Parenting Blog

The life of newborn babies is mostly all about feeding and sleeping. After all, he/she is in the inertia of the long cozy sleep inside the mother’s body. Parents do need to know how much a newborn baby normally sleeps in 24 hours. 

While newborn babies do not follow a set routine for sleep, for most babies, the sleeping time is up to 18 hours daily (in 24 hours). But the sleep is often intermittent and the baby wakes every 2 to 3 hours to be fed. Also, most babies will sleep for 3 to 5 hours maximum at a stretch. Following are some common sleep patterns for newborn babies of varying ages: 

Up to 3 Months

Newborn babies, ranging in age from their natal day up to 3 months, usually take 16 to 18 hours of sleep daily. The sleep is divided into 2-3 hours sessions. Their sleep does not have to do much with night or day and they will sleep almost equally at day as they do at night. The day-night awareness appears in the baby at an age of around 6 to 8 weeks. By the age of 2 to 3 months, a sleep pattern is developed by the child. The parent can then anticipate when the child is going to sleep and how long the sleep is going to continue at a particular time. 

3 to 6 Months

The total daily sleep of the baby at this age is about 14 to 16 hours. It is usually 8 hours of sleep at night and 6 hours at day (divided in three stretches of 2 hours each). The child gets asleep more readily and does not wake in the absence of much disturbance. Some babies at this age may not wake at all during the night. However, most would wake once to be fed. By the age of 6 months, the daytime sleep drops to 2 naps, each lasting about 2 hours. 

6 to 12 Months

During the 6 months to one year, the total daily sleep of a baby is 12 to 14 hours. Most babies take a daily nap of about 2 to 3 hours each. A 6 month sold baby is able to sleep well through the night, without waking at all. But many kids do wake once. Before the baby’s first birthday, a long stretch of sleep (about 11 hours or more) is less likely to occur.

There is not a universal answer as to when you should move your precious little one out of the crib into their own bed. Only you will know when you feel is the right time. Most little ones make this transition between 18 months and three years old. However, there are quite a few circumstances that may be pushing you in that direction.

One may be that there is a new baby on the way who will be needing to use the crib. If this is the case try not to kick your toddler out of the crib too suddenly. You don’t want them to feel that they are being set aside or forced out of the way for their new brother or sister. Gradually work on the transition and allow plenty of time to do so. This means don’t wait until Mom is in labor to do it! Give yourself at least a few months so your toddler will have time to adjust and won’t feel second best to the new baby.

If they are beginning to climb out of their crib, it may be time to start mapping out your plans for their transition. Safety can become an important factor at this stage. If the rails on the crib are meeting up mid-way to high on their chest, they should be moving to their own bed more than likely. Climbing out becomes increasingly easier and will increase the risk of injury at this point.

If your little toddler is potty training or has already been basically potty trained, it only makes sense for them to be sleeping in a bed. They will need the freedom to get in and out of bed when they need to so they can go use the potty.

Once you have decided that it is time for the big occasion, remember that you will need to have a big pool of understanding. There are several ways to try to get your little one excited about the change.

Talk about the big change well in advance of actually implementing it. Try to get a sense of excitement built up around the occasion. If your little one has a favorite cartoon or such, you may try sprucing up the new bed with sheets and pillows of that character. Take your toddler shopping with you and let them see all of the wonderful, new choices they have now that they will be sleeping in a real bed. Let them help you pick out what will go on the bed.

If you can, you may want to place the bed in the exact same place that the crib was at. This will allow your little one to keep a feeling of security. They will be in the same surroundings, and have the same views.

You can even try just using a mattress on the floor. Toddler beds normally have the same size mattress so you can even begin the transition by using the crib mattress on the floor. Once they are accustomed to this, and then transfer the mattress into a toddler bed frame.

The transition out of the crib is a milestone and can be a delightful experience. Just make sure that your toddler is ready and carry around lots of patience and understanding in your pocket!

