Besides eating, sleeping, and excreting, it seems like newborns don't have much else to do. They eat and sleep, sleep and eat. Inexperienced new parents may think that there is something wrong with their child. So, how long should a newborn baby sleep?
Sleep is beneficial for development
Newborns have not fully developed their brains yet, so they easily become tired and fall asleep. Only with sufficient sleep can the development and maturation of various organs and tissues be ensured. Otherwise, it is detrimental to the maturation of brain tissue and the growth and development of organs.
How long is the right amount of sleep
As for how long a newborn baby should sleep, there are large individual differences in sleep time. For example, some babies can sleep for a long time at once, while others are lively and do not want to sleep for a long time. Preterm babies need more sleep because their maturity is lower than full-term babies. Generally speaking, as the age increases, the duration of sleep will become shorter. Newborn babies sleep for about 20 hours a day. At 2 months old, babies sleep for about 18 hours a day. At 4 months old, babies sleep for about 16 hours a day. At 9 months old, babies sleep for about 15 hours a day. Around 1 year old, 13-14 hours of sleep is sufficient.
In fact, parents don't need to strictly follow what books say about the baby's sleep time. If the baby eats well, is relatively happy, and doesn't seem tired every day, then there is no need to worry too much even if their sleep time does not meet the general requirements.
