when do babies sleep longer

Babies typically start sleeping longer stretches at night around 3-6 months of age, with many achieving 6+ hours by 6 months, though patterns vary widely.

Sleep Milestones by Age

Newborns (0-3 months) often wake frequently for feeds, totaling 14-17 hours daily but in short bursts of 2-4 hours.

By 3-6 months , sleep cycles lengthen, enabling 6-hour night stretches for some, with total sleep dropping to 12-15 hours including 2-3 naps.

6-12 months brings consolidated night sleep of 10-14 hours, often with fewer wakings, as daytime naps stabilize at 2-4 hours.

Parent Experiences from Forums

Reddit threads like r/NewParents and r/beyondthebump show real-world variety—some babies hit 4-6 hour stretches at 6-8 weeks, others not until 4-6 months or later.

One parent noted: > "Dude get off Reddit, it will be what it will be... you’ll only find tools who think they’ve cracked the code."

Trending context : Recent 2025 discussions highlight "sleep regressions" around 4 and 8 months disrupting progress, but most consolidate by year one.

Factors Influencing Longer Sleep

• Developmental readiness : Full-term babies organize day/night cycles by 6-8 weeks; preemies may lag.

• Consistent routines (bedtime rituals, dark room) encourage extension, per expert sites.

• Health checks rule out reflux or hunger; avoid forcing "sleep training" too early.

Age Range| Night Stretch Expectation| Total 24-Hour Sleep| Common Naps 13
---|---|---|---
0-3 mo| 2-4 hours| 14-17 hours| 4-5 short naps
3-6 mo| 4-6+ hours| 12-15 hours| 2-3 naps (up to 2h each)
6-12 mo| 8-12 hours| 11-14 hours| 2 naps (2-4h total)

Every baby differs—track patterns and consult pediatricians for persistent issues, as recent Cleveland Clinic updates affirm most sleep through by 6 months.

TL;DR : Longer sleeps often emerge at 3-6 months, solidifying by 12 months; forum parents report high variability but optimism post-regressions.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.