When Do Babies Start Dreaming And What Do They Dream About?
The exact age is unknown, but studies show REM and NREM sleep in the fetus after seven months.
Specialty: PediatricsExperience: 11 yearsDr. Richard Mario Lurshay has around 11 years of experience in the care of children and their well-being. After completing his post-graduation in Pediatrics, he completed his training in Pediatric Nutrition from Boston University School of Medicine (USA).
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Rohit Garoo is a writer-turned-editor with over 9 years of experience in content writing, editing, and content marketing. He did his bachelors in Science at St. Xavier's College, Hyderabad, and masters in Business Administration at Osmania University.
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In This Article
Have you been noticing lately that your little one seems ecstatic in their sleep? Those little eyelids fluttering or the tiny lips smiling could be your baby dreaming. This must have made you wonder – when do babies start dreaming?
Since babies spend most of their day sleeping, they tend to visit all the stages of sleep. This means they also enter the stage when we see dreams. Here’s more information about baby’s dreams, when they start to dream, and the signs indicating that they are dreaming.
Do Babies Have Dreams?
It is essential to understand babies’ sleep patterns before learning if they dream. Babies sleep for 16 to 18 hours out of the 24 hours of a day (1). Their sleep is divided into two main stages — non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, similar to those seen in adults. REM sleep, also known as active sleep in babies, is marked by rapid eye movement under the closed eyelids. The brain activity, blood pressure, and heart rate in REM sleep is similar to that in the state of wakefulness.
Dreams can occur at any stage of sleep but mostly during REM sleep (2). Babies spend equal time in REM and NREM sleep (3). Since babies spend a larger chunk of their sleep in the REM stage when compared to adults, researchers believe that infants experience dreams. REM sleep also plays a functional role in babies since it is noted to help in the maturation of neurological pathways and healthy brain development (4).
When Do Babies Start Dreaming?
It is not known when babies begin dreaming. Studies have noted that babies display REM and NREM sleep even in the fetal stage. A fetus’ brain waves may display notable transitions between NREM and the REM sleep inside the womb after seven months of gestation (5). Although it is not known if fetuses dream, the presence of REM sleep during the fetal stage may suggest that babies are capable of dreaming right from birth.
What Do Babies Dream About?
There is no precise way to tell what babies dream. Also, since babies have limited communication skills, there is no way an infant can describe their dreams. Nevertheless, research on REM sleep could suggest some possibilities.
REM sleep is marked by increased activity in the hippocampus, the part of the brain believed to be responsible for processing and retrieving memories of events we experience while awake (6). It is also suggested that dreams often reactivate visions or virtual experiences of recently learned things (7). Therefore, a baby’s dreams might consist of their recent experiences or interactions with people, toys, objects, and places.
The limited life experience of a baby might cause them to seldom have complex, abstract dreams. A baby’s dreams might be more close to reality, consisting of people they often see, such as parents, objects they often use, such as toys, and places they often visit, such as a garden.
Possible Signs Your Baby Is Dreaming
There are no specific signs that indicate a baby is dreaming. The following actions usually suggest REM sleep and may also indicate that the baby is dreaming (8).
1. Twitching
It is common for babies to twitch and jerk their arms during REM sleep. It is usually noted that babies twitch the muscles that are about to become more developed. Babies may also move parts of the body that are about to mark a developmental milestone.
For instance, babies who are about to begin supporting their head are likely to display neck twitching. Babies begin holding their heads steady without support by four months of age (9). Once a baby attains this milestone, they are unlikely to display neck twitching.
Twitching usually indicates REM sleep and may indicate dreaming, which is often associated with the reorganization of memories of experiences in the hippocampus. It may pave the way for the development of new skills since REM sleep is also noted to improve neurological pathways.
2. Eye movement
The eye movement during REM sleep is said to be affected by brain activity, which is usually similar to that in the state of wakefulness (6). The eye movement may also indicate that the baby is “seeing” dreams.
3. Smiling
Visual memory could be processed during REM sleep, and the baby might have dreams associated with things they see during waking hours, although there is no precise way to confirm it. A baby might smile during REM sleep when having dreams associated with pleasant visions, such as parents or favorite toys.
