My baby has slept most of today. Is that okay?

Since three thirty, and it's now eight

That was the situation. She had fed normally, then slept for most of the afternoon. She was still very young, and we wondered whether it was a growth spurt.

The detail that answered it wasn't the length of the sleep. It was that when she woke she was hungry and ate well, and she'd been waking herself when she needed to.

What makes a sleepy day ordinary

She wakes properly and is alert when awake. She feeds well when she does. Wet nappies are keeping up. And it lasts a day or two rather than settling in.

Growth spurts can do this. Some babies feed constantly and others sleep more. The weight gain may show up afterwards.

A busy day out, a round of vaccinations, or simply a badly-slept night before will all produce the same thing.

What makes it not ordinary

Sleepiness on its own is rarely the problem. It's what comes with it.

Hard to wake rather than just sleepy. Floppy when awake. Feeding poorly, or missing feeds entirely. Fewer wet nappies. A fever, or generally seeming unwell.

Any of those alongside the sleep changes the picture completely, and they're worth checking deliberately rather than assuming the sleep explains itself.

If she was born early, the threshold is lower and it's worth being stricter with yourself.

A preemie who sleeps through feeds can fall behind quietly, and she may not reliably wake when hungry the way a term baby does. If there's a feeding plan, the plan wins over a peaceful afternoon.

We stopped waking ours only once her paediatrician said we could — which is the right way round.