My 5 1/2 Month Old Sleeps 8 Hours a Night. Is This Normal?

Throw a party! Seriously, if his weight gain is normal, he eats well and often while awake, gives you plenty of wet and dirty diapers, and is alert and active it sounds fine. Premie babies require a little more watching, but he sounds like he's normalizing beautifully, congratulations!
-K.

My only concern is the calories at night... Im thinking he should wake at least once to eat. Otherwide enjoy it while it lasts because their sleep habits always change along the way.

Each individual child is on their own biological time clock. You can't really base his sleep chart with other conventional time charts or with other children. You say he seems pretty healthy & normal? My 1st born was the same way when she hit 12 months. She would go to sleep at 9:00p, wake up at noon,play, take her nap at 2:00p wake up at 5:00, play, & go back to sleep at 9:00. I suggest that you see his dr if he seems lethargic or always fatigue when he is awake.

God bless him! That's wonderful. At 5 1/2 months, and at a healthy weight, he should easily be able to go 8 hours without nursing. I recommend checking Elizabeth Pantley's website to determine how much he should be sleeping at that age (if I remember correctly, it's probably around 15 hours a day total, including naps). www.pantley.com/elizabeth

I'm a huge sleep advocate. Without adequate rest, children cannot grow, learn, assimilate new developments, etc. You must protect his sleep time, and ensure he gets enough.

According to a book called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby" (which saved my life and sanity) your baby is a dream. It can never hurt to check w/ your doctor, but if I were you I would thank your lucky stars. I had to train my kids to do what yours wants to do naturally. With this book, you train your baby to put himself to sleep for three naps a day and through the night and as they get older it goes from two to one naps...I highly recommend it to anyone!!!!!!!!!!!! Kids are growing so fast they need time to rest.

You are so lucky! I'm struggling right now with my almost 6 month old as she isn't sleeping nearly enough. I'm trying to tell myself that she just has so much fun with me that she wants to stay awake! I've been reading several books, articles, etc and it seems the advice out there is that they should be sleeping 10-12 hours at night and taking 2, 1 1/2-2 hour naps during the day, one in the am and pm. I long for the days when this is my reality. I'm going to check with our pediatrician at her 6 month appt, but I know he'll point out that there is a lot of variability. Bottom line is that they need sleep to grow and thrive, but it does sound like Jack is doing great!

I'm a 32 year old stay at home mom of Olivia

count your lucky stars!! I was also blessed with two babies who slept through the night at an early age. My daughter did at 2 weeks, even though she was a skinny little thing with no fat to spare. My son did at 6 weeks. They are now 11 and 14, happy, healthy and very loud. (Just had to throw that last one in.) enjoy you rest.

In my experience (and my son is only twice your son's age) this is normal and healthy. I believe in sleep, sleep, and more sleep--it is so great for their brain development. As long as you know he is taking in enough milk each day, having enough wet and soiled diapers, etc, let him sleep. Enjoy the peace and quiet (everything changes when they start crawling!).
Admittedly, I sometimes miss my son while he's sleeping, and go visit...very quietly!

Both of my children began sleeping through the night at around 3 months old - 10 -12 hours through the night, with 2-3 naps a day of about 2-3 hours each. They are both healthy and happy kids (knock on wood). I don't think you have anything to be worried about, as long as he's thriving.

I have a 5 1/2 month old baby girl and she has been sleeping through the night since she was about 2 1/2 months old. I was like you in that I was worried too since she sleeps 7-8 hours at night and yet still takes naps through out the day and sometimes her naps last as long as 3 hours. So I asked my doctor and she told me that I should never be worried about a baby getting too much sleep, there is no such thing as too much sleep. she said that sleeping helps with brain development and the more the better. She also said that I should be thankful because not too many new moms can get as much rest as I am getting especially those who nurse like me... :)
So I'm not worried about it and I don't think you should either. But if you are still worried you could always ask your doctor like I did. I hope that helped.
:)

My daughter was sleeping 11 hours a night at 2 months and is still thriving at almost 2 years. I'd count yourself lucky that you have a good sleeper!

Remember, averages need people who have more and less than that amount. Your son is probably just a good sleeper. Being a premie, his body may just be working hard at catching up. Also he is getting close to a 6 month growth spurt. If he is still doing this at his next dr. visit you could ask the dr. about it, but I wouldn't make a special deal about it.

Enjoy your blessing!

Dear D., Try to relax and enjoy life. You are a lucky mom with a wonderful little boy who enjoys sleeping and waking up and being happy. My son was very similar. He slept twice during the day and slept all night. And you was Happy. Really Happy. He continued to take naps until he went to pre school. Even then, he would come home and take a nap. He even came home from Kindergarten and took a nap. He was a great kid, full of life and love. And today, he is a great man, great father, and remains a great son. He graduated from USC in Russian, he works hard, is succesful and loves life. I feel so blessed. I hope you can sit back, relax and enjoy this wonderful gift that has been given to you. Jack sounds absolutely precious. Keep up the good work.
By the way, being a preemie is ok and doesn't change your internal nature. I am a retired NICU nurse and have seen plenty of preemies grow up to be wonderful children. I would say he was well nurtured in the nursery where ever he was. Stay happy, continue being a great mom, enjoy Jack and love life. C. F PS I was 32 when I had Victor and he was four weeks early.

