If you have not already done so, please read Blog Posts 1 through 5 that describe how sleep is important and beneficial. I will post specific information for parents and children based on my book, “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.” Please do not be put off by my book’s length. This is a reference book. Read only the topic of interest to you.
During the first 6 months, there are predictable transitions regarding healthy baby sleep:
The timing of these transitions are approximations, but they do apply for the vast majority of infants.
However, some infants (20%) have colic and difficulty settling at night until they are 2-4 months old, and some infants have only brief and/or more frequent naps until 9 months old.
Also, some parents are unable to put their baby to sleep when drowsy but awake (Blog Post 9) and some parents respond to every sound their baby makes with an unnecessary feeding (Blog Post 11).
Because of individual variation within your child (Blog Posts 14 and 94) and issues within the parents (Blog Posts 17–18), it is important to be flexible and nonjudgmental.
My baby sleep advice, during the first 6 months, is simple: