What counts as ‘sleeping through’?

[Cinai]

Just out of interest, and because I never quite know what to say when people ask me if my baby (11 months) sleeps through…if he does every few hours a short ‘aaahhh’ and starts to move, and I say ‘shhh’, touch his head (he’s sleeping in the crib next to my bed) and he goes back to sleep without needing to feed or be taken up, does this mean he’s sleeping through?

I believe the official definition is sleeping 6h chunks but other take it to mean not waking or sleeping 12h at once.

I'd probably count what you have described as sleeping through in general conversation to be honest he's not properly waking although does require a small amount of input to resettle

I think it is 6 hours of solid sleep is sleeping through for a baby it does increase as they get older. Stirring i think is normal.

Yes, I think that would be sleeping through officially as you're not feeding him/getting up with him. Have you tried not shushing to see if he settles without it?

As others have said 6 hours is the "official" definition, though I would personally like it to mean "a decent block of sleep so the parent can sleep" which is probably a bit more than 6 hours! (Some children will never sleep for 12 hours straight, so that is a very optimistic definition!).

In your example, I'd consider that sleeping through as the baby doesn't fully wake, I'd also suggest that you could try not intervening as they may well settle themselves without.

I’ve never heard of the 6 hour definition, I was hoping that a ‘decent chunk of sleep’ is more like 8 hours 😂
I might try to see if he self-soothes, although I think he cries because he fears that he is alone and he needs to feel that I’m still here to go back to sleep.

I’ve never heard the 6 hours definition before either. I don’t think it really matters though. I didn’t class my child as “sleeping through” until we night weaned him and he started sleeping 12 hours straight. To me sleeping through means sleeping through the entire night. I don’t miss the first year of night wakings but it sounds like your wee one is doing well OP- long may it last!

To me it's putting them to bed without any wake ups until morning.

Sleeping through is a feeling you have as a parent that sleep is no longer a rare luxury, it can once again be taken for granted!
(We didn't have a sleeper)

Thing is, the person asking you isn't working from an official definition either - they are just making conversation.

You can reply with "much better than he was" or "He stirs sometimes, but I don't have to feed him now" or "He usually goes 11pm through to 5am" so we do get a nice chunk of undisturbed sleep most nights at the moment" or anything you like. They are just chatting.

My midwife told me it was 5 hours straight but that was 20 or so years ago, 6 hours sounds more reasonable, for an under one year old.

I don’t think there is any specific definition. For me it’s always been if I feel like I’ve slept through the night without having to get up.

To me it's sleeping from when I go to bed ie 10-11pm until morning ie at least 6am so 7-8hours

My oldest didn't sleep through till he was a toddler, whereas my 5 month old is sleeping through already, sometimes stirs for his dummy but then goes straight back off. He does 7pm till 7am most nights, don't know what I did to deserve this, but I pray every day it lasts 🤣

Sleeping through, in my mind, would be going to sleep at a reasonable time and waking up at a reasonable time (for an adult) so that would be 10pm to 6am.

People are just asking to make conversation/reminisce if they don’t have a child the same age
if they do have a child the same age they’re either hoping to brag (you would be the braggy mum to me if you were the one to bring it up, especially if you don’t seem grateful about it!)
or they’re having a rough time and they’re hoping to hear they’re not just doing it all wrong and other people are having a rough time too.
no one’s working with an official definition and anyone’s ’yes’ or ‘no’ could mean a whole range of things

I class my wee one as sleeping though as she does 10pm till 6am

Well when younger my child slept 12 hours that is sleeping through to me

I don’t get this obsession people seem to have with “sleeping through” - if everyone’s getting decent sleep, it’s all good!

OP, you can tell people who ask you that babies typically wake up a few times overnight, and it’s protective against SIDS 😁

I class sleeping through is 11-12 hours without waking.

From putting down to bed to getting up the next day. If you didn’t sooth your baby would they actually wake up? Maybe give it a try - people, including babies, shuffle around at night, open their eyes and even talk but it doesn’t mean they are actually awake.

If it wakes me up, I wouldn’t consider it sleeping through. Neither of mine consistently slept through before 3.5 and were definitely still waking 1-2 times a week until 5/6.

That said, I’m 44 and I don’t sleep through, so… 🤷🏻‍♀️

That would be when dc2 turned 13 then for me.

To me sleeping through is putting to bed in an evening and sleeping till morning and not disturbing you.