Even if prospective parents are warned about the frantic first weeks following their child's birth, nothing can prepare them for the reality. Forget the first smile or the first coo – the first real milestone is when baby sleeps through the night. But when does this wonderful thing happen, and does it last?

"Babies sleep through the night when parents give them a nudge to do so," says Dr. Cathryn Tobin, a pediatrician, mother of four and author of The Lull-a-Baby Sleep Plan (Rodale, 2006). "In other words, this milestone does not usually happen naturally except for thumb-suckers who are good at comforting themselves back to sleep."

As Baby becomes more socially aware, his brain is now ready to form memories, Dr. Tobin says. It's best if the memories that become etched in stone are those that include self-soothing to sleep. This happens around 2 months when a baby stops trying to shut out the world because he feels over-stimulated and is ready to soak up everything that is going on around him, she says. "When a baby begins to smile, it's the perfect time to encourage healthy sleep habits," Dr. Tobin says.

There isn't any particular age, agrees Jill Spivack and Jennifer Waldburger, co-founders of Sleepy Planet in Los Angeles, experts in sleep, parent education and child development, and authors of The Sleepeasy Solution (HCI, 2007). They do feel that babies are "capable" of sleeping through the night around 4 months of age, as long as they weigh about 14 to 15 pounds and if Mom is nursing, that her milk supply is strong enough to feed Baby mostly during the day.

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