4. Changes in breathing
It is common for babies to breathe irregularly during REM sleep. Babies often display rapid bursts of breathing, followed by normal breathing. It is also common for the baby to show a pause in breathing for five to ten seconds. This periodic breathing in babies is a strong indicator of the onset of REM sleep and might indicate that the baby is dreaming or about to begin dreaming.
Do Babies Have Nightmares?
Babies may experience nightmares, which usually occur during REM sleep (10). Nightmares are often associated with stress, trauma, or unpleasant situations experienced during waking hours. Babies who experience nightmares may wake up abruptly, cry, and may seem difficult to soothe back to sleep.
Some babies may experience night terrors, which could be mistaken for nightmares. Night terrors may cause similar signs as nightmares but usually occur during the NREM stage of sleep. The baby may also not wake up abruptly during a night terror, which can last for several minutes. You may learn more about the causes and signs of nightmares and night terrors in babies here.
Does Dreamless Sleep Affect The Baby’s Development?
Dreams can occur during any stage of sleep; thus, there is no true dreamless sleep (11). Nevertheless, if the baby does experience dreamless sleep, it is unlikely to cause any adverse effects. It is the sleep that matters the most for the baby’s health, rather than the presence of dreams.
Adequate sleep helps improve a baby’s attention, memory, behavior, and learning skills. It also improves overall physical health (12). Therefore, parents must focus on ensuring that the baby gets enough sleep. If the baby has disturbed sleep but no underlying problem and you suspect nightmares or night terrors, consult a pediatrician.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are baby night terrors?
Night or sleep terrors are disturbances when babies get agitated during deep sleep. They may not hurt your baby, as babies will not remember the event afterward. You should never wake a baby during the night terror. Night terrors can be common during illnesses and when the baby is not getting enough good quality sleep (13).
2. Is my baby dreaming or having a seizure?
It can be challenging to tell if a baby has twitches or other movements in sleep due to dreams or seizures. Babies with seizures may also have similar movements when they are awake. Seizures can also be associated with stiffening of the neck. You may consult a pediatrician for further evaluation if you are concerned that your baby is having seizures.
When parents or caregivers notice their baby’s fluttering eyes or grins in their sleep, they often wonder when do babies start dreaming. Dreams may occur during rapid eye movement (REM), and babies spend most of their time sleeping at this stage. Babies may have dreams about things they’ve recently learned or seen, but it’s difficult to tell because they can’t communicate. A baby’s dreams can be influenced by various factors, including places, people, toys, and so on. In certain situations, twitching, smiling, or changes in breathing can be linked to dreams.
Infographic: Impact Of Dreams On A Child’s Behavior
Parents often wonder why their children behave in specific ways. In addition to the genetic and social factors, studies have shown a link between dreams and behavior in children. Check out this infographic where we enlist the behavioral changes a child may depict if they experience bad dreams frequently.
![How do dreams affect a child [infographic]](https://cdn2.thebridalbox.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/How_do_dreams_affect_a_child-scaled-360.jpeg.avif)
Key Pointers
- Studies show that fetuses show signs of REM sleep seven months into gestation.
- Babies may dream about toys, people, places, etc.
- If your baby is smiling or twitching in their sleep, they could be dreaming.
References
2. Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep; National Institutes of Health
3. Stages of Newborn Sleep; American Academy of Pediatrics
4. Hikohiro Okawa et al., Eye movement activity in normal human fetuses between 24 and 39 weeks of gestation; PLOS One; NCBI
5. Baby’s First Dreams: Sleep Cycles Of The Fetus; American Institute of Physics; ScienceDaily
6. Perrine M. Ruby, Experimental Research on Dreaming: State of the Art and Neuropsychoanalytic Perspectives; Frontiers of Psychology; NCBI
7. Learning while you sleep: Dream or reality?; Harvard Medical School
8. What’s going on when babies twitch in their sleep?; The University of Iowa
9. Important Milestones: Your Baby By Four Months; CDC
10. Parasomnias & Disruptive Sleep Disorders; Cleveland Clinic
11. F. Pagel, Nightmares and Disorders of Dreaming; American Family Physician
12. Rachel Dawkins, The Importance of Sleep for Kids; John Hopkins Medicine
13. Night Terrors; RaisingChildren Network
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