How much sleep does your child need
22, Feb 2022
As a new parent, this is probably one of your questions. Below are some general guidelines on how many hours of sleep the average child requires at various ages. Of course, every child is different — some need up to two hours of sleep more or less than others.
Age Day sleep Night sleep Total Sleep 1 month 8 hours 8 (inconsistent) hours 16 hours 3 months 10 hours 5 (3) hours 15 hours 6 months 11 hours 3 ¼ (2) hours 14 ¼ hours 9 months 11 hours 3 (2) hours 14 hours 12 months 11 ¼ hours 2 ½ (2) hours 13 ¾ hours 18 months 11 ¼ hours 2 ¼ (1) hours 13 ½ hours 2 years 11 hours 2 (1) hours 13 hours 3 years 10 ½ hours 1 ½ (1) hours 12 hours * number of naps between brackets
Keep in mind that most kids need a lot of sleep. Many times if a child has poor sleep habits or refuses to go to bed before 11 p.m., the parents think that she just doesn’t need much sleep. That’s probably not true — in fact, it is quite likely to be a child with sleep deprivation. To see if your child fits in this scenario, ask yourself these questions:
• Your child falls asleep on almost all travels by car?
• You have to wake up your child almost every morning?
• Your child appears bored, irritable or very tired during the day?
• On some nights, your child seems to “land” much earlier than his usual time, before bed?
If you answered Yes to any of these questions, your child may be sleeping less sleep than needed. To change this you need to help him to develop good sleeping habits and set an appropriate time and bedtime routine.
