by Vivian Ann Westerson

Up to 5 or 6 weeks
In these initial weeks of life a baby will generally sleep for up to 18 hours a day. Much of this sleep will occur during the day usually at completely random times.

From 6 weeks to 3 months
After 6 weeks of life, a baby will begin to understand that she is supposed to sleep mainly at night. During this period she will gradually reduce her time spent sleeping during the day and increase her time spent sleeping at night.

After 6 months
After half a year, most babies will no longer require a night-time feed enabling them to be left asleep for longer periods. The average baby will now comfortably sleep for 6 or 7 hours during the night. Day time sleeping will now only consist of the occasional nap or a few hours here and there.