How Much Did Your 3 Month Old Sleep During the Day?

Updated on December 16, 2009
A.W. asks from Woodridge, IL
22 answers

My son is 12 weeks old and only lasts for about an hour to 2 after eating and then wants to take a nap for about an hour to 2. He sleeps good at night and is energetic during his waking hours. It just seems like he's sleeping a lot.

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S.O.

answers from Champaign on

Quite a bit (and I hope you get some too).

Another book, similar, but shorter is On Becoming Babywise (waited forever for Healthly Sleep Habits from the library).

My kids often did a cycle of eat, awake time (1 hr) and sleep (2 hrs) all day at that age. They slowly stretched out from there.

Good luck!

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C.H.

answers from Chicago on

Perfectly normal. My 4 month old is in a similar schedule, and my older kid did the same thing. If you read "sleep expert" Marc Weissbluth's theories on sleep, this kind of routine is not only normal, getting this much sleep is necessary for child brain development.

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J.C.

answers from Chicago on

Wow! You have produced the perfect baby:) check this one off yur list of things to worry about! He is perfectly normal. Enjoy it while you can, because at some point soon things will change, and then you will be worried about why they have changed! I remember being worried and sometimes frustrated by every little thing and change in the routine I tried to keep my son on. Then I had my daughter, and I thought I knew what to expect.....she was totally different! One day my mom looked at me and said, "Well they are people, you know. They are different, and they have bad and good days just like everyone else.".....How simple and profound.... Thank God for mothers! Mothers are programed to worry, so you are normal too, but make an effort to enjoy your son everyday, even when things get overwhelming. Have Fun! :)

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M.T.

answers from Chicago on

I gave birth to four children. I've had the privilege of loving and watching others grow throughout the years. I'm also a grandmom. First each baby is unique in his or her own way. That said, babies grow while sleeping. you may want to examine what you are feeding your child, are you nursing? What do you eat? Is your child strictly on formula? If the child is eating improperly then the sleep habits may be effected. Nevertheless, if your child is healthy, count your many blessings. Enjoy the peace.

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S.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Totally normal. At three months my daughter didn't stay awake for more than an hour and a half at a time. Babies know how much sleep they need, so just follow his lead - he'll let you know what he needs!

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M.G.

answers from Chicago on

In the spirit of the season I'll say: Hallelujah! this is what is known as having an easy baby. Enjoy!

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J.W.

answers from Chicago on

My daughter is also 3 months and this is our schedule:
wake at 7:30 and eat, up for 1.5-2 hours, then sleep for 1.5-2 hours (today she actually slept for 3 hours), then wake and eat and up for 1.5-2 hours, then sleep for 1-1.5 hours, and continue this for the rest of the day until 9:30 and she eats and sleeps until 7:30 the next morning. So she sleeps for about 10 hours at night and 7-8 hours a day, for a total of 17-18 hours a day. It sounds like a lot, but that's normal for her. My son only did 30 minute naps at this age, no matter what I tried, and he didn't seem like he needed more sleep. Every baby is different and my son just doesn't need as much sleep as my daughter does. Hope this helps!

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K.

answers from Chicago on

Sounds about right. My girl was on 3 naps/day until she was around 6 months, then switched to 2. Then down to one around 15 months of age. I'd take my cues from the baby - if he is happy and sleeps at night, you're doing great.

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S.B.

answers from Peoria on

that is about right. you should be thankful and not worried.

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D.N.

answers from Chicago on

My 13 week old daughter is the same way. She will eat and within an hour she wants a nap. Her naps are usually an hour. She usually will take a longer nap at 2 o clock. My daughter goes down for bed at 6:30 and will wake between 5 and 7. I thought my daughter was sleeping to much but I guess not.

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B.S.

answers from Chicago on

We started sleep trainging after 8 weeks & followed the advice of "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". Your son's behavior is exactly what Dr. Weissbluth recommends! At that age they should not be up for more than 2 hours at a time.

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L.C.

answers from Chicago on

Thats very normal. Every 2 hours they usually nap. They need a lot of sleep while they are young. Enjoy it while it lasts!

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M.G.

answers from Chicago on

Yep, he's sleeping as much as he needs to. At this age, babies can only be awake for about two hours before they need to sleep some more. Sounds like you're on the right track!

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L.H.

answers from Champaign on

my kids are now 10 and 11 but they still go through stages where they sleep 12-14 hrs in a 24 hr period. It is very normal to see babies and kids sleep a great deal when they are going through a growth spurt. Typically my kids appetite increases enormously for a few weeks and then they have a period where they sleep a great deal. After that--I have to buy them new clothes.

That being said when they were that age it was typical for them to take a 1.5-2 hr nap in the morning and the same in the afternoon. All kids are different but as long as he's eating and energetic during waking hours and no fever I wouldn't worry too much.

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C.K.

answers from Chicago on

I had a similar worry about my son and his sleeping. He would take such long naps and slept through the night that I thought something was wrong. I just wanted to let you know that we are the lucky ones. My son is 28 months and still takes three hour naps. He is healthy and happy and growing like a weed so I wouldn't worry about it. As long as he is alert when he is awake I'm sure he is fine.

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E.B.

answers from Chicago on

I learned that as long as your baby is energetic and happy there's nothing to worry about. My baby is also great sleep lover and she did almost same as yours- she just took shorter naps (like 45-1,5). now she's 6 months old and she still seems to be sleepy 1,5-2 hours after a previous nap and most often the sleeps 3 times a daytime even though they say babys since 3 months needs to sleep only twice. every child is different...

good luck!

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T.S.

answers from Chicago on

Hi A.,

It sounds like your little guy is right on track for his age! I highly recommend "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth. It explains normal wake times, sleep times, etc. by age group. If you get it, skip the first half--all theory, and we moms already know that our kids NEED sleep!--and go right to the second half, which talks you through the stages and what to expect and how to teach your son to sleep well.

Good luck, and congrats on your little guy!

T.

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A.I.

answers from Chicago on

Like everyone said, sounds right! Read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" for another view of sleep schedules. I think the author says little kids never really are awake for more than 2 hours before they need to sleep.

Enjoy all the rest!
A.

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B.N.

answers from Chicago on

That is normal. I was told that newborns sleep 16-18 hours a day. My son didn't but I know others babies that sleep more than they are awake.

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J.C.

answers from Chicago on

Babies that young can sleep as much as 18 hours a day! Both my kids needed (and still need) a lot of sleep. My 4-year old needs a minimum of 12 hours and my 2 1/2 year old still gets at least 14 hours! As long as he's gaining weight and developing on the right track he's doing great. So count your blessings and enjoy his first Christmas! :)

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B.C.

answers from Chicago on

Totally normal! Most little babies are happy to be awake for 1 1/2-2 1/2 hour bursts and will then want to nap. You're lucky that you get a good, dependable hour+ nap!! My little guy is 5 1/2 months old and CAN stay awake for up to 5 hours and appear happy about it, but would MUCH rather take a nap after he's been up for 2 or so hours.

Enjoy and good luck!

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C.

answers from Chicago on

yep, sounds right. That was the routine about of my boys at 3 months old. In the next month or two it will likely increase to 2 hours awake/2 hours nap during the day. Then around 6 months we were down to 3 naps a dayish, then around 8 months 2 naps a day. That's about how it went.

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