With each new day, children’s lives begin to become more active, and the required amount of sleep per day decreases. Babies sleep almost all day long, a seven-month-old baby spends 9 hours a day actively exploring the world around him. During this period, not many children can fall asleep on their own; most require parental supervision. To understand when to put their children to rest, parents need to know how much sleep a 7-month-old baby should sleep.
By 7 months the number of hours of sleep decreases
Sleep duration at 7 months
According to statistics, children at seven months should sleep about 15 hours a day. Parents should remember that these are averages and all children are unique. Therefore, sometimes boys or girls may sleep more or less than normal.
At night, children at 7 months sleep about 11-12 hours. Babies who are formula-fed may wake up a couple of times during the night to feed themselves. Those who are breastfeeding can wake up almost every hour at this age. This is why nursing mothers prefer to sleep with their children.
During the day, children sleep on average 3-3.5 hours. All waking hours include walking, feeding, playing, getting ready for bed, and falling asleep. Each time the activity should not exceed 3 hours.
At 7 months there is a transition to daytime rest; now the child only needs two naps for an hour or a little more. This transition takes place over a couple of weeks; for this, parents need not to suddenly change the child’s routine. For each baby, this is a period that proceeds differently, so children can sleep as much as they want.
Still, they try not to let children be active for more than 3 hours. If you do not follow these intervals, you may miss the moment when you need to put him to bed, after which it will be much more difficult to put the child to sleep.
Children are put to bed at the first sign of fatigue
Daytime nap
Pediatricians recommend three daily rests for a 7-month-old baby, but in practice this is not easy to do. It's difficult to put a little playful child to bed when there are so many interesting things around.
Noisy games should only be played after sleep.
When getting ready for bed, combine quiet activities such as reading a book or talking with your parents and siblings.
You should not let your baby sleep before going to bed at night. After all, then he won’t fall asleep on schedule and will break his routine. If the second day's rest was missed, then you should reduce the time of the evening festivities and put the baby to bed earlier. The total duration of daytime sleep should be up to 4 hours.
Day and night rest
How long does a one year old baby sleep?
Important! If a boy or girl has been taught to fall asleep with the breast, he will not immediately get out of the habit and will demand this ritual.
By how much a child sleeps at 7 months, parents can judge his healthy development. Daytime rest hours are less than nighttime; in general, children are 7 months old. sleep three times a day:
- A short morning rest - about an hour.
- Sleep continues a little longer after lunch.
- Sometimes there is a rest in the evening, about half an hour or a little more.
The seventh month of a child’s life is the time of transition to 2 naps a day. The period lasts about two weeks. Parents should not worry if their baby does not meet these deadlines. Dr. Komarovsky says that the process of transition to a new regime is important, because it promotes healthy development and teaches children discipline and organization in the future. You shouldn’t do this abruptly, because sometimes children get used to the new regime only by 9 months. This moment is always unique. Still, the closer the sleep indicators are to average norms, the better development will proceed.
So, during the day the baby sleeps 2-3 times, including short morning and evening rests. Night is the time when he rests more and more and wakes up less and less. Normally, children sleep 10.5-12 hours. Sometimes they may not wake up once all night to feed, until the morning hours. This often happens in children who are able to fall asleep on their own and who are fed at least 5 times a day according to a routine. Even if a clear routine is introduced, there is no guarantee that children can sleep through the night, because everyone’s sleep process is different.
Daytime rest includes morning and evening hours
To make it easier for parents to understand how much a 7-month-old baby sleeps, they can compare his sleep with average data on sleep norms for children of different ages.
Sleep norms at 7 months
| How many months/years | How long should you sleep (in hours) | How many hours of sleep during the day? | How many hours of sleep at night |
| Up to 1st month | 16-20 | 10 | 5-6 |
| Up to 3 months | 15-18 | 4,5-6 | 8-12 |
| Up to 6 months | 15-18 | 3-4,5 | 11-12 |
| Up to 8 months | 14,5-18 | 3-4 | 11-12 |
| Up to 9 months | 14-16 | 2,5-3 | 11-22 |
| Up to a year | 14-15 | 2,5-3 | 11-12 |
| Up to one and a half years | 13-14,5 | 1,5-2,5 | 11,5-12 |
| Up to 2 years | 13 | 1,5 | 11,5-12 |
| Up to 3 years | 12 | 1,25-1,5 | 10,75-11 |
Parents can use the data in this table to understand the required amount of sleep their boy or girl should have. At the same time, they should know that these are average norms; for everyone, these data may differ slightly, both up and down.
