Discuss the sleeping patterns of infants.

Answers will vary. As adults, we spend about one-third of our time sleeping. Neonates greatly outdo us, spending two-thirds of their time, or about 16 hours per day, in sleep. And, in one of life's basic challenges to parents, neonates do not sleep their 16 hours consecutively. The typical infant has about six cycles of waking and sleeping in a 24-hour period. The longest nap typically approaches four and a half hours, and the neonate is usually awake for a little more than one hour during each cycle. After a month or so, the infant has fewer but longer sleep periods and will usually take longer naps during the night. By the ages of about six months to one year, many infants begin to sleep through the night. Some infants start sleeping through the night earlier. A number of infants begin to sleep through the night for a week or so and then revert to their wakeful ways again for a while.