He sounds perfect! XOXO

each child is different, my only word of advice is to talk to your doctor about his nutrition. my twin girls were premature, one spent 9 days in the NICU before coming home & started sleeping through the night (11pm until 7am)at 2 mos old. . . since they didn't have the usual middle of the night feedings, they were only in the 5th percentile of our pediatrician's formula based growth chart. Since our girls are breastfed, we chose to plot their growth on the WHO chart for breastfed babies with our lactation consultant at Good Sam Hospital. They were doing fine & healthy/happy but if our pediatrician had her way, we would have been supplementing with formula.

D.,
There are lots of worries being a new mom, aren't there? My daughter, now 12, was a 28 week premie, 2 lb 8 oz. It's important to remember that because they are premies, they are going to be developmentally behind for at least the first 2 years. So Jack would be about 2 to 2 1/2 months developmentally. That's still an age when babies basically eat, sleep and poop. Once babies are over about 11 pounds in weight, they are able to eat enough to sleep for several hours at a time. So I would say, you've lucked out with Jack to have a baby who likes to sleep. Don't worry, give it time, this too shall pass.

L.

Jack sounds wonderful. My oldest son slept 7 hours a night when her was 10 days old. I think it depends on the child. My kids sleep more when they are having an obvious growth spirt. First they eat a lot then they sleep a lot. My oldest took naps until he was 5 and my youngest stopped taking naps before he turned 2. Most pediatric doctors have advise nurses you can call if you have questions. They understand and would rather you call for something seemingly silly then to not call and have something seemingly silly end up being something to be concerned about. Enjoy the rest while you have it because it may change again.. Felecia

Congrats on making it through what must have been a challenging 5 1/2 months!! It sounds like he is doing great. I would ask your pediatrician about the night sleeping and if you are supposed to wake him up for a feeding because of his low weight. I think the long naps are normal and great- more sleep makes for happier babies and helps their brain development. As long as you feel like he is eating well and content- smiling, playing, like you said, I think you can "rest easy"!

I think it's completely normal! There is a wide range of sleep needed at different ages and I think you are probably at the high end. My daughter (who is now almost 3 1/2) has always been a great sleeper and always on the high end or over the amounts typically needed for her age-range. She slept for 5 hours in the longest stretch AT BIRTH and by 8 weeks old was sleeping through the night. The only downside for us was that my milk production slowed much earlier since she was happily sleeping through the night. She's be in bed at 8pm at 6 months and slept until about 5:30-6am. I would pump at 11pm right before I went to bed, but it was difficult for me to keep my milk going. She ended up weaning herself at 9 mos. My daughter is one of the last of her friends still taking a 2 1/2 hour nap each afternoon - most of them gave up naps in the past 6 months. Here's a good article I found for you on sleep: http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/sleep/sleep.html

-L.

This is soooo normal.. and you are blessed!!! Children at 5 months should get a healthy 10 hours at night.. Most do not.. and it is also good to have two to three 2 hour naps!! When they sleep it is when they are absorbing the day.. Mentally meaning they are getting smarter and there memory grows. A friend of mine her daughter the day out of the hospital slept 7 hours!!

Hi D.,
I have always believed in letting babies have their sleep. As long as you are checking on him regularly and he is breathing fine, nothing in his bed to suffocate him if he turns about, I would let him sleep:) Babies grow while they sleep and he is also eating more at this age, which will get them throught longer sleeping periods. Don't worry too much about it, if you are that concerned, always mention your concerns to your doctor and go with their advice! My son slept through the night at 2 1/2 weeks old! I was very worried, but he was fine and he ate alot! It is very good that you are concerened and pay attention to his schedule. You are going great!
~N. DuBois

Whenever there is doubt, it's a good idea to consult the Pediatrician, for your own peace of mind. With that said, my 5 1/2 month old was full term and weighs the same as your baby. About two weeks ago she started sleeping 10-12 hours a night without waking, although she usually just catnaps during the day...maybe 30 minutes 2 or 3 times a day. Sounds like they are both in the normal range, but go ahead and run in by the Doc for reassurance. Enjoy the sleep!

