Typical sleep behaviour (3) – babies 6 to 12 months
Typical sleep behaviour (3) – babies 6 to 12 months
In your language:
For translated fact sheets go to
Information in community languages
.
Baby sleep patterns and behaviours (6 to 12 months)
From about the age of 6 months, your baby’s sleep patterns gradually become more developed.
They begin to recognise the difference between day and night.
As they are learning to self-settle and go back to sleep on their own, they may not wake up as much.
Most babies sleep 10–14 hours in a 24-hour period.
Every child is different, so don’t worry too much if your child has different sleep patterns to those described here.
If you are concerned about your child, contact
your local maternal and child nurse
, your doctor or the
Maternal and Child Health Line
on Tel.
13 22 29
.
Sleep rhythms at 6 to 12 months
From 6 to 12 months, babies tend to sleep for the longest period at night.
They may start to nap only about twice a day for 1 to 2 hours. Daytime napping is still important for the healthy development of your baby.
All babies are different, and your baby may sleep more or less.
Separation and your baby at 6 to 12 months
From 6 to 12 months, babies can become upset if you leave the room, even if it is for a short period of time. This is because they associate you as the person that cares for them and keeps them safe. This is known as
person permanence
. This is normal and does not mean that you can’t leave the room.
If your baby wants to stay close to you at all times and cries
when they are separated from you
, we sometimes call this
separation anxiety
.
This means it might take longer for babies to fall asleep.
More information about anxiety in children can be found in
Child health 0-6
.
Settling at 6 to 12 months
The number of times your 6 to 12-month-old baby wakes up during the night may temporarily increase.
You can help your baby settle
by:
recognising and responding to
tired signs
using positive and consistent
bedtime routines
parental presence
– using your presence as a safety signal to reduce your baby’s anxiety by sleeping in their room
camping out
– by staying in their room until they fall asleep then leaving
responding to your baby’s comfort needs while helping them settle and sleep –
responsive settling
.
There are a few different strategies you can use
to help your baby sleep and settle. By 6 months, you will begin to recognise their signs and cues.
Every baby and family is different, and it is up to you to decide which strategy you are comfortable with and what works for you and your baby.
To learn more about each of the things in this list, see:
Preventing sleep concerns (8) – babies 6 to 12 months
Solutions to sleep concerns (11) – babies 6 to 12 months
.
If you are worried about your baby’s sleep and settling, track your baby’s sleep for a week or so. This can give you a clear idea of what might be going on.
If you are still concerned after you have tried different approaches for 1 to 2 weeks, talk to your family’s maternal and child health nurse, call the
Maternal and Child Health Line
on Tel.
13 22 29
or see your doctor.
Information in community languages
This fact sheet is available for download in the following community languages:
English - Typical sleep behaviour (3) – babies 6 to 12 months (Word)
docx
262.29 KB
Easy English - Typical sleep behaviour (3) – babies 6 to 12 months (PDF)
597.98 KB
Arabic - ورقۀ معلوماتی 3: رفتار خاص خواب: اطفال 6 تا 12 ماه (Typical sleep behaviour (3) babies 6 to 12 months)
docx
255.31 KB
Burmese - အချက်အလက်မှတ်တမ်း 3 - ပုံမှန်အိပ်စက်ခြင်းဆိုင်ရာ အပြုအမူ - နို့စို့ကလေးငယ်များ 6–12 လ (Typical sleep behaviour (3) babies 6 to 12 months)
docx
259.71 KB
Dari - صحيفة المعلومات 3، سلوك النوم المعتاد: الأطفال 6-12 شهراً (Typical sleep behaviour (3) babies 6 to 12 months)
docx
333.01 KB
Khmer - សន្លឹកព័ត៌មានទី៣៖ ឥរិយាបទគេងជាធម្មតា៖ ទារកអាយុ៦-១២ខែ (Typical sleep behaviour (3) babies 6 to 12 months)
docx
282.94 KB
Persian - برگه اطلاع رسانی 3: رفتار معمول خواب: کودکان 6 تا 12 ماهه (Typical sleep behaviour (3) babies 6 to 12 months)
docx
262.6 KB
Punjabi - ਤੱਥ ਸ਼ੀਟ 3: ਨੀਂਦ ਦੇ ਖਾਸ ਵਿਵਹਾਰ: ਬੱਚੇ 6-12 ਮਹੀਨੇ (Typical sleep behaviour (3) babies 6 to 12 months)
docx
282.2 KB
Simplified Chinese - 信息说明书3：典型睡眠行为：6–12个月婴儿 (Typical sleep behaviour (3) babies 6 to 12 months)
docx
281.33 KB
Spanish - Hoja informativa 3: Conducta habitual del sueño en bebés de 6 a 12 meses (Typical sleep behaviour (3) babies 6 to 12 months)
docx
270.57 KB
Vietnamese - Tờ thông tin 3: Hành vi ngủ đặc trưng - trẻ nhỏ từ 6 đến 12 tháng tuổi (Typical sleep behaviour (3) babies 6 to 12 months)
docx
270.74 KB
Maternal and child health nurse visits are important
Victorian parents have free access to the
Maternal and Child Health Service
, which is a great support after your baby is born.
Specially trained maternal and child health will work with your family to help you care for your child until they are ready to start school.
As part of this service, you will visit a maternal and child health nurse in your local area at 10 key ages and stages in your child’s development. These visits are important because they you an opportunity to identify and address any issues and concerns early in your child’s development.
Visits take place:
following discharge from hospital (
home visit
)
2 weeks
4
weeks
8
weeks
4
months
8
months
1
year
18 months
2 years
3 and a half years
.
Families can access the service at other times by telephone or through a centre visit.
Where to get help
Your local maternal and child health
service
External Link
Your GP (doctor)
Maternal and Child Health Line
Tel.
13 22 29
– available 24 hours a day for the cost of a local call throughout Victoria
Mercy Health O’Connell Family
Centre
External Link
, Canterbury Tel.
(03) 8416 7600
Mercy Health Woi-wurrung-yagila-wulumperi Whittlesea Early Parenting
Centre
External Link
, South Morang Tel.
(03) 9407 6820
Queen Elizabeth Centre
(QEC)
External Link
Tel.
(03) 9549 2777
Tweddle Child and Family Health
Service
External Link
, Footscray and Werribee Tel.
(03) 9689 1577
Aboriginal Health Service
(VAHS)
External Link
Tel.
03 9419 3000
Parentline
Tel.
13 22 89
Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS
National)
External Link
Tel.
131 450
(24 hours, 7 days) – available for callers who speak other languages
National Relay
Service
External Link
(24 hours, 7 days) – Speak and listen Tel.
1300 555 727
, TTY Tel.
133 677
, SMS relay Tel.
0423 677 767
.
Captioned, internet and video relay calls are also available through this
service
External Link
.
NURSE-ON-CALL
Tel.
1300 60 60 24
– for expert health advice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week