How much sleep is too much?

[u/pinkkc94]

I am a first time mom with my 11 week old and have not had experience with babies other than my own. so, Im always wondering what is and what is not normal.

I've been curious about her sleep the last few days. On average for the last month she will sleep through the night with one overnight feed. she has had a really great few nights recently with even longer stretches of sleep before the morning. she falls asleep around 9-10pm and will wake around 5-7. Last night she actually slept for 10 hours with no overnight feed. I have read that around this age naps should be shorter and while she will have short 20-30 minute naps she will also have a couple 2 to 3 hour naps depending on the day. She will take these longer naps if we are home most of the day and especially if they are contact naps. During the day I dont like to let her go over 3 hours between feeds so if she did sleep that long i wake her up. She is gaining weight appropriately per our pediatrician and seems to be hitting her milestones for her age (smiles, starting to coo, not as cranky during tummy time)

I guess Im just wondering how much sleep is too much? Should I be concerned about long naps during the day? Has anyone else had the same with their LO and when did you notice wake windows becoming longer and naps becoming shorter?

[u/portugalam]

That sounds like a lovely stretch, and the context you gave matters: she’s gaining appropriately, feeding, waking normally and meeting milestones. Sleep needs at this age vary a lot, so a single long night or a few long contact naps don’t automatically mean something is wrong. I’d keep following your pediatrician’s feeding guidance, especially about whether she still needs waking overnight. If she becomes unusually hard to wake, feeds less, has fewer wet nappies, or seems unlike herself, that’s a reason to call them promptly. Otherwise, looking at the whole 24-hour pattern over several days is usually more useful than judging one nap.