If you’ve ever had a baby, you know that they spend the majority of their first few years of life sleeping. In fact, newborns sleep about 14 to 17 hours a day! Given all that sleeping, you may occasionally wonder if infants can even dream — and if so, what do babies dream about and what do their dreams mean? Read on to learn what babies might experience in their REM sleep and if those qualify as dreams.
Do babies dream?
What’s happening during REM sleep for babies?
What exactly are babies doing during REM sleep?
Well, sleep at any age aids in memory consolidation, incorporating our experiences as well as expanding our knowledge base. Plus, during the first few weeks and months of a baby’s life, sleep helps their brain grow and process information — and babies have to process a lot of information. There’s a reason why the first three months are considered the fourth trimester!
Regardless of whether babies dream, sleep is super important to their healthy development, and until science tells us more, we can content ourselves with the knowledge that their nascent brains are busy at work.
