When Do Babies Sleep Through the Night? The Honest Timeline for Dads

Most babies don’t sleep through the night on any schedule you can plan around. Many manage a 6-hour stretch by about 6 months, fewer manage 8, and plenty still wake at a year. All of that can be normal. The number you get depends on what “through the night” means, so this guide starts there, then gives the by-age table, when night feeds can stop, and how to survive the months in between.

A note before you start: this is general guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician before dropping night feeds, especially if your baby was born early or is gaining weight slowly.

The short answer

• By about 3 months: some babies start doing 6 to 8 hours. Most don’t begin before then, Nationwide Children’s says.
• By 6 months: 62.4% managed 6 hours and 43.0% managed 8 in one Canadian study.
• By 12 months: 72.1% managed 6 hours and 56.6% managed 8 in that same study. Those who didn’t showed no link to worse development.
• Night feeds: the AAP says most formula-fed babies no longer need one between 2 and 4 months or at about 12 pounds. For breastfed babies, ask your pediatrician.
• Call the pediatrician if night waking comes with slow weight gain, too few wet diapers, or breathing trouble.

What “sleeping through the night” actually means

There’s no agreed definition, which is why friends, books and websites give you different ages.

Definition	Who uses it
5 hours, midnight to 5 a.m.	The older research definition
5 or 6 hours	Nemours KidsHealth and Cleveland Clinic
6 to 8 hours	Nationwide Children’s, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
8 hours	Canadian and New Zealand studies
10 p.m. to 6 a.m.	A New Zealand study, built to match when parents actually sleep

That last one is the test most dads care about, and babies pass it later. In that small New Zealand study of 75 babies, babies had a 50% chance of passing the midnight-to-5 test or the 8-hour test at 3 months, but didn’t reach that on the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. test until 5 months.

No definition means zero wakings, either. The New Zealand researchers counted quiet time awake as sleep, and Nationwide Children’s says “All children wake briefly throughout the night.” The AAP’s own version: “a good sleeper is a child who wakes up frequently but can get himself back to sleep.”

Dad’s job: agree with your partner on which number you mean. “Slept through” at 5 hours and “slept through” from 10 to 6 are very different mornings.

When babies sleep through, by age

Only sourced numbers are here. Where we couldn’t find a solid source, the table says so instead of guessing.

Age	Total sleep in 24 hours	Longest stretch	Night feeds
First weeks	About 16 to 17 hours (AAP)	1 or 2 hours at a time	Needed. Wake a baby who sleeps past 4 to 5 hours and misses feeds
1 to 3 months	14 to 17 hours (CDC)	Most don’t begin 6 to 8 hours until about 3 months	Formula: most stop needing one between 2 and 4 months or at about 12 pounds. Breastfed: still waking more
4 months	12 to 16 hours with naps (AASM)	A term baby “might” do 6 to 8 hours (AAP)	Same as above. No AAP number for breastfed babies
5 months	12 to 16 hours with naps	50% chance on the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. test, one small study	No number
6 months	12 to 16 hours with naps	62.4% did 6 hours, 43.0% did 8	Breastfed babies start sleeping longer around now
7 to 11 months	12 to 16 hours with naps	9 to 12 hours at night at 8 to 12 months (Nemours), and waking can return	Feeding if needed is fine
12 months	12 to 16 hours with naps	72.1% did 6 hours, 56.6% did 8	No number
1 to 2 years	11 to 14 hours with naps (AASM)	Some children still wake weekly at 2	No number. No bottle in bed

The 62.4%, 43.0%, 72.1% and 56.6% figures come from one Canadian study of 388 babies, based on what mothers reported, by way of medical news reports on the paper. We found no US-wide figure and no month-by-month figure for 7 to 11 months. The study also found no link between sleeping through and development or the mother’s mood, and its authors concluded that “expectations for early sleep consolidation could be moderated.” Regular sleep cycles, the AAP says, don’t arrive until about 4 months. If your baby hits a rough patch around then, see our 4-month sleep regression guide.

What about 12 hours?

When you read “12 to 16 hours” for a baby, that’s a 24-hour total with naps, from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. It’s not a stretch.

We found no medical source that sets an age for 12 unbroken hours. The closest numbers are Nemours’s 9 to 12 hours at night at 8 to 12 months, and one Children’s Wisconsin blog line saying a 12-hour stretch shows up closer to a year.

You may also see a promise of 12 hours by 12 weeks. That’s from a baby sleep book’s marketing. We found no study or AAP page behind it, and the AAP’s message for that age is the opposite: “Yes, your baby needs to wake up and eat during the night.”

When can night feeds stop?

Two different questions get mixed up here: when a baby stops needing a night feed, and when a baby stops waking. The AAP’s rule is about the first one.

Formula. The AAP says “most formula-fed babies no longer need a middle-of-the-night feeding” between 2 and 4 months, or at about 12 pounds. For ounces by age, see our formula guide.

Breastfed. The AAP gives no number. It says breastfed babies wake more often in the first few months and start sleeping longer around six months. Nemours says most babies 4 to 7 months no longer need a night feed, though some, particularly breastfed babies, still wake. Your pediatrician makes this call.