Everything sounds normal to me. I am a mom of 3, who's children have slept 8 or more hours a night starting a 8-9 weeks. None of my children were premature but weighed about 13 or more pounds when they started sleeping thru the night. I would count my blessings. The nap thin is normal as well. My 1 year old still takes 2 2-3 hour naps a day and sleeps at night from 8pm till about 7 or 8 am. You got a keeper. Enjoy the time with him it goes so fast. Mine are almost 8, 4 and 1

Hi D.,
My son was born 11 weeks early (2lbs, 6ozand is now 4.5 years old and doing great. It sounds like your son is doing extremely well. Congratulations! It's great that your son is sleeping that many hours now. For whatever reason, 13 lbs is the magic number for being able to sleep that long without a feeding and not needing to worry! I remember waiting for 13 lbs to come our way! As long as your son stays on his growth curve, everything is fine. By all means call his doc if you need more reassurance, but from this mom of a preemie's perspective, your son sounds like he's doing exactly what is developmentally appropriate for his size. Oh -- and our pediatrician got on me for waking my son at 11pm to feed him because I was worried that he wouldn't gain enough weight. I was told I was pretty much training his body to wake up at 11 expecting a meal :)

Hi D.,
Congrats on your little guy. I'm glad he his doing great. Having him 12 week premature must have scary. I L. the book by Dr. Marc Weissbluth "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." I suggest skipping the intro as it is boring and going straight to his age area. It sounds like your little Jack is doing great on his sleeping. At that age, my daughter was sleeping through the night and going back down for naps within about 2 hours of waking. You are looking at about three naps a day with an early bedtime. It sounds weird, but Dr. Weissbluth says "Sleep begets sleep" and I know from experience that it is true. The trick is to put him down to sleep BEFORE he gets overtired. Sounds like you are doing great. My biggest complaint at that age was I couldn't go anywhere because my daughter was always sleeping and didn't get restorative sleep in the car or stroller. Until I became a mom, I never thought about the quality of sleep. But now I ask myself how well I sleep in a car and how I feel when I wake up. I think that we expect our children to tolerate a lot more than we would. Sorry if I sound preachy, but sleep for children is something I believe VERY strongly about. When we adults don't get enough sleep we feel awful. Ever had that feeling of "hitting the wall" and having a hard time going to sleep? Children get to that point much quicker and it takes longer to recover. The average adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep each night according to studies. Children need SO much more than an adult. I'll get off my soap box now. :-) Jack sounds like he is developing ahead of schedule and that is wonderful. Enjoy him, the first 2 years go by so fast. My daughter is 2 1/2 now and I miss having her as a baby sometimes.
Sincerely,
L.

Yes, it's normal. My oldest child, who is now 9, slept through the night at 2 mo.!!!The baby books say a baby should be able to sleep through the night when they are at least 10 pounds. Just enjoy it!!!

Hi D.,
You are blessed with a total normal child and don't seem surprised the older they get the more they sleep, my own two daughters always slept very well, that is how they grow by sleeping they are now 10 and 12 yrs old and still go to bed at 7pm and wake up at 6:30-7:00 am.IT IS NORMAL and very healthy, Good luck C. S

More than normal... I'd say a BLESSING!!! LOL!!!
Love, G.. :0)
P.S. I have a QUESTION for all of you lucky moms:
Are you children fully vaccinated?!!!
Because my son was sleeping all night too... until Hep B shot was given... after that I was lucky to get 2-5 hours at a time and non stop crying!!!

Very normal, my daughter was the same way at that age, 8-10 at night and napping all throughout the day. I did ask the Dr though and she told me the same thing as the other lady said on here. Make sure they are drinking plenty of milk and have plenty of wet diapers. Also, my daughter still sleeps a lot now, 9-12 a night and she is 5!! We are just blessed with peace and quiet thats all nothing to worry about! =)

That is great! I am sure you have the other Moms drooling as they reading this. My daughter who was born 8 lbs 10 oz sleep from 7pm-7am from 10 weeks on. She would also take a morning and afternoon nap. Enjoy your sleep and let him enjoy his. As a preemie, he is catching up and thriving.

Very normal my dear. My daughter was a great sleeper, sleeping all night all the time... until I quit my job when she was 5 1/2 months old, then stopped!! She is almost 17 months and still gets up in the middle of the night. My advise??? Enjoy it while it lasts!! ;o)

We also have a 5 1/2 month old who was a preemie. She sleeps about ten hours per night. I think it is wonderful. She also takes quite a few cat naps (30 minutes or so) during the day. I think it is all good!!

My second son slept like a log for 10-11 hours a night and then took a 4 hour nap in the afternoon - the doctor said that some babies just need more sleep than others and not to worry. That same kid prompty refused to take naps at 20 months so I'd be thankful for what you've got now and get some reading done or something! : )

You should be thankful! My son was also a preemie, but only by 8 weeks. He started sleeping through the night at 3 months! I went in to check on him all the time, but he was always fine. He's now a rambunctious 3 year old with tons of energy!!!

Count your blessings. You may find he has more wake time than you think. Babies will often play quietly for some time before making enough noise to notify the household they are awake. My seven month old sleeps from 7 pm to 6:30-7am and sleeps for two one hour naps during the day, sometimes more. I thank my lucky stars, finally a sleeper (he has four older siblings who thrived on the minimun amount of sleep). Make sure to get that belly laugh on tape, there's nothing else quite as pure and sparkling in this world.

Congratulations!! You got a normal healthy baby boy. Isn't it wonderful?

Hi D.,

Just another confirmation, yes it's normal, and YES enjoy it! My daughter, who is 4 1/2 months old, also sleeps through the night and has since she was about 2 months old. Congratulations on your healthy little guy!