Short answer: There is no single age at which babies “should” sleep through the night. In research, “sleeping through” often means just five to eight hours in a row, and plenty of healthy babies still wake at 6 and even 12 months. Night waking is normal in the first year. It only needs changing when it is wearing you or your child down.
“Is he sleeping through yet?” No question sounds so innocent and lands so hard — usually asked by someone who has just had eight hours themselves. The honest answer is: probably not, and he doesn't have to.
What “sleeping through” actually means
When people ask, they usually picture eight to ten unbroken hours. Researchers are far more modest. A well-known study in Pediatrics used three definitions — five hours between midnight and 5am, eight hours in a row, or 10pm to 6am — and the age at which babies “sleep through” depended heavily on which one you chose. Five hours counts. That is midnight to five.
So if your baby manages one longer stretch and then wakes, they may already be sleeping through by the textbook, even if it doesn't feel that way at 5.15am.
What's realistic at each age
0 to 3 months
Newborns sleep in short blocks around the clock and wake to feed, day and night. Their stomachs are small and they have no day–night rhythm yet. Night feeds at this age are a need, not a habit.
3 to 6 months
Many babies start to have one longer stretch at night, often in the first part of the night. Others don't yet, and that is normal too. Around 4 months many parents notice more waking again as sleep matures (see sleep regressions).
6 to 12 months
Most babies can now go longer between feeds, but plenty still wake. Teething, learning to sit, crawl and stand, and separation anxiety around 8–10 months can all disturb nights. In a Canadian study of 388 babies, between roughly a quarter and over half were not yet sleeping six or eight hours in a row at 6 and 12 months — and not sleeping through was not linked to slower development or to their mothers' mood.
1 to 2 years
Nights usually become longer and calmer, but waking with illness, bad dreams, a new sibling or a move to a big bed is common. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 12–16 hours of sleep in 24 hours (including naps) for babies of 4–12 months, and 11–14 hours for toddlers of 1–2 years. Within those ranges, children differ a lot.
Night waking is not a problem you have to solve. It becomes a problem when it is wearing you or your child down — that is the moment to change something.
Why other babies seem to sleep better
Parents who say their six-week-old sleeps through are sometimes right. More often they are using a different definition, counting the night from the last feed, or forgetting the time they popped the dummy back in at three o'clock. Don't compare. There is no competition, and if there were, the prize would simply be a child who happens to be an easy sleeper.
What helps longer stretches
- Work on falling asleep, not on staying asleep. A baby who can fall asleep in the cot at bedtime is more likely to drift back off after a brief waking. See how to help your baby fall asleep on their own.
- Keep nights dull and days bright. Low light, few words and no play at night; daylight, activity and fresh air during the day help the body clock settle.
- Look at the day. Too little daytime sleep can lead to overtiredness, and overtired babies often sleep worse.
- Keep a short, repeatable bedtime routine. The same few steps in the same order every evening.
- Respond to night feeds while your baby needs them. If you want to reduce them after 6 months, do it gradually — and check with your health visitor first if there have been any weight concerns.
- Split the night if you can. You take the first half, your partner the second. Four unbroken hours does more for you than eight broken ones.
Safe sleep, whatever the age
When you're exhausted it is tempting to do whatever works. Keep a few things fixed: your baby on their back, in a clear cot in your room for the first six months, and never asleep together on a sofa or armchair. Read more in safe sleep: the rules that genuinely matter.
When to ask for help
- Your child snores loudly most nights, has pauses in breathing, or breathes with obvious effort — talk to your GP.
- Your baby isn't feeding well, isn't gaining weight, or seems unwell or in pain at night.
- Your child is over 6 months, wakes many times every night for weeks, and it is affecting the whole family.
- You feel so exhausted, low or anxious that it is hard to get through the day. That is a reason in itself — talk to your health visitor or GP, and see surviving sleep deprivation.
Related reading
Want a step-by-step plan? From Bedtime Battles to Sweet Dreams (PDF, English, 0–36 months) covers wake windows, bedtime routines and gentle ways to settle your baby.
Sources
- NHS — Helping your baby to sleep.
- NHS Best Start in Life — Your baby's sleep patterns.
- Henderson JMT, et al. Sleeping through the night: the consolidation of self-regulated sleep across the first year of life. Pediatrics. 2010;126(5):e1081–7. doi:10.1542/peds.2010-0976.
- Pennestri MH, et al. Uninterrupted infant sleep, development, and maternal mood. Pediatrics. 2018;142(6):e20174330. doi:10.1542/peds.2017-4330.
- Paruthi S, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for pediatric populations: a consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. J Clin Sleep Med. 2016;12(6):785–786. doi:10.5664/jcsm.5866.
Written by the Bloom Guides editorial team. Last updated: 19 October 2026. General information only — not a substitute for advice from your health visitor or doctor.