When will my baby start sleeping through the night?

Please keep in mind that waking up or crying at night can be due to many reasons. Apart from hunger, thirst, or full diapers, there are other reasons – like teething, strong growth periods, infections or the effects of a busy day. These can all cause a child to exhibit unusual sleeping behaviour, like waking up, babbling or demanding to be breastfed or the milk bottle again. Some babies cry and scream if they need affection, or simply to vent stress. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that your child will sleep through the night. It may also happen that a baby who has always slept through the night suddenly starts to wake up at night again. This will usually be a short phase that will pass.

It is important to have consistent daily routines with regular meals, bedtime and other activities such as walks outdoors. Regular bedtime routines such as bathing, eating, bedtime stories or lullabies help to create a calm atmosphere.

Do not lose your patience if your child cannot develop regular sleeping habits immediately. There is no magic trick for it. You cannot control your child’s sleep. What you can do is to help your child find a fixed rhythm and develop healthy sleeping habits. Do not get discouraged if other parents tell you their babies already sleep through the night. The definition of sleeping through the night is relative, because it is also used for infants, even if they just sleep from midnight to 5 or 6 o’clock in the morning. Parents with young children must be prepared to accept that their own night’s sleep will usually be interrupted frequently during the first 3 – 4 years.