Between the ages of 1 to 12 months, Circadian and Ultradian processes begin to develop into more mature patterns. Infants are increasingly responsive to environmental cues such as the light-dark cycle to synchronize their sleep/ wake state organization.
Infants have two different kinds of sleep:
- Rapid eye movement sleep also called active sleep or light sleep. Infants spend more of their sleeping time in REM sleep, as it is important for brain development and memory formation. During this sleep babies tend to breathe shallowly, twitch their arms and legs, flutter their eyes under their eyelids, squirm and grunt.
- Non- REM sleep also called deep or quiet sleep, where the baby is quiet and in deep sleep.
Between 3 to 6 months: During this age, babies will start to have less of active sleep and more of deep sleep. They tend to sleep for a total of 10 to 18 hours. At this age, baby’s sleep patterns will be more impacted by light and dark.
Between 6 to 12 months: At this age, your Baby will sleep up to a total of 10 to 16 hours a day and longer sleep at night for up to 12 hours. They experience separation anxiety and feel worried about being away from you at night and it may take longer for them to fall asleep.
During this age, your baby may learn to crawl, overcome separation anxiety, and social development.
Sleep challenges in Infants:
- They develop Separation anxiety which is fussing and crying when a parent is not around or leaves the room, and this begins at about 8 months, and peaks between 10 and 18 months. This is the time when infants learn that they are separate person from their primary caregiver, at this age they still have not mastered ‘ object permanence’ which means the idea that something still exists when it is not seen or heard. Thus, infants do not understand that the caregiver will return.
- Teething can be a sleep challenge in infants, as they begin teething around 4 to 6 months causing discomfort, irritability, fussiness and hence these contribute to difficulty in falling asleep. (https://www.chop.edu/primary-care/infant-sleep)
- Social cues such as timing of feedings and nighttime routines also begin to influence sleep/wake patterns ( Anders et al., 1995).
How to help Infants sleep better:
- Create an ideal sleep environment, as infants of 6 months age start to develop consistent sleep pattern.
- Start to teach your baby how to self soothe and learn how to fall asleep on their own.
- Comfort with reassurance: When your baby cries during the night, offer comfort through gentle words, patting, or picking them up for a quick cuddle (if needed). Over time, they will feel more secure and sleep more soundly.
- Teething discomfort: Many babies start teething between 6 and 12 months, and the discomfort can disrupt sleep. Use teething rings or chilled teething toys to soothe sore gums.