How Much Should a Newborn Sleep?

Newborns should get 14–17 hours of sleep over a 24-hour period, says the National Sleep Foundation. Some newborns may sleep up to 18–19 hours a day. Newborns wake every couple of hours to eat. Breastfed babies feed often, about every 2–3 hours.

Can newborns sleep too much?

Can a baby sleep too much? Yes, a baby can sleep too much, whether she's a newborn or an older baby. But in general, a newborn who sleeps all day is more of a potential concern than an older baby who's sleeping too much, which typically only happens when she's sick or has had an extra busy day.

How many hours a day should a newborn be awake?

Newborn babies sleep a total of 10.5 to 18 hours a day on an irregular schedule with periods of one to three hours spent awake. The sleep period may last a few minutes to several hours." Newborns aren't born with an internal biological clock – it's developed over their first few months.