sleep question...

[Ginger]

i was just wondering about how many hours in a 24hour period my ds should be sleeping? mchn has put in my head that he's not getting enough sleep. how much would you expect him to be sleeping?

[blue daisy]

Hi Gracie

at 4ish months a baby is able to sleep 15-16hrs in a 24hr period

if your not sure write down his sleep patterns

most babies will wake at night for a feed at 4 months

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[Ginger]

thanks blue daisy, i think he's probably only sleeping about 13 hours..should i be encouraging him to have more? he is generally pretty happy when he's awake.

[blue daisy]

if he is happy and you are happy that is all that matters

some babies sleep more and some less at different stages of developmet

remember that the number of hours they "should" sleep is an average

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[Ginger]

ok, thanks for your help blue daisey

[MantaRay]

Gracie, I agree with Blue Daisy that they are all different and if your DS seems happy than he is probably getting enough sleep. Tom at 16 months often still sleeps for 14 hours at night and 3 or more hours during the day. This is way above average but he seems to need it. He has always needed more sleep than Jack, who at the same age was probably having less than 14 hours total in 24 hours.

Personally I tend to take what MCHNs say with a grain of salt. For there to be an average, there have to be bubs who have more and bubs who have less. I think that following your instinct and your own observations is the best way to parent and you seem to be doing this very well.