In order not to stray from the average norm, parents can make sure that the baby is awake for 3-4 hours in a row. In between this, he is put to bed so that he gets used to the regime. If this period is missed, the baby may begin to cry, which will change the period of night sleep.
The baby mixed up day and night
A 3 month old baby tries to learn a lot of new things in a day. He becomes more active, which leads to skipping daytime and nighttime sleep. A small child may begin to sleep only during the day and be awake at night.
A baby in infancy does not understand that he needs to be awake during the day and rest at night. Therefore, in order to establish a routine, it is necessary to keep the child occupied with toys during the daytime, and closer to night try to calm him down.
During the day you need to open the curtains and turn on the lights. This will help the baby understand the difference between day and night. You should also gradually reduce your nap time so that your baby can sleep longer at night. In the evening it is better to bathe the child and put him to bed. Be sure to remain quiet in the evening. You cannot turn on the TV or music loudly, or invite guests. All this disrupts the baby's sleep.
Features of sleep at this age
How long should a 9 month old baby sleep?
Note! Often in the seventh month, children may be capricious and cry, which may be a consequence of lack of sleep. At this age, children begin to understand that they are capable of many things: they try to stand up, sit down, touch everything around them and do not know what to do with themselves. This can also make it difficult to fall asleep, so parents calm the baby and distract his attention from extraneous things and sounds while going to bed.
The presence of the mother at this age is mandatory
The development period from 7-7.5 months is quite calm. At this time, the baby already understands that sometimes certain objects should be nearby. The simplest example for him is his closeness to his mother. He knows that mom can be either close or moving away, which he won’t like. This gives rise to the fear that his mother might leave him. Such fears can have an impact on the baby’s restful sleep, and consequently on his development.
To prevent this, mothers try to choose places for games so that the baby can always see where she is. They also always tell him where they are going and what they are doing; in case of children's tantrums, they do not rush to calm him down (this can only strengthen such a reaction), but calmly explain that mom is nearby. So that the baby is not afraid to fall asleep, the mother is also next to him and explains where she will be when the baby wakes up, so that he is not afraid to be in the room alone.
In addition to this important developmental moment, it is also important to pay attention to other features that affect children's sleep at 7 months:
- During this period, rest at night lasts from 7 hours in a row. If your baby sleeps longer, it means he is able to fall asleep on his own.
- In autumn and winter, with the arrival of cold weather, children's bodies begin to rebuild, and due to internal thermoregulation processes, the baby may sleep longer than usual. In order for the regime to remain normal, parents try to maintain the desired temperature in the house.
- If before the baby quickly fell asleep during daytime walks, now he will get tired much more slowly. He will be interested in everything that happens around him.
- Children begin to learn not only about the world around them, but also about themselves. New skills can be unconsciously manifested during sleep, so parents monitor the safety of children during rest. They can crawl or sit.
The baby has become more active, which means it is more difficult to put him to sleep during the day
Why do you need to sleep during the day?
Dreaming during the daytime is important for the full development of the little toddler. They have a beneficial effect on good mood, assimilation of information, and remove the stress hormone cortisol from the body.
Thanks to sleep during the day, the baby accumulates energy and gets physical rest. As children grow older, they gradually stop going to bed during the day. However, one must take into account the likelihood of premature withdrawal, which can lead to serious stress on the baby’s nervous system.
For parents to understand whether their little one is ready to completely give up daytime dreams, they need to pay attention to a number of signs:
- the baby is in a good mood throughout the day;
- due to the fact that the little one went to bed during the day, he cannot fall asleep for a very long time in the evening hours;
- parents spend a lot of time trying to lull their baby to sleep during the day, sometimes they succeed, and at other times they are unsuccessful;
- If the child does not sleep during the day, go to bed in a timely manner in the evening and sleep soundly throughout the night.
According to statistics:
- at 3 years of age, 90% of children have daytime sleep;
- in 4 – 50% five times a week;
- at 5 years - 25%, on average 4 times a week;
- at 6 years old - children give up daytime dreams.
Daytime sleep problems
Sometimes parents are faced with a situation where the child does not want to sleep during the day. In most cases, this is observed in children aged 2 years. The reasons for this behavior may be the following factors.
- Late awakening. This leads to the fact that the baby does not have time to get tired. If a child does not have a routine and wakes up at the time he wants, for example, at 10 o’clock, then the period of wakefulness is not enough to go to bed at lunchtime.
- Excess of emotions does not allow you to go to bed. This can occur when guests appear in your home or when they try to put the child to bed, for example, at a grandmother’s.
