This is by far the most common and probably the controversial topic of parenting. Nowadays, babies are expected to sleep through the night almost instantly, few months after birth.
But is it realistic?
Let’s start with some basic facts. The concept of sleeping through the night is based on a research done in 1950s with a group of 160 babies. The researchers defined “sleeping through” as sleeping 12 – 5 AM. This is the research most sleep experts and trainers base their methodology on.
Moreover, according to Harvard Health Publishing, babies are designed to wake up often at night to feed, cuddle and feel safe. Contrary to what experts claim; infant’s total daily sleep requirement varies from baby to baby. In fact, one study found a range of 9 to 19 hours! – and there’s no way to predict how much sleep your own baby will need.
So, don’t lose sleep over bad sleep advice. Given the percentage of babies that don’t sleep through the night, and the negative effect that unbroken sleep has on breastfeeding, one study suggested that mothers would benefit from a more realistic expectation of normal infant sleep.
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