Sleeping

According to Stanford Children's, babies typically start sleeping through the night — defined there as 6 to 8 hours — around 3 months.¹⁴ According to the Cleveland Clinic, most babies can "sleep for five to six hours at a stretch without feeding" by 6 months, some as early as 4; newborns, meanwhile, sleep in "short bursts between feedings" of about 30 minutes to three hours, and babies 4–12 months need about "12 to 16 hours a day, including naps."¹⁵ And the AAP wants you to lower the bar on the phrase itself: "a good sleeper is a child who wakes up frequently but can get himself back to sleep. It is not a child who sleeps without waking for 10 hours at night" — in young infants, "frequent waking is developmentally appropriate."⁸

From the Cleveland Clinic: a consistent 20–30 minute bedtime routine (bath, lullaby, book), steady nap times so your baby isn't overtired, bright light and activity in the day with dim light at night, and a room around 68–72°F.¹⁵ From Stanford Children's: put your baby down "drowsy, but before going to sleep," don't let them fall asleep in your arms, and for night wakings "comfort and reassure your baby by patting and soothing."¹⁴ From the AAP: keep a regular daily routine and turn off all screens at least an hour before bedtime.¹⁸

According to the AAP, swaddling is fine (though it doesn't reduce SIDS risk) — but stop "when your baby looks like they're trying to roll over," typically around 3–4 months, because a swaddled baby who rolls onto their stomach is at risk.¹³

The AAP's guidance: back to sleep for every sleep; a firm, flat surface in a safety-standard crib, bassinet, or play yard; and a bare sleep space — no pillows, quilts, comforters, blankets, toys, or bumper pads.¹³

Here's where the village has to be straight with you, because the expert guidance is stricter than the internet: the AAP recommends room-sharing — your baby's own separate sleep surface (crib or bedside bassinet) in your bedroom — "for at least the first 6 months," noting "room sharing… can decrease the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%." But the AAP recommends against bed-sharing (baby in your bed, even with barriers), because the risks are substantially higher, especially with young infants.¹³ So the AAP-endorsed version of "co-sleeping close" is a bedside bassinet pulled up next to your bed — closeness without the shared mattress.

Per the AAP: "Once your toddler can climb out of their crib, it may be time to transition to a 'big kid' bed." Their transition tips: place the crib mattress on the floor at first, keep the bedtime routine identical, secure dressers so they can't tip, and keep your responses to the inevitable curtain calls "brief and boring" — they warn that "twenty 'farewell appearances' in one evening is by no means an unusual number."¹⁷

Stanford Children's: "Talk with your baby's doctor if your baby begins having trouble going to sleep or staying asleep, especially if this is a new pattern."¹⁴ Cleveland Clinic adds: reach out if your baby seems extremely fussy and can't be soothed, is hard to wake, or is uninterested in feeding.¹⁵ If the tips aren't working — go. That's what they're there for.