Newborn, Infant, Toddler and Preschooler Sleep duration.
One of the links in the chain that encourages healthy sleep habits is knowing how much sleep your baby needs at a given age. Remember that these amounts are averages and are different for each of us, but they should not vary by more than an hour.
Month 1 or 0-4 weeks - Newborns sleep 16-18 hours out of 24. Half of that time is slept over 4 naps during the day and half at night.
With regards to feeding your baby - discuss this with you pediatrician and/or lactation consultant.
"According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, once the mother’s milk comes in, newborns may feed as often as every 1½
hours, and they shouldn't go more than three hours without eating,
for a total of eight to 12 feedings in 24 hours. Formula-fed babies will
eat less frequently, two to three ounces every three or four hours, for
a total of six to eight feedings a day." by Kim West LCSW-C, The Sleep Lady® from Good Night Sleep Tight.
Month 2 or 5-8 weeks - 15.5-17 hours out of 24. This will be spread over 3-4 naps during the day for a total of 6-7 hours. The remainder will be overnight. Most babies will need to wake up a couple of times to feed, but some will only wake up once for a feeding.
Month 3 or 9-12 weeks - 15 hours. During the day these babies will sleep about 5 hours over 3-4 naps and about 10 hours at night. Some babies begin to sleep through the night (6-8 hours only) without feeding by the end of the month, if this happens, enjoy! otherwise try to stay patient.
Months 4 and 5 - 14-15 hours. Some babies still require 4 naps, but most have dropped to 3 and will spend a total of 4-5 hours napping. The rest is night time sleep, you may see your 4 month old sleeping up to 8 hours at night, and your 5 month old up to 10 hours without needing to feed. If your baby still needs to be fed at night discuss this with your physician. Some babies are just hungry!
Month 6-8 - 10-12 hours sleeping through the night, and 2-3 naps for a total of 3.5 hours of napping. I will say again, that your child may still need to feed in the middle of the night, discuss this with your medical provider if you have concerns.
Months 9-12 - Children at this age should receive about 11 hours of sleep at night and have 2 naps that last a total of 3 hours. Some of these children do need a short third nap in the mid-late afternoon. They should be awake by 4-430pm.
Months 12-18 - By 12 months children sleep about 11.25 hours through the night and will nap between 2.25 and 2.5 hours. Most 12 month old children will still be taking 2 naps and by 18 months most children will only need one nap.The morning nap will fall away and they will start their afternoon nap between 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm. Something to remember is that by this time the toddlers may need a longer transition to bedtime so consider adding some other gentle, calming activities to your bedtime routine.
Older children - 2 year olds will sleep about 11.25 hours at night and have a 2 hour nap in the early afternoon. Try not to let them sleep past 3:30pm.
- 3 year olds will sleep about 10.5 hours at night and will need to take a 1.5 hour nap, by the time they are 4.
- At 4 years old, naps are starting to disappear from the horizon. Continue to encourage quiet time in the late afternoon. This will help to eliminate early evening melt downs. This is when we need to move bed time earlier so that your preschooler is now getting 11.5 hours at night.
- 5 year olds will need about 11.25 hours of sleep at night and I highly recommend continuing that quiet time.
These times are ALL averages and should not be stressed over. Take a deep breath and listen to your child and yourself, sleep is important in our lives and once you have a routine in place you can be flexible . A well rested child will handle the occasional late night or early morning and even a missed nap.
Sleep well!
Month 1 or 0-4 weeks - Newborns sleep 16-18 hours out of 24. Half of that time is slept over 4 naps during the day and half at night.
With regards to feeding your baby - discuss this with you pediatrician and/or lactation consultant.
"According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, once the mother’s milk comes in, newborns may feed as often as every 1½
hours, and they shouldn't go more than three hours without eating,
for a total of eight to 12 feedings in 24 hours. Formula-fed babies will
eat less frequently, two to three ounces every three or four hours, for
a total of six to eight feedings a day." by Kim West LCSW-C, The Sleep Lady® from Good Night Sleep Tight.
Month 2 or 5-8 weeks - 15.5-17 hours out of 24. This will be spread over 3-4 naps during the day for a total of 6-7 hours. The remainder will be overnight. Most babies will need to wake up a couple of times to feed, but some will only wake up once for a feeding.
Month 3 or 9-12 weeks - 15 hours. During the day these babies will sleep about 5 hours over 3-4 naps and about 10 hours at night. Some babies begin to sleep through the night (6-8 hours only) without feeding by the end of the month, if this happens, enjoy! otherwise try to stay patient.
Months 4 and 5 - 14-15 hours. Some babies still require 4 naps, but most have dropped to 3 and will spend a total of 4-5 hours napping. The rest is night time sleep, you may see your 4 month old sleeping up to 8 hours at night, and your 5 month old up to 10 hours without needing to feed. If your baby still needs to be fed at night discuss this with your physician. Some babies are just hungry!
Month 6-8 - 10-12 hours sleeping through the night, and 2-3 naps for a total of 3.5 hours of napping. I will say again, that your child may still need to feed in the middle of the night, discuss this with your medical provider if you have concerns.
Months 9-12 - Children at this age should receive about 11 hours of sleep at night and have 2 naps that last a total of 3 hours. Some of these children do need a short third nap in the mid-late afternoon. They should be awake by 4-430pm.
Months 12-18 - By 12 months children sleep about 11.25 hours through the night and will nap between 2.25 and 2.5 hours. Most 12 month old children will still be taking 2 naps and by 18 months most children will only need one nap.The morning nap will fall away and they will start their afternoon nap between 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm. Something to remember is that by this time the toddlers may need a longer transition to bedtime so consider adding some other gentle, calming activities to your bedtime routine.
Older children - 2 year olds will sleep about 11.25 hours at night and have a 2 hour nap in the early afternoon. Try not to let them sleep past 3:30pm.
- 3 year olds will sleep about 10.5 hours at night and will need to take a 1.5 hour nap, by the time they are 4.
- At 4 years old, naps are starting to disappear from the horizon. Continue to encourage quiet time in the late afternoon. This will help to eliminate early evening melt downs. This is when we need to move bed time earlier so that your preschooler is now getting 11.5 hours at night.
- 5 year olds will need about 11.25 hours of sleep at night and I highly recommend continuing that quiet time.
These times are ALL averages and should not be stressed over. Take a deep breath and listen to your child and yourself, sleep is important in our lives and once you have a routine in place you can be flexible . A well rested child will handle the occasional late night or early morning and even a missed nap.
Sleep well!
RSS Feed
