Final answer:
Newborns typically need between 12 and 18 hours of sleep per day to support their rapid early development. As they approach their first birthday, the amount of time spent awake increases, reflecting significant developmental progress.
Step-by-step explanation:
The typical newborn sleeps for a large portion of the day, which is crucial for their rapid growth and development. According to the National Sleep Foundation, newborns require between 12 and 18 hours of sleep per night. This amount of sleep supports their physical and cognitive development, which occurs rapidly during the first year of life.
In infancy, there is an evident change from other activities to an increased period of being awake as they grow older. By their first birthday, infants usually start to have an equal amount of sleeping and waking hours. This shift reflects the broad developmental changes that occur in infancy, from growing motor skills to the emergence of sensory and cognitive abilities.