Adult Sleep vs Baby Sleep

It is so easy to assume our babies sleep like us but they really don’t. The science behind babies sleep is fascinating and it really helps us to understand why they do what they do.

Firstly babies sleep cycles are shorter than ours usually around 30-45 minutes and up to 60 minutes at one year old. An adults sleep cycle is around 90 minutes. We all tend to rouse between our sleep cycles but the thing to remember is babies have more sleep cycles than us because theirs are shorter.

Around 4 months (the progression/regression) occurs and babies sleep becomes more like adults sleep however they do spend more time in REM sleep (light sleep) which is when you are easily woken.

If we wake in the night we have the ability to solve our own problem; get a drink, use the toilet, get an extra blanket etc.
However a baby can not explain what they need or meet their own needs so will often need us to work out what it is they want.

Learning to self soothe is also a skill babies do not have. Self soothing is learning to regulate your feelings and emotions which is why they need comfort and reassurance from you.