We call it the evolved developmental niche or nest.” “They’re expecting good care – like in an external womb or nest. “So that means you want to keep that baby calm while the brain systems are finishing because they only have 25% of the adult brain-size developed, and a lot of systems haven’t set their thresholds and parameters yet. We look like foetuses when we’re born and we are,” adds Professor Narvaez. Other animals are able to walk around and start eating – we can’t do that. “Human babies are born 9 to 18 months early compared to other animals. “We jam all our sleep into eight hours because we work during the day and that’s just not normal if you look at the history of humanity.”īabies are born early compared to other mammals and need more careīabies are born earlier than other mammals, and their brains aren’t as developed when they leave the womb. “Adults don’t sleep through the night either, they just forget that they’re waking up routinely,” she says. Meanwhile, Professor Dacia F Narvaez, who is a psychology lecturer at Notre Dame University, says no human – adult or baby – is designed to sleep long hours at night. It just doesn’t fit in with our 21st-century expectations.” “From a biological point of view what the baby is doing is completely normal and sensible. “Actually, biologically that’s a big advantage because they will have more attention from their two primary caregivers at that time of day than at any other because there are fewer distractions,” he reveals. Professor Fleming says that babies love sleeping during the day, and 6pm to midnight is the time they’re going to want to be awake the most. “That’s not perhaps what most parents would like to hear.”Įvolutionary wise, it makes sense that babies need less sleep or don’t like sleeping through the night “Human infants are not designed to sleep for long periods, it’s not good for them, and there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that there is any benefit to anybody from having a child that sleeps longer and consistently,” he reveals. Evolutionary wise, it’s more natural for them to wake up often. In fact, Professor Fleming says the idea that babies should be sleeping without interruption is a modern concept. He tells Buzzfeed News that there is a link between “very high levels of developmental and intellectual achievement and not sleeping throughout the night.”
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