The first weeks. Don’t stretch these on purpose. If your baby sleeps past 4 to 5 hours and starts missing feeds, the AAP says to wake them and offer a bottle. An older AAP breastfeeding page says no more than about four hours at night early on. Follow your pediatrician until weight gain is steady.

Preemies follow the feeding schedule from your pediatrician, not these ages.

For how to run the shifts, see night feeds for dads.

Breastfed vs formula: does it change the timeline?

Early on, yes for wakings, and not much else. A 2021 review found that exclusively breastfed babies up to 6 months woke more, but most studies found no difference in total sleep time.

After 6 months, the studies disagree. That same review leaned toward breastfed babies sleeping less, a Singapore study found they slept longer despite more wakings, and a UK survey found no difference in wakings or night feeds.

Formula also isn’t a proven route to more sleep for parents. One study of new mothers concluded that “choosing to formula feed does not equate with improved sleep,” and a small study of 133 parents at 3 months found those of babies breastfed at night slept 40 to 45 minutes more.

Dad’s job: don’t suggest formula as a sleep fix. Take the feeds you can, and handle the diaper, the burp and the put-down around the ones you can’t.

Do cereal, formula or solids help?

Cereal in the bottle: no. The AAP and CDC both say it won’t help, and a US trial of 106 babies found it “does not appear to make much difference.” The AAP adds that your baby could choke. The one exception is reflux, and only under your doctor’s direction.

Early solids: the AAP says no, and warns they can make sleep worse because of a tummy ache. To be fair to the evidence, one UK trial of breastfed babies did find a small gain: about 17 minutes more sleep a night at 6 months. A 2021 review found no link. Seventeen minutes doesn’t change your night, and the AAP’s advice to wait until about 6 months still stands.

Bigger daytime feeds may cut night feeds but not wakings, a UK survey found. And the CDC says not to put your baby to bed with a bottle.

What actually helps

• The same routine, in the same order. The AAP says “Try to do the same things each day in the same order at naptime and bedtime.”
• Down a little awake. The AAP says to put your baby down “while they are still a little bit awake.” Our bassinet guide covers the technique.
• A short pause. For babies 4 months and older, the AAP says “Do not rush in to soothe a crying baby.” It’s normal to stir and settle in a few minutes.
• Boring nights. “Nighttime feedings are not play time,” the AAP says. Keep lights low and voices quiet.
• Active days. The AAP says more awake time in the day helps babies sleep longer at night.

Expect minutes, not miracles. In a US trial of first-time mothers, teaching routines and responses added 35 minutes a night at 8 weeks and 22 at 40 weeks, and by 1 year the groups were about the same. Worth it, but it won’t turn 4 hours into 8.

Dad’s job: own bedtime. It’s the one part of the night you can take no matter how your baby is fed, and a white noise machine is a simple add-on.

Sleep training: what the evidence says

“Sleep training” covers a range of methods. The AAP separates teaching a baby to self-soothe from letting them cry it out or ignoring their cries, and says of that mix-up, “This is absolutely not true.” We found no AAP policy or recommended start age for sleep training.

• It works in older babies. A review of 52 studies found 94% reported that behavioral methods worked.
• No harm found. A small Australian trial of babies 6 to 16 months found no stress response or attachment problems at 12 months.
• No lasting edge either. A 5-year follow-up of an Australian program found “no marked long-lasting effects (positive or negative).”
• It may help parents. At 2 years in that program, 15.4% of mothers reported depression symptoms versus 26.4% of the comparison group.
• Under 6 months, not shown to help. A 2013 review found these programs didn’t reduce crying or prevent later problems.

The trials above started at 6 months or later. Some hospitals talk about starting around 3 to 4 months, but we’d treat it as a conversation for after 6 months, with your pediatrician.

Dad’s job: agree with your partner before night one. A plan one parent doesn’t believe in won’t last until 3 a.m.

Why it comes and goes

Sleeping through isn’t a level you unlock. The AAP says “night waking phases come and go in the first few years of life, often without any explanation.” Nationwide Children’s says babies who were sleeping through often start waking again at about 6 months. Separation anxiety can disrupt sleep from the second half of the first year, and it usually fades around the second birthday.

A large US study of more than 1,200 babies found two paths. About 66% were mostly sleeping through by 6 months. The other 34% woke 7 nights a week at 6 months, dropped to 2 nights at 15 months, and reached 1 night a week by 24 months. Those babies were more likely to be boys and to be breastfed. That’s a pattern, not a cause.

So a 1-year-old who still wakes is common. For toddlers, Nemours says “Keep nighttime checks short.”

Premature babies: use corrected age

Subtract the weeks your baby came early from their age. The AAP’s example: a baby born at 32 weeks who’s now 4 months old has a corrected age of 2 months. Use that number for the first 2 years.

The AAP says a preterm baby may not do 6 to 8 hours until 6 to 8 months or later, and preemies tend to wake more for the first several months.

