Ms. Zhang from Beijing asks: My baby is over one year old but still wakes up frequently at night, sometimes needing to be fed. I heard children this age should sleep through the night. Why does mine keep waking?
Wu Qiong, Assistant Researcher, Early Comprehensive Development Research Lab, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, answers: Nighttime awakenings do not necessarily decrease as babies grow older.New Zealand scholars reviewed 34 global studies on infant sleep patterns and summarized average nighttime awakenings: 0–2 months: 1.7 times/night; 3–6 months: 0.8 times/night; 7–11 months: 1.1 times/night; 1–2 years: 0.7 times/night. Between 1–6 months, night awakenings decrease as the baby's nervous system matures.Between 7 and 11 months, nighttime awakenings fluctuate, with an overall increase in average frequency. This is due to the baby's social-emotional development, coupled with many mothers returning to work after maternity leave. Feeding patterns may also change, leading babies to seek comfort by waking their parents. Furthermore, increased daytime milk intake or solid foods does not reduce nighttime awakenings, though it may decrease the number of night feedings.In other words, if the baby is well-fed during the day, waking at night doesn't necessarily require feeding to fall back asleep. The key point is that the baby will still wake up. Many parents worry that prolonged night waking affects the baby's growth and development. In fact, night waking is normal for children of this age. Try soothing the baby with hugs and comforting words; they will soon drift back into a deep, peaceful sleep.