Although you may not appreciate it much at all when your little one tosses their ravioli across the room, you should understand what is probably running through that little head of theirs. Toddlers love when they start discovering new things. Throwing is only one of the many exciting discoveries they will be making.

Sure, they may not know what the word gravity means but they definitely can be fascinated with the way it works. They are learning that everything they are able to throw will always come down. They are developing amazing motor skills that allow them to grasp something, and know when to release that grasp to effectively throw it.

Try not to punish them for this discovery unless it is putting them, you, or someone in danger. Of course, what they throw can play an important role in what is acceptable. If they are choosing to throw their toy truck in the living room, that will likely end in something being broken, try to redirect them to something suitable to throw.

Stock up on plenty of light and small balls that can safely be tossed around the house. When you see your little about to throw that toy truck, gently take it from and tell him that trucks are not for throwing. Give them one of the indoor balls and tell him it is ok to throw it.

Your little one will learn what is ok to throw and what isn’t. A great way for them to do this is to play tossing games with them, and let them naturally see that these balls are for throwing. If you have an empty box, or even a clothes basket, you can set it a few feet away on the floor. Then spend a little time taking turns, playing and tossing the soft balls into the basket.

Your toddler may develop the frustrating habit of throwing things in frustration. This may be throwing things at you or simply across the room during a tantrum, or throwing rocks and sand at you or someone while outside. If this happens try to be calm, although I know that can be difficult. At first don’t make a big deal out of it and they may actually see that it does not get them any attention. Then they won’t be likely to repeat it. However, in some cases they may repeat it anyways.

If this happens try to lead them to communicate their frustration in another way. Tell them it is not ok to throw these, or to throw in that situation. It may be necessary to tell them no, and lead them away from the situation in a small time out. Remember, you don’t want a time out to be too long or they will lose focus on why they are in time out.

Your little one will eventually learn what is ok to throw and what isn’t. They will surely love it if you spend a little bit of time each day playing tossing games as described above. This is a fascinating new skill and who wants to take away such an exciting new time from their little one?

Your journey through parenthood should include a primary focus on setting limits for your child. These limits will help them develop their individuality while creating a blanket of security of around them at the same time. Without limits they will not learn some of the most basic elements of everyday life. Every toddler obviously needs to know not to run out the door and into the street, and not to put their hands up on the stove. The main purpose of setting down ground rules and limits is their safety.

Toddlers are a bundle of joy, but require you to develop a truck load of patience and consistency. Often, when your little one misbehaves it is not just an act of disobedience. They may simply not realize the limits set for them, or they may be trying to determine the exactness of it.

When you are setting limits for your little one try to remember a very important rule of thumb. Discipline does not equal punishment. Try to keep in mind that your goal is their safety, happiness, and for them to learn the rules. It is not to punish them every time it seems they have made a mistake.

This does not mean to let them run rampant and ignore everything you are trying to teach them. However, when they do something that appears to be misbehaving, gently make them aware that there are consequences to the decisions they are making. By only punishing them, they may not realize what it is they are being punished for. They will not learn the important steps in the decision making process.

The limits that you decide to set for your little one should be simple. You don’t want to confuse them. Also, you do not have a rule for every single thing they do every single day. Toddlers need room to experience new things, make their mistakes, learn from them, and grow. This is what the toddler years are all about.

As mentioned, patience and consistency are key attributes to parenting a little one at this age. The limits that you have set need to be consistent so your child will always know what they are. Don’t let it be ok to do something one day, and the next day it be a no-no. This helps them to maintain a feeling of control because they know what is expected of them, and they have the choice to adhere to it. (Of course, there are consequences if they don’t)
When your little one tests you and the limits you have set, they are secretly asking you to show how dependable and consistent you and your limits are.

Don’t fail to set limits because of the fact that you can’t stand to see your little sweetie so upset. Toddlers need small amounts of frustration to learn how to properly deal with it.
Setting and keeping limits for your toddler will help them and you enjoy more rewarding time together. You’ll also be helping teach your little one how to grow, learn, and adapt into the world that they’ll be taking by storm.