Forcing your baby to stay awake will result in disrupted sleep patterns
Sleeping problems appear in 10% of babies including difficulties in falling asleep, insomnia and sleep disorders during the night.
In the first four weeks after birth do not be surprised if your baby sleeps around 15 to 16 hours per day at two to four hour intervals. Babies at this age do not have a sleep rhythm.
Your child's sleep/wake rhythm begins at the age of 4 months. This means that during the first three months of its life the baby cannot balance long periods of waking with deep sleep.
Usually the baby cannot stay awake continuously for more than two hours during the first two months after birth. Monica Neihouse from the Association of Child and Adolescent Physicians in Weimar, Germany says that keeping your baby awake for a long time will not help him or her sleep for longer, but results in the baby becoming exhausted and actually developing difficulties in sleeping.
Sleep and wake rhythms develop at the age of one year. Neihouse recommends parents to consult a pediatrician if they notice any sleep disorder in their baby or if the baby is snoring while sleeping.
