When if you’re a new first-time parent, you’ve probably found yourself adoring your baby while sleeping and wondering:
Do newborns dream? What do newborns dream about? When do babies start dreaming?
These questions often come as you watch their tiny eyelids flutter during sleep. When you catch your baby making little cooing sounds in their sleep, it’s one of those magical, slightly mysterious parts of parenthood. Today, let’s unfold this mystery together because many other parents like you are looking for an answer.
So, let’s begin! Shall we?
Do Babies Ever Dream?
The short answer is probably—but it isn’t very easy.
To dream as we understand it, the brain must process past experiences, emotions, visuals, and language, creating imaginary sequences during sleep. Adults and older children definitely do this. But babies? Their brains are still developing, and their experiences are limited. Then how Do newborns dream?
One reason could be REM sleep. Newborns spend a huge portion of their day sleeping—up to 16 to 17 hours in the early weeks—and about 50% of that is REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. REM sleep is the stage most associated with vivid dreams in adults. So, in theory, since babies have so much REM sleep, they could be dreaming.
The earliest dreams, if they exist at all, are likely not the kind that makes sense to us. They might be more like bursts of colors, sensations, or fragmented sounds—like a dream made from random puzzle pieces that don’t yet fit together.
When Does a Baby Start to Dream?
More recognizable dreaming may begin somewhere around 2 to 3 years old when children can start forming clearer memories, have a growing vocabulary, and even begin to tell simple stories. But What Do newborns dream about?
The earliest dreams, if they exist at all, are likely not the kind that makes sense to us. They might be more like bursts of colors, sensations, or fragmented sounds—like a dream made from random puzzle pieces that don’t yet fit together. Here is when babies start dreaming
Fetuses show REM sleep, which suggests the brain is beginning to engage in the kind of activity that could support dreaming. But this is more about sensory stimulation than true dream formation.
Dreams from newborn to 6 months (if they occur) are flashes of sensations. There’s no real evidence that narrative dreaming is happening.
In 6 months to 2 years, their memory improves, and they begin to understand basic cause and effect. While still too young to describe dreams, their brains are more equipped to start having rudimentary ones.
In 2-3 years, many children begin to talk about their dreams. It may be simple—“I saw a puppy!” or “Scary monster!”—but it’s the first indication that they’re dreaming recognizably.
So next time you watch your baby sleeping and wonder what’s going on behind those fluttering eyelids, remember—it may not be a dream as we know it, but something beautiful is happening all the same while they enjoy the comfiest sleep in their sleeping bag.
