It’s a common question asked by many new parents, ‘do newborns dream?’. It’s an interesting query and one worth exploring.
From the moment your little bundle of joy arrives in this world, they start to explore and learn.
They may be too young to remember their dreams later on. But it is believed that even newborn babies experience dreaming.
How does dreaming work?
Dreaming is a normal part of sleep – particularly during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep.
During REM sleep, our brains are actively processing information from the day and forming memories.
This stage of sleep is essential for learning, development, and well-being.
Even though we don’t remember them all, adults usually dream several times each night.
Newborn babies spend up to 17 hours a day in light sleep – where REM occurs – so it’s only natural to assume that they are likely to have dreams during this time too.
Studies show that newborns experience short bursts of REM throughout their sleeping hours. These bursts become longer as the baby grows older.
This indicates that newborn babies do indeed dream. Still, perhaps not for long periods at a time; at least not yet!
What do newborn babies dream about?
It’s impossible to know exactly what newborn babies dream about. But studies suggest their dreams may include images or stories based on sensations they experienced while awake.
Children may dream of being held close or hearing their parent’s voice. These are indeed experiences they are comfortable with while they are awake.
So if you sing lullabies or read stories while your baby is still in the womb, they might just remember them when they start dreaming!
From these observations, we can conclude that newborn babies do indeed have dreams. Although, their dreams are shorter than those of older children and adults.
While we cannot know exactly what our little ones dream about, it’s comforting to think that the love and care we show them when awake will be carried over into their sweet dreams at night!
No matter how old your little one is – whether it be 2 days old or 2 years old – it’s reassuring to know that we can create loving memories with them during both waking hours and sleeping ones!
