Reference
Is this normal at this age?
I wrote this page for 2am. ChatGPT had ideas to share but I kept asking the same questions night by night. This is the app that I really wanted.
Here is the usual range, for sleep, feeding and tummy time, from birth to about 12 months.
The short answer
- Every number on this page is a range, not a target. Babies differ by hours and by feeds. A baby outside a range is not automatically a problem.
- Sleep. A newborn sleeps 14 to 17 hours in 24 hours, including naps. From 4 to 11 months it is 12 to 16 hours.
- Feeding. Milk only until around 6 months. Feed on demand, not by the clock. Solids start around 6 months, alongside milk.
- Tummy time. Start the day baby is born. Aim for at least 30 minutes a day, broken into short goes, while baby is awake and watched.
- Sleeping. On their back, every sleep, day and night. In their own safe sleep space, in the same room as a parent, for at least the first 6 months.
Why this page has four rows and not eight
I thought the rules would change every month, so I went looking for the row for my baby's exact age. It turns out there are only four.
The Australian guidance changes at three points in the first year: at about 3 months, at about 6 months, and at about 12 months. Those are the rows.
What changes in between is the baby, not the advice.
The table
| 0 to 3 months | 3 to 6 months | 6 to 12 months | About 12 months | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total sleep in 24 hours | 14 to 17 hours | 12 to 16 hours | 12 to 16 hours | 11 to 14 hours |
| Daytime sleep | Sleeps and wakes often, day and night | 2 to 3 naps, each up to 2 hours | 2 to 4 hours of naps | 1 sleep of 1 to 2 hours |
| Where baby sleeps | Own safe sleep space, same room as a parent | Own safe sleep space, same room as a parent to at least 6 months | Own safe sleep space | Own safe sleep space |
| Bassinet or cot | Either, until baby can roll or push up on the sides, or turns 3 months | Cot | Cot | Cot |
| Wrapped or sleeping bag | Wrapped, until the first sign of rolling or 3 months, whichever is first. Then a sleeping bag | Sleeping bag, arms out | Sleeping bag, arms out | Sleeping bag, arms out |
| What baby eats | Breast milk or infant formula only | Breast milk or infant formula only | Milk, plus solids from around 6 months | Family foods, plus milk |
| How often | On demand. About 6 to 8 feeds in 24 hours, and up to 12 if breastfeeding | On demand | Milk continues while solids build up | 3 meals, plus milk |
| Tummy time | A minute or two at a time at first. 10 to 15 minutes by 2 to 3 months | Floor play, both ways up | Floor play and crawling. More is better | Active floor play |
Read the section for whichever line Dadda is worried about. The detail is below.
Sleep
Newborn sleep is broken because newborn sleep cycles are short. A newborn's cycle lasts only 45 to 60 minutes. He is not doing it wrong.
At around 4 to 6 weeks a baby starts to develop a body clock and responds to light and dark. That is when longer stretches begin.
From 3 to 6 months a baby can sleep straight for up to 6 to 8 hours at night. Can, not will.
- Babies wake at night. That is normal at every age on this page. As a baby grows they sleep more at night and less in the day.
- One note on the ranges. He will see different spans quoted for a newborn: 14 to 17 hours, and 11 to 19 hours. Both are wide on purpose.
Where baby sleeps, and what in
- Always place baby on their back to sleep, for every sleep, day and night. Keep their head and face uncovered.
- Baby sleeps in their own safe sleep space, in the same room as a parent or carer, for at least the first 6 months. A cot and a bassinet both do that job.
- A bassinet is finished early. Stop using it once baby can roll over, or pull themselves up the side, or is over 3 months old. Whichever comes first.
- Wrapping stops at the first sign of rolling, or 3 months, whichever comes first. Some babies show signs well before 3 months. A wrap can stop an older baby who has rolled onto their tummy from getting back onto their back.
Use lightweight muslin or cotton to wrap. Then move to a safe sleeping bag.
- A safe sleeping bag fits around the neck, has armholes or sleeves so baby can move their arms freely, and has no hood.
- If Dadda uses sheets and a blanket instead, they are lightweight muslin or cotton. Tuck them in firmly on three sides. Pull them up no higher than the chest.
Nothing else goes in. No doona, no loose blanket, no pillow, no cot bumper, no lambswool, no soft toys.
Feeding
Feed on demand, not by the clock. Follow the baby's hunger cues. The hours in the table are what usually happens, not a schedule to hold a baby to.
A young baby may feed 8 to 12 times in 24 hours, including several times at night. Over a day that is about 2 to 5 hours of feeding in total.
- Milk only until around 6 months. Breast milk is recommended. Where that is not possible, infant formula is the safest alternative for a baby under 12 months.
- Solids start at around 6 months. "Around 6 months" is a general figure, so a few weeks either side is still around 6 months.
- Four months is not where the Australian recommendation starts. Around 6 months is. Starting solids before 4 months is linked to a higher risk of being overweight later in childhood.
- First foods are iron-rich. The range and the amount build up, so that by 12 months baby is eating a wide variety of family foods.
- Milk keeps going the whole time. Breast milk or formula continues while solids are introduced.
No other drinks in the first 12 months, except cooled boiled tap water. A cup can start at around 6 months. Cow's milk can start at around 12 months.
Tummy time
- Start the day baby is born. Supervised tummy time, often through the day, while baby is awake and not too tired or hungry.
- At the beginning, a minute or two is the whole session. That is normal. By 2 to 3 months most babies manage 10 to 15 minutes and can lift their head and look around.
The daily goal for a baby who is not yet moving around is at least 30 minutes of tummy time a day, spread through the day. Short goes, often, add up to it.
A rolled towel or cloth nappy under the armpits and chest gives extra support. Take the towel out before baby goes on their back to sleep.
- Never leave baby alone or unsupervised on their tummy. It is dangerous if they fall asleep or their airway gets covered.
- Once baby is moving, floor play replaces the minutes. Supervised floor-based play several times a day, including crawling. More is better.
Keep baby out of a pram, car seat or high chair for more than 1 hour at a stretch. Screen time is not recommended under 1 year.
What this page does not tell Dadda
- It does not tell him whether his baby is fine. It tells him what the usual range is. Those are different questions, and only the second one has an answer on a web page.
- It is not a schedule. Nothing here is a routine to get a baby onto. The feeding guidance is explicit: feed on demand.
- It has no weights, no amounts and no doses. We do not write those. His child health nurse does.
- A baby outside a range is not a diagnosis. If something worries Dadda, the range is not the thing to check. The person is.
Also look at
- The full item: bassinet
- The full item: cot and mattress
- The full item: sleeping bag
- The full item: muslin wraps
- Why the bassinet is finished by about three months
- What swaddling means