Less Sleep

Hi S.,
It's nutrition, not sleep, that causes growth. Your baby does know when she is tired, so just be sure you're following her cues. Your baby has never read the books or charts that suggest 12-14 hours of sleep. While most 4 month olds will sleep more than 8 hours at night and 2 hours per day for naps, your baby is an individual. It's wonderful that she sleeps 8 hours through the night, most babies at this age who sleep 8 hours will wake for a feeding and go back to sleep, and babies at this age typically need a morning and an afternoon nap, so a "typical" schedule might be baby goes to bed at 8pm, wakes to eat at midnight, sleeps til 6 a.m., naps 9:30 to 11:00 and then naps again 2:30-4:00 but not all babies are typical! My first at that age probably slept 8pm to 6 am but her naps were short, typically not more than 45 minutes, about 3 times a day.

While most baby books say babies need at least 14 hrs. My son has never slept more than 10 hrs a night (with a 2 hr nap if I am lucky). My son is 3 now and he is fine. I think every child needs a different level of sleep. However, you always have to monitor behavior throughout toddlerhood (ex. tiredness, tantrums, slurring of speech, and dark circles).

Each baby has different sleep requirements. As long as she is thriving, gaining weight, and happy then she is getting exactly what she needs for now. Once she becomes more mobile I am sure she will require more sleep. Sleep patterns change so many times during the first year as they reach so many different milestones. My daughter never required as much sleep as my son. She was a 9-7:30 sleeper with maybe 2 half hour naps during the day. And my son slept from 7-7 with a 3 hour nap during the day. Good luck on your baby girl.