Baby Not Sleeping Through the Night: Why It Happens and What Really Helps

Two in the morning, third waking since midnight. And at every family visit, the same question: "So, is he sleeping through yet?" If your baby is not sleeping through the night, you are far from alone. It is true of many infants well past 6 months, and it is neither an illness nor a mistake on your part.

Here is what wakes babies at each age, what really helps, and what we know about "let them cry" methods.

What does "sleeping through the night" actually mean?

A lot less than people imagine. For the Réseau Morphée, a French health network dedicated to sleep, a baby sleeps through the night when they sleep 5 to 6 hours in a row, with no long waking or feed. Not from 8 pm to 8 am.

There is not even a single scientific definition: the Québec website Naître et grandir points out that some researchers use 5 consecutive hours, others 8. A Canadian study of nearly 400 infants, published in 2018 in the journal Pediatrics, puts expectations in perspective:

These babies with broken nights developed no less well than the others, and their wakings were not linked to their mother's mood. They were, however, more often breastfed. Before age 1, Naître et grandir adds, no sleep disorder is diagnosed.

At what age does a baby sleep through the night?

Most often between 4 and 6 months, spontaneously, according to the paediatricians of the AFPA (the French association of community paediatrics). That is only an average. The sleep-wake rhythm is run by the brain: it matures in its own time and has nothing to do with hunger or the size of the stomach.

Before that milestone, waking after 2 to 4 hours of sleep is normal. After 6 months, continuous sleep is learned gradually, with your support, and wakings can return for a while: this is what is often called sleep regression.

Why does a baby wake up at night?

Because their sleep is made of short cycles, and between two cycles they come close to the surface. According to Naître et grandir, what wakes them changes with age:

In Morocco, the season matters too. On chergui nights (the hot, dry wind from the desert), a bedroom that will not cool down wakes your baby, and the heat increases their need to drink. In winter, in a house without heating, it is the cold: see how to dress your baby at night. Family evenings that run late, the living-room television and late summer or Ramadan visits also delay falling asleep: Naître et grandir advises switching off screens at least an hour before bed.

Teeth, hunger, starting solids: the false leads

"He's hungry", "it's his teeth"... The AFPA paediatricians warn against these explanations, which push us to act when the wakings are part of normal sleep rhythm. After 4 months, waking does not necessarily mean your baby wants to feed: they often mostly need reassurance.

• A big bottle in the evening does not lengthen sleep cycles and can cause spit-up.
• Starting solids does not necessarily reduce wakings, according to Naître et grandir.
• A bottle left in the cot is best avoided: milk pooling in the mouth encourages cavities, even very early.

And night feeds? Recommendations differ. The Réseau Morphée considers that from 6 months a baby does not in principle need to eat at night. Naître et grandir points out that about 94% of breastfed babies aged 6 to 12 months still feed at least once a night, without it being a problem. If your baby is gaining weight well, it is up to you to decide with your paediatrician whether it is time to space them out.

What really helps, night after night

No trick makes a baby sleep ten hours in one go. These habits help set their internal clock:

1. By day, light and movement. Go out in daylight, leave the curtains open during naps in the first months and, from 6 months, keep a regular wake-up time, weekends included.
2. By night, "night light" mode. A soft night light, a few words in a low voice, no play, a nappy changed only if needed, and your baby back down quickly.
3. A short routine, always the same. Wash, pyjamas, a song, a cuddle: about fifteen minutes, started at the first signs of tiredness (yawning, rubbing eyes, staring into space). Our ideas are in the article on the bedtime routine.
4. A chance to fall back asleep. After 6 months, do not rush in at the first sound. If your baby is really crying, go and reassure them, stroke them, rock them, without systematically offering a drink.
5. Baby close by in the early months. The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends sleeping in their own cot, in your room, for the first 6 months; a co-sleeping crib attached to your bed makes feeds easier.
6. Always safe. On the back, on a firm mattress, with no pillow, duvet or soft toy: it is all detailed in our article on safe sleep.

From the shop

For slightly gentler nights

No product will make a baby sleep through the night. A soft night light for feeds, a co-sleeping crib to keep your baby close and well-fitted sheets do make wakings easier, though. The comfort toy waits until after the first birthday to join the cot.

• −61 %BadabulleLily the Sheep portable night light lamp, pink – Badabulle215 DHinstead of 550 DHView product
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• −9 %DoomooYou&Me reversible comforter, Beige – Doomoo255 DHinstead of 280 DHView product
• The whole aisle · Night lights and mobiles21 products online, delivered anywhere in Morocco.Open the aisle

Products sold by La Maison du Bébé, publisher of this magazine. Prices as of 12 October 2026; please check the product page.

"Let them cry", "5-10-15", the chair: what are these methods worth?

"5-10-15", or controlled comforting, means going to reassure your baby at ever longer intervals; it dates from the 1950s, notes Naître et grandir. The chair method, known as camping out, is more gradual: the parent sits by the cot, then moves a little further away each evening until leaving the room.

• Not before 6 months. Naître et grandir advises against them earlier: a very young baby who gets no response may stop asking to be fed, with a risk of dehydration.
• No harm and no lasting benefit measured. An Australian trial followed 326 children who had sleep problems at 7 months. Some parents were taught controlled comforting or the chair method around 8-10 months, with a nurse. At 6 years, there was no difference between the groups: behaviour, emotions, stress, parent-child relationship, mothers' mental health.
• Limits. The trial excluded children with developmental disorders, nearly a third of families were not followed up, and it says nothing about harsher methods where you close the door and do not come back.
• Prolonged crying is still not advised. According to the AFPA, a baby left to scream experiences great distress; Naître et grandir notes that a quick, calm response helps them fall back asleep.

In short: after 6 months these methods are a choice, not an obligation. If you try one, prefer the most gradual, never in the middle of an illness or a big change, and stop if it does you more harm than good.

And you, how do you hold on?

An adult needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep on average, notes Naître et grandir. With broken nights, irritability, forgetfulness and easy tears are normal; in the long run anxiety or depression can set in.

• Share the nights. Your partner can bring the baby to you for the feed, change the nappy and put them back down.
• Sleep when your baby sleeps, even 20 to 30 minutes, and limit coffee and tea from dinner onwards.
• Accept help. A grandmother who takes the baby out for a walk in the morning gives you a real break, especially during the nfissa, the 40 days after the birth.
• During wakings, keep a soft light, leave the phone aside and do not look at the clock.

If tiredness turns into lasting sadness, anxiety or an anger you can no longer control, talk to your doctor: our article on baby blues and postpartum depression helps tell the difference.