It takes becoming a parent to really be able to laugh at the term "sleeping like a baby." Dr. Ari Brown, author of Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Baby's First Year (Windsor Peak Press, 2003), says the No. 1 most frequently asked question she gets from new parents has to do with some aspect of sleep or, more accurately, the lack thereof.

Dr. Brown says much of the problem is not the baby, but, rather, it's the parents. Sometimes sleep problems stem from unrealistic expectation on their part as to what the baby is capable of at that particular stage. Sometimes it's because the parents have inadvertently instilled bad sleep habits that need to be reversed. Whatever the case, Brown has seen it all, but she's never seen a problem that can't be solved.

First of all, it's important to understand what Baby is capable of, sleep-wise, and when she is capable of it. Brown divides it up by age groups as follows:

• 0 to 2 months: Not capable of much of anything. Often referred to as "the fourth trimester," this is a period of adjustment for babies. They've been living for nine months in a dark womb, taking their biological cues from their mother's circadian rhythms. After they're born, they have to establish their own. As a result, newborns have short sleep cycles of about 60 minutes in duration. In addition, they need to eat frequently. Brown says a parent might get lucky and have a baby that sleeps for three to four hours at a stretch, but experts who claim your baby can sleep through the night at this age are wrong.

• 2 to 4 months: The baby's system is beginning to do some regulation. You'll see more consistent patterns in which Baby is more wakeful and sleeps for longer stretches at night, maybe four or five hours at a time. However, the best you can expect is a six-hour stretch. There are babies who sleep longer, but Brown tells parents not to expect that.

• 4 to 6 months: Babies are more mature neurologically and have the ability to make sleep associations that enable them to relax and fall asleep on their own. At the higher end of this age (6 months), they are capable of sleeping nine to 12 hours per night.

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