Definition
To sleep very peacefully and deeply, without interruption. To have restful, undisturbed sleep.
Etymology
This phrase dates to the 17th century and reflects the idealized view of infant sleep as pure and untroubled. It's based on the observation that babies can sleep through noise and disturbance, appearing completely at peace. The expression predates modern understanding of infant sleep patterns.
Kelly Says
Ironically, anyone who has cared for a baby knows they often don't sleep well at all—they wake frequently, cry, and have irregular patterns. The phrase represents wishful thinking about infant sleep rather than reality, showing how our language sometimes preserves idealized rather than accurate observations about human behavior.
Translations
ARالعربية
ينام مثل الطفل
yanaːm miθl al-ṭifl
CSČeština
spát jako mimino
spat͡ɕ jak miˈmiːno
DADansk
sove som en baby
soː.və som ɛn ˈba.bi
DEDeutsch
wie ein Baby schlafen
vi ɛɪn ˈbaːbi ʃlaːfən
ELΕλληνικά
κοιμάμαι σαν μωρό
koˈimame san moˈro
ESEspañol
dormir como un bebé
dorˈmir koˈmo un beˈbe
FISuomi
nukkua kuin vauva
nukːu.a kuin ˈvau̯.va
FRFrançais
dormir comme un bébé
dɔʁ.miʁ kɔm ɛ̃ be.be
HEעברית
ישן כמו תינוק
yaʃen keˈmo tinok
HIहिन्दी
बच्चे की तरह सोना
bacce kī tarah sonā
HUMagyar
aludni mint a csecsemő
ɒlu.dɲi mint ɒ t͡ʃɛt͡ʃɛˈmøː
IDBahasa Indonesia
tidur seperti bayi
ti.dur sɛ.pɛr.ti ba.yi
ITItaliano
dormire come un bambino
dorˈmiːre koˈme un bamˈbiːno
JA日本語
赤ちゃんのように眠る
akachan no yō ni nemuru
KO한국어
아기처럼 잠들다
agi-cheoreom jam-deul-da
NLNederlands
slapen als een baby
slɑː.pən als ɑn ˈbaː.bi
NONorsk
sove som en baby
soː.və som ɛn ˈba.bi
PLPolski
spaść w sen jak niemowlę
spaɕt͡ɕf ɕɛɲ jak ɲɛˈmɔu̯ɛ
PTPortuguês
dormir como um bebê
dorˈmiʁ koˈmu ɐ̃ beˈbe
RORomână
a dormi ca un copil
a dorˈmi ka un koˈpil
RUРусский
спать как младенец
spatʹ kak mlaˈdʲenʲɪts
SVSvenska
sova som en baby
soː.va som ɛn ˈbaː.bʏ
THไทย
นอนหลับเหมือนเด็ก
non hap muean dek
TRTürkçe
bebek gibi uyku
beˈbek ɡiˈbi ujˈku
UKУкраїнська
спати як немовля
spaty jak nemovlja
VITiếng Việt
ngủ như em bé
ŋu˧˧ ɲə˧˧ ʔɛm ˧˧ be˧˧
ZH中文
睡得像婴儿一样
shuì de xiàng yīng ér yī yàng