There are so many opinions about child sleep. When my daughter was nine months old, a doctor told me she “should already sleep through the night” and that I should stop night feedings. To me, this felt unrealistic — and current research does not actually support those strict expectations.
In reality, babies need as much closeness, comfort, and reassurance as they ask for, day or night. In our family, both of my children woke frequently during the night well into toddlerhood. My daughter woke every three hours until about 18 months, and my son almost every hour for the same period. And honestly — it worked beautifully for them. They were content, secure, and healthy, and we felt they were developing strong trust in the world.
Once they naturally weaned, they began sleeping through the night almost immediately. And so did I.
One thing that helped was the ability to stay at home during their baby years. I slept with them during the day when needed, so I never felt drained or overwhelmed. Support from my partner — and also from grandparents — made a huge difference too.
Sleep is important, of course. With both children, I made sure they had around ten hours of nighttime sleep available. I usually got six to seven hours myself, in shorter stretches, and that was absolutely enough. Daytime naps also played a role:
- In the first four months, they slept whenever they needed to, without a strict rhythm.
- From about four months to one year, they had two daytime naps.
- After one year, they naturally shifted to one daytime nap.
Recent sleep studies suggest that many three-year-olds no longer need a daytime nap. This has been true in our family — my daughter stopped napping before turning three. If she sleeps at preschool during the day, she actually struggles to fall asleep at night. Her current sleep rhythm is about 21:30–07:30.
My son (1 year 10 months) still naps once per day — sometimes one hour, sometimes two — and sleeps from about 20:30–07:30 at night.
Every child is different, but I’ve learned that following your child’s natural rhythm tends to create the most peace and well-being for everyone.
How is sleep in your family? How much do your children sleep?
If you want to read more science, here is an article:
One of the most comprehensive scientific resources on infant sleep is “Normal Sleep Development in Infants: Findings from Two Large Birth Cohorts”. This study followed thousands of babies to map out what typical sleep patterns look like during the first years of life.
You are not alone in this.
If you would like to go deeper, you can buy the e-book Our Journey – A Different Path for honest reflections and lived experience beyond this post: https://payhip.com/b/c9s3b
You can also purchase supportive routine templates designed to help parents and children navigate daily life with more clarity, structure, and understanding: https://payhip.com/b/RYA65
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