An infant's first few months are dominated by sleep. Learn the ways that your baby can get the most out of her 15 hours a day, and ways to get her to (miraculously!) sleep through the night.

The first few weeks of a baby's life is dominated by sleep - between 17 and 18 hours a day, decreasing to 15 hours around three months. Sleeping intervals are far shorter in infants than in adults, and most babies only sleep one to four hours at a time. Bottle-fed babies are known to eat fewer times during the day than breast-fed, making some mothers believe that bottle-fed babies will sleep longer - which is irrelevant since each child has different needs. You should be prepared for baby to sleep no less than one hour and no more than four in between each feeding - all day, all night, 24 hours a day for the first few weeks.

When you do put your baby down to sleep, remember: the American Academy of Pediatrics has declared that placing your infant on his stomach to sleep increases the chances of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, so always lay baby on his back for naps.

After six or eight weeks, you and your child will have established a feeding-and-sleeping routine. This is the time when some babies begin sleeping all night - but don't count on it. It takes some infants up to six months before they take the all-night nap. The best you can do for your baby is encourage your sleeping habits - which are probably going to sleep at night, and getting up in the morning.

Creating Good Sleep Habits For Your Baby

• Keeping a baby's nursery temperate is an important part of encouraging sleep. Most doctors recommend that if you are too hot or too cold in a room, your baby probably is, too - there is no need to wrap her in extra blankets or clothing, she might overheat. Use your own body temperature to regulate the temperature of the room.
• Show your baby the difference between day and night. During the day, be sure she's exposed to plenty of daylight and household noises (dishwasher, washing machine, etc.), and keep her busy playing while she is awake. Conversely, when nighttime comes, reduce distractions, noise levels, and lower lights when you put her to bed. Eventually, she will make the association that daytime is for playing and nighttime is for sleeping. Hopefully.
• Watch for signs that she's sleepy. Don't wait too long before you lay your infant down for a nap. Once your baby has indicated she's tired (by rubbing her eyes, yawning, or other sleepy signs), put her in the crib before she gets overtired, and has trouble sleeping. Trouble falling asleep may cause your baby to associate the crib with being cranky and awake, not peaceful and sleeping.
• Let her fall asleep on her own. After the first 6 or 8 weeks when a routine has been established, place her in the crib at the first signs of sleepiness while she is still awake. If you nurse or rock her to sleep, she will only come to expect it every time she lies down.

There are many ways of training your baby to sleep through the night, so you and your baby both can get much-needed sleep. Many ways recommended by health care professionals require discipline and repitition to get them to stick. If you and your baby are having trouble getting on a sleep routine, see your pediatrician for ways to familiarize her with sleep patterns.