How Much Do Newborns Sleep? Tracking Sleep in the First Months

Newborns sleep a lot, just not for long at a time. The NHS puts the average at around 18 hours a day, and the American Academy of Pediatrics at 16 to 17 hours, usually in stretches of only 1 to 2 hours. So "around 16 to 18 hours, broken into many short sleeps" is a fair summary for the first weeks.

Every baby is different, and a newborn who sleeps a little more or less than this is usually fine.

How sleep changes over the first year

• First weeks: sleep is spread across day and night with no real pattern. Babies wake to feed.
• Around 4 months: according to the AAP, more regular sleep cycles start to develop, and longer stretches at night become more common.
• 6 to 12 months: the NHS puts total sleep at about 15 hours a day, with most of it at night.

Safe sleep basics

The AAP's advice for every sleep, day and night:

1. Put your baby down on their back.
2. Use a firm, flat surface, such as a crib or bassinet mattress.
3. Keep the sleep space empty: no pillows, bumpers, blankets, or toys.
4. Share a room, but not a bed, for at least the first 6 months.

What a sleep log can show you

In the first weeks, a sleep log mostly confirms that the day is chaotic, which is normal. It gets more useful later:

• Spotting a rhythm. After a few weeks you can often see when the longest stretch tends to happen.
• Daily totals. One bad night feels endless. Seeing the total for the whole 24 hours, compared with the day before, puts it in proportion.
• Answering questions at checkups. "About 15 hours, with a 5-hour stretch at night" is easier to discuss than a guess.

Keep it simple. Logging when a sleep started and how long it lasted is enough. You don't need to record every stir.

Logging sleep in BabyTrack+

In BabyTrack+ a sleep entry is a duration. Log it from the phone, from the Apple Watch, or by asking Siri on iPhone, and it is saved without opening the app. You can also long-press the add button and say it out loud.

The stats screen shows today's total sleep next to yesterday's, and the week view shows daily averages over the last four weeks, alongside feeds and diapers. Feeds and sleep often affect each other, so it helps to see them together. See what to log in the first weeks for the feeding side.

If your baby's sleep worries you, for example if they are unusually hard to wake or very drowsy, contact your pediatrician or health visitor.