 2 Naps per day

Wake Time: This is the time to shift from wake times to a schedule. 

Nights: Babies at this age are capable of sleeping through the night consistently even when teething, growing, learning a new skill, or going through a leap.

A Note on Sleep Regressions: 

You will see this phrase a lot. According to the internet sleep regressions are inevitable at any developmental stage. Teething? – Sleep regression. Learning a new skill? – Sleep Regression. Baby is sick? – Sleep Regression. You traveled? – Sleep Regression. 

During the first year of life you will read that you should be prepared for several sleep regressions, especially the 4-Month Sleep Regression. For more information on How to Avoid the 4-Month Sleep Regression, have a read. 

The first year of life is filled with so many exciting firsts. Your child will be accomplishing new skills and meeting new millstones left and right. It is such an exciting time! And during this exciting time, I promise dear parent you can sleep again, but it’s up to you to make that happen.