- Uncomfortable bed. Perhaps the little one is hot under the blanket or he doesn’t like the new pillow, maybe he has grown up and is now cramped in the crib.
- Lack of active games and walks in the fresh air. The child does not expend energy in the required amount, so there is no need for daytime rest.
- Distractions. It is difficult for a child to fall asleep if the room is too cold or hot, the lights are on, or extraneous noise is heard.
- Child hyperactivity. Perhaps your little one is simply too active and, in principle, it is difficult for him to stay in one place for a long time and do nothing.
How to help your baby
Be sure to walk in the morning and allow him to move more. It's good to spend energy and get tired using a scooter or bicycle. You can have a great time and tire your baby out by jumping on a trampoline. Establish a daily routine. Wake up your baby early
It is advisable that waking up and going to bed always occur at the same time. Please ensure that the room has optimal temperature and humidity and that there are no irritating factors. Provide your child with quiet playtime, starting an hour before bedtime. If you still can’t get your baby to sleep, then don’t be nervous, scold or blackmail your child. It’s better to just do something pleasant, for example, draw together. You shouldn’t rule out the possibility that your child simply stopped sleeping during the day.
In this case, his night sleep should increase, and his emotional state should be excellent. It must be remembered that children fall asleep more slowly than adults, especially during the day. Give your baby at least half an hour to do this. If your child gets too busy playing, carefully redirect his attention to a calm activity. You can play with the same toys, but in calmer games. And then move on, for example, to reading. Set an example for your child. An older brother or mother can lie down next to him.
Explain to your child why it is so important to go to bed during the day.
Causes of sleep problems
Plasma cells in the blood of a child according to the results of the analysis
Any caring mother understands that this age is a very important moment in development. With each new month, the duration of sleep will change, so you need to make sure that your child gets enough rest without staying awake for too long. Monitoring only how much sleep a 7-month-old child should sleep per day is not enough; it is also important to pay attention to the reasons that affect or interfere with the quality of rest. All of them are divided into two groups: those that prevent the baby from falling asleep, and those that make him sleep restlessly.
Reasons that prevent you from falling asleep:
- Unformed daily routine. Small children, unlike adults, do not yet know how to go to bed on their own, much less understand when it is time to do so. Without a routine, they will not learn to do this on their own, so parents must understand the importance of introducing it. If the baby has gone out too much or stayed awake for a long time, he will be capricious and have difficulty falling asleep. Then the parents try to calm the little one down and put him to bed, the next time they get ready to put him to bed when the first signs of fatigue appear.
- Established habits that make the baby fall asleep. For example, he is used to falling asleep in his arms or from motion sickness. Gradually, it is necessary to wean boys and girls from such rituals so that it is easier and faster for them to fall asleep themselves in the future.
- Something may interfere with the baby's ability to fall asleep, noise or light may distract him. The windows are closed and the curtains are drawn. Sometimes a lack of oxygen prevents you from falling asleep, so it is recommended to ventilate the space before going to bed. If the air in the room is too warm or dry, the mucous membrane in the nose will dry out and the baby will have difficulty breathing.
- Sometimes mothers expect that their children will be able to sleep longer in the morning if they are put to bed later. In fact, children will only have trouble falling asleep.
Causes of disturbing sleep:
- The cause may be pain - teething, or a tummy bother. These symptoms may make sleep more disturbed, and the child may wake up frequently and cry.
- Uncomfortable clothing—tight, with tight seams, or restricting movement—can cause dissatisfaction and anxiety.
- Often the reason may be an emotional component, when children have experienced too many intense emotions during the day, or something is bothering them. Resentment or lack of attention also affects the quality of sleep. This also includes the fear of being removed from the mother. Children are very close to their mothers and can take on their emotional moods.
Sleep problems can affect healthy development
Additional Information. From 3 months of age, an internal biological rhythm begins to form, and the child may subsequently turn out to be a “lark” or a “night owl.” If the regime created by the parents does not coincide with the baby’s internal biological cycle, then he may be capricious.
In other cases, sleep problems may arise due to underlying health problems. For example, pathological crying can be difficult to stop by any means, unlike normal crying. If parents believe that their child has pathological reasons for unhealthy sleep, it is better for them to seek the help of a doctor.
So, parents monitor how much sleep a child should sleep at 7 months, for which they introduce a routine or a smooth transition to daytime rest. At night, rest should gradually become continuous; during the day, the baby is put to bed 2-3 times (including morning and evening). They try not to let him be active for more than 3 hours in a row, and also monitor all the conditions for comfortable sleep.
