2020 State of Sleep Report

The Latest and Greatest Research on Baby and Parent Sleep 

Brought to you by Nanit

Since 2016, Nanit has been the leader in bringing babies and their parents peaceful nights. This is no small task, as every baby, every nursery, and every night is different. It’s why we made Nanit to be so much more than a baby monitor, as our research teams work with top universities, hospitals, and other institutions to learn and understand everything we can about sleep.

Counting Sleep

The numbers are in, and babies sure do sleep a lot! Since its inception, our Nanit babies have achieved the following: 

9.2 Hours - slept on average per night

54.9 Million - hours of sleep

5.6 Million - morning wake-ups

*This data is drawn from sample of Nanit users and does not represent babies and parents everywhere.

Boys vs. Girls

For the first time, a study of this size has found a noticeable difference between boys’ and girls’ sleep time. Looks like girls hit the snooze button more often.

Sleep Findings (from A to Zzz)

Over a month, girls get 4.5 hours of extra sleep at night on average. Average time to bed: 8:14pm at 3 months old and decreases steadily to 7:45pm by 7 months old after which time it plateaus

Babies who wore cloth diapers required more visits per night than those who wore disposable.

Where white noise machines were used babies saw: 

• 30 minutes of extra sleep per night 
• 1 less visit from a parent each night
• 19 minutes of extra sleep added to their longest segment of sleep

Steady increase of total nighttime sleep until 12 months old at which time it plateaus

Room Sharing

The AAP recommends that babies sleep in their parents’ bedroom, on a separate surface (e.g. a crib), for the first six months of their life, and ideally up to a year.

Percentage of Parents Room Sharing

• 0-3 months: 61%
• 4-7 months: 26.3%
• 8-12 months: 7.6%
• 13-18 months: 6.6%

Expert Tips:

• Create a separate baby sleep zone
  • You can use a special curtain or room divider to create a mock nursery for your little one
• Move the crib away from your bed
  • You won’t feel tempted to check on your baby every two minutes, and you’ll help your baby in the sleep training process
• Don’t forget healthy sleep habits
  • Prioritize healthy sleep habits, including keeping a regular bedtime routine for the baby

Power Parent > Power Nap

PSA: Your sleep is just as important as your little one’s. But we know newborns don’t always make it easy…

12.1 Million total nighttime visits

These wakeup calls have a profound effect on parents, including postpartum depression and daytime dysfunction.

By understanding how early childhood sleep schedules and environments affect them, parents can take steps to ensure their own health and happiness.

What is Postpartum Depression?

Having a baby can bring countless emotions. If sadness seems to crowd out the others, you may be experiencing postpartum depression (PPD). Symptoms can appear anywhere between six weeks to six months after delivery. And it’s not uncommon, for both men and women. The good news is that PPD is treatable: most see their symptoms improve in six months.

Men exhibiting symptoms of moderate to high PPD were twice as likely to visit their infant in the night.

1 in 7 women in the US develop PPD

Expert Tips: 

• Increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids
  • Omega-3 fatty acids, like DHA, occur naturally in fish, seaweed, and algae. Flaxseed is also a great source. 
• Exercise when you can.
  • Try walking your baby in the stroller or exercising for 10 minutes a few times a day if you can’t fit in a long workout.
• Resist isolation
  • Depressed feelings may make you want to isolate yourself. Meet up with a friend or chat with other parents for support.

What is Daytime Dysfunction?

“Why am I so tired?” New parents can often experience daytime dysfunction: when daily tasks—from driving to working to eating meals and more—become dicult to carry out. There’s no surprise that having a newborn is a primary cause for daytime dysfunction. The good news is that the weariness won’t last forever. New parents report they get about six hours of nighttime sleep and one-hour naps during the day by the time their baby turns two months old: numbers that are pretty close to the national average for all adults.

Parents of infants with sleep problems are three times more likely to experience Daytime Dysfunction than parents of infants without sleep problems.

The likelihood of reporting Daytime Dysfunction for parents of infants with sleep problems increased with age by approximately 14% per month.

Expert Tips:

• Sleep when your baby sleeps
  • Turn off that phone and ignore your to-do list for a moment.
• Go for morning walks
  • Getting some natural light can reignite your circadian rhythm.
• Call in help
  • If sleep fatigue is long lasting or severe, talk with a doctor.

If you’re curious about other ways to improve your baby’s sleep, or how Nanit products can improve their health and growth, explore our blog. Check out our Sleep Schedule Generator: a personalized guide to helping you navigate your baby’s time in the crib.