When to call the pediatrician

• Slow weight gain, or fewer than 5 to 6 wet diapers a day after the first 4 to 5 days.
• Trouble breathing, snoring, or noisy breathing during sleep.
• Unusual night waking or night fears that worry you.
• Nothing is working and you’re running on empty. The AAP says most sleep problems are easily treated.

A sick baby who wakes more is a different question. See when a baby’s fever needs a doctor.

The honest part for dads: splitting the nights

The night isn’t equal. In a small study of 21 first-time couples, mothers woke 3.3 times a night and spent 116 minutes awake, while fathers woke 2.4 times and spent 42.7 minutes. A German study found mothers lost 62 minutes of sleep in the first 3 months and men lost 13. Don’t compare tiredness. You’ll both lose.

Dads pay too, though. A related US study of first-time parents found that “Fathers had greater objectively measured sleepiness than mothers.” Be careful on the drive to work.

What works:

• Plan it together. The AAP says to “Work with your partner to create your safe sleep routine and include methods that both of you can do.”
• Protect one long stretch each. The AAP notes overnight help can let a parent catch a full night’s rest. If your partner is breastfeeding, take the first shift with a pumped bottle if that fits, or the early morning so they can go back to sleep.
• Go to bed early. Right after the last feed, not after one more episode.
• Do more in the day. In a small Israeli study of 56 couples, babies of more involved dads had fewer night wakings. That’s a link, not proof.

Two safety lines. When you’re exhausted, the AAP says “Avoid feeding your baby on a couch or armchair.” And don’t move your baby out of your room to chase sleep: NIH Safe to Sleep says to share a room for at least the first 6 months. See safe sleep for newborns.

Watch your own mood. About 10% of new dads have depression, and rates run higher 3 to 6 months after birth. An Israeli study found that in fathers, poorer sleep at 4 months predicted more depression and anxiety symptoms at 8 months. If you feel flat, angry or numb, read postpartum depression in dads or call Postpartum Support International at 1-800-944-4773.

FAQ

When do most babies sleep through the night?

It depends on the definition. In one Canadian study, 62.4% managed 6 hours and 43.0% managed 8 at 6 months. At 12 months that was 72.1% and 56.6%.

When do babies sleep through the night without feeding?

The AAP says most formula-fed babies no longer need a night feed between 2 and 4 months, or at about 12 pounds. It gives no number for breastfed babies, so ask your pediatrician.

When do babies sleep 12 hours straight?

No medical source we found sets an age. The 12 to 16 hours you see is a 24-hour total with naps. Nemours lists 9 to 12 hours at night at 8 to 12 months.

Is it normal for a 1-year-old not to sleep through the night?

Yes. In one Canadian study, 27.9% weren’t doing 6 hours at 12 months and 43.4% weren’t doing 8, with no link to worse development.

Do formula-fed babies sleep through sooner?

Early on, breastfed babies wake more, but later studies disagree, and formula isn’t a proven route to more sleep for parents.

Will cereal in the bottle help my baby sleep?

No. The AAP and CDC both say it won’t, and the AAP warns your baby could choke.

Do preemies sleep through the night later?

Usually. Use corrected age. The AAP says a preterm baby may not do 6 to 8 hours until 6 to 8 months or later.

Sources

• American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org): Getting your baby to sleep, Sleeping through the night, Sleep tips for sleep-deprived parents, Sleeping like a baby, How many hours does your child need?, Amount and schedule of formula feedings, How much formula does my baby need?, How often and how much should your baby eat?, How often to breastfeed, Starting solid foods, Baby food and feeding, Self-soothing, Separation anxiety and sleeping, Preemie sleep patterns and Corrected age
• American Academy of Sleep Medicine: Pediatric sleep duration consensus; CDC: How much sleep, Infant and toddler nutrition FAQ and Bottle feeding; NIH Safe to Sleep: Reduce the risk
• Nationwide Children’s: Infant sleep and Sleep in toddlers; Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: Infant sleep; Cleveland Clinic: Sleep in your baby’s first year; Children’s Wisconsin: Sleep training
• Nemours KidsHealth: 1 to 3 months, 4 to 7 months, 8 to 12 months and 1 to 2 years
• Sleeping through the night: Pennestri et al. 2018, with figures reported by MDedge and Contemporary Pediatrics; Henderson et al. 2010, Henderson et al. 2011, Weinraub et al. 2012
• Feeding and sleep: Fu et al. 2021, Abdul Jafar et al. 2021, Brown and Harries 2015, Montgomery-Downs et al. 2010, Doan et al. 2007, Macknin et al. 1989, Perkin et al. 2018
• Routines and sleep training: Paul et al. 2016, Mindell et al. 2006, Gradisar et al. 2016, Hiscock et al. 2008, Price et al. 2012, Douglas and Hill 2013
• Parents: Insana et al. 2013, Insana et al. 2014, Richter et al. 2019, Tikotzky et al. 2011, Paulson and Bazemore 2010, Horwitz et al. 2026; Postpartum Support International: Help for dads
• Marketing claim checked: publisher’s page