Owlet’s First Annual Baby Sleep Report: What 2025 Data Reveals About Baby Sleep

New data offers real insights into what Owlet families actually experience at night, and how sleep evolves as babies grow.

If you are up at night wondering, “Is this normal?” you are not alone. Baby sleep can feel unpredictable, and progress can be hard to notice when you are living it one night at a time.

Our first-ever Annual Baby Sleep Report is a year-end review of what parenting and sleep really looked like for Owlet families in 2025. The data in this report reflects over 1.2 million babies monitored by Owlet in 2025, and analyzes nearly 900 million hours of sleep from babies across 200 regions, offering new insight into baby sleep patterns, trends, and development.

Our message to parents: Sleep progress is real, even when it may not feel like it.

Some weeks are smoother. Some weeks feel like you are back at the beginning. This report highlights a central truth for families: even during difficult stretches, babies’ sleep patterns typically change and improve in meaningful ways over time.

Below are the key findings from Owlet’s 2025 data, translated into what they can mean for your nights at home.

1. Bedtime shifts earlier as babies grow

Owlet data shows that bedtimes gradually move earlier over the first year, from around 10:00 PM in early infancy to about 8:45 PM by Baby’s first birthday. This reflects maturing circadian rhythms and the growing need for consolidated nighttime sleep.

What this means for parents: If bedtime is late in the early weeks, it is not a sign you are doing something wrong. Many babies naturally shift toward an earlier bedtime as their internal clock develops and routines become more consistent.

2. The “sweet spot” bedtime often shows up by 6 months

One of the most helpful insights for many families is that most babies find their bedtime sweet spot between 8:00 and 9:00 PM by six months.

What this means for parents: If you are in the stage of trial and error, this window can be a useful reference point. Not every baby will match it exactly, but the data shows many families land here around the six-month mark.

3. Night wake-ups decrease substantially over time

In the early months, most babies wake around 4 to 5 times per night. By around 9 months, most babies experience significantly fewer night wakings, marking a major turning point for families. By 18 months, wake-ups drop to about one per night on average.

What this means for parents: When you are waking up multiple times a night, it can feel like it will last forever. The longer view is reassuring: wake-ups commonly decrease over time, even if it happens gradually.

4. Longest sleep stretches more than double in the first 6 months

Owlet’s report also shows how uninterrupted sleep stretches change over time. Median uninterrupted nighttime sleep stretches increase from 4.2 hours in the newborn stage to 7.5 hours by 3 to 5 months. They reach 8.8 hours by 6 to 8 months and 10 hours by 18 months.

On especially strong nights, older babies may sleep 11 to 12 hours straight, highlighting the powerful trajectory of development.

What this means for parents: Those early stretches can be short and feel fragile. The data shows that longer stretches tend to become more common as babies grow, especially through the first six months.

5. Pulse rate remains higher during light sleep than deep sleep

Pulse rate is higher during light sleep, when the brain is more active and babies are more likely to move or wake. Deep sleep is generally more restorative, with lower pulse rates and fewer disruptions. As babies grow, they naturally spend less time in light sleep.

What this means for parents: If your baby seems more restless or easier to wake at certain times, it may be because light sleep is a more active stage where pulse rate runs higher. As babies get older, sleep and pulse patterns often become more stable and nights can feel more predictable.

How to Apply These Insights

This report is not a checklist for what your baby “should” do. It is a look at real patterns across a very large set of nights and families. If your baby is ahead in one area and behind in another, that can still be normal.

If you are looking for a gentle way to apply the data, here are a few parent-friendly takeaways:

• If bedtime feels late right now, it may naturally move earlier over the first year.
  

• If wake-ups feel constant, many babies wake less often with time, especially as they approach toddlerhood.
  

• If sleep stretches feel stuck, median uninterrupted stretches often grow quickly from the newborn stage through 6 to 8 months.

The full Annual Baby Sleep Report is available at www.babysleepreport.owletcare.com. 

Owlet’s Annual Baby Sleep Report is based on aggregated trends from babies monitored using Owlet’s smart wearable technology, including Dream Sock®. These insights are supported through the Owlet Dream App experience, including enhanced features available with an Owlet360™ membership (available in select markets), which provides deeper trends and analytics to help parents interpret nightly patterns over time. 

The content provided on this blog is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have and to learn more about your child's specific needs.