All parents of newborn babies attest to the fact that their newborns do sleep quite a lot. Typically, they sleep for about 14 up to 18 hours every day during their first week. By the time they turn one month old, their typical sleep would last from 12 to 16 hours every day.

However, most babies do not sleep for long stretches of time like adults do. Usually, during their first several weeks of life, they stay asleep for about two to four hours each time, whether day time or nighttime. This is why most parents, especially breastfeeding mothers, with newborn babies maintain a very tiring and irregular schedule. It is their responsibility to respond quickly to their newborn's cues. They have to be up and about almost half of the entire night in order to feed, change and comfort their babies.

What is going on within a newborn baby, for them to need a lot of sleep but stay so only for a few hours every time? Sleep cycles of babies are way much shorter than adults' sleep cycles. Babies also spend a significant part of their sleep in REM or rapid eye movement phase of sleep. This fact is thought to be vital for the various extraordinary developments occurring in their brain at their tender ages. Since REM sleep is much lighter compared to non-REM sleep, it is no wonder that a baby's sleep can be easily disrupted.

This kind of unpredictable sleep patterns is actually a required phase for all babies and does not last too long. In parents' point of view though, it would seem to go on forever, especially after weeks of sleep deprivation.

By the time a baby has reached six to eight weeks, he would begin sleeping shorter periods in daytime and longer periods in the nighttime. Still, most will continue waking up in order to feed, at night. At this time, too, they begin to spend longer periods of deep and non-REM sleep and lesser periods of REM sleep.

According to experts, somewhere between the third and sixth month of babies, they already develop the ability to sleep through the night for five to 6 hour stretches, though. Still there are some infants who can already sleep for long stretches at night by the time they are just 6 weeks old. Many babies do not reach this milestone, though until they are already on their 5th or 6th month. Still some continue waking up in the middle of the night until they are toddlers.

Parents can play a crucial role in helping their babies reach this milestone sooner. This can be achieved by teaching a baby admirable sleep habits from the very start.

Gerrard Mackenzie is the author of the ebook Supercharge Your Sleep and Special Sleep Report which taught thousands of the stressed-out, tired and overworked how to overcome their sleeping difficulties and get a better night's rest. He currently blogs over at Supercharge Your sleep Blog Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gerrard_Mackenzie