How Much Sleep Does My Baby Need? A Pediatrician’s Age-by-Age Guide
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How much sleep a baby needs changes quickly during the first year, and there is a wide range of normal.
Newborn sleep is especially irregular. Newborns commonly sleep much of the day and night, but often in short stretches rather than one long block.
Beginning at 4 months, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 12 to 16 hours of sleep per 24 hours, including naps, for infants through 12 months of age.
There is no AASM evidence-based sleep-duration recommendation for babies younger than 4 months. During those early weeks, feeding, growth, safe sleep and your baby's overall health are more useful measures than trying to achieve a particular number of hours.
- Newborn sleep is naturally irregular and occurs around the clock.
- Newborns commonly sleep about 16 to 17 hours total per day, but individual patterns vary.
- The AASM does not give a specific recommended sleep-duration range for babies younger than 4 months.
- Infants 4 to 12 months should generally get 12 to 16 hours of sleep per 24 hours, including naps.
- Children 1 to 2 years generally need 11 to 14 hours per 24 hours, including naps.
- Sleep needs vary between individual children.
- A baby does not need to sleep through the night to be getting enough total sleep.
- Safe sleep recommendations apply to every infant sleep—day or night.
How Much Sleep Does My Baby Need by Age?
Parents understandably want a number.
But infant sleep is not as precise as a dosing chart. Sleep needs vary from one baby to another, and sleep organization changes dramatically during the first year.
The best-established pediatric sleep-duration recommendations begin at 4 months of age.
| Age | General Sleep Guidance |
|---|---|
| Newborn to 3 months | No formal AASM recommended range has been established because evidence is insufficient for this age group. Newborns commonly sleep about 16–17 hours total per day, often in short stretches. |
| 4–12 months | 12–16 hours per 24 hours, including naps. |
| 1–2 years | 11–14 hours per 24 hours, including naps. |
| 3–5 years | 10–13 hours per 24 hours, including naps. |
| 6–12 years | 9–12 hours per 24 hours. |
| 13–18 years | 8–10 hours per 24 hours. |
These ranges describe total sleep across the entire 24-hour day. For babies and younger children, that includes naps.
Why Isn't There a Recommended Sleep Range for Newborns?
This is an important distinction.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine specifically did not establish a sleep-duration recommendation for babies younger than 4 months because the available evidence was not sufficient to define an optimal range.
That does not mean newborn sleep is unimportant.
It means parents should be cautious about treating a particular number of hours as a medical target during the newborn period.
Newborns commonly sleep about 16 to 17 hours during a 24-hour period, according to AAP parent guidance, but they may sleep for only one or two hours at a time.
That fragmented pattern is normal.
Why Does My Newborn Sleep in Such Short Stretches?
Newborns do not begin life with the mature day-night sleep pattern of an older child or adult.
They need to wake frequently for feeding, and their sleep is distributed throughout both daytime and nighttime hours.
The AAP notes that babies do not develop regular sleep cycles until around 4 months of age.
That is why expecting a very young newborn to follow a predictable nighttime schedule can create unnecessary frustration.
During the early weeks, think in terms of sleep occurring across the entire day rather than expecting most sleep to occur overnight.
Does My Baby Need to Sleep Through the Night?
No.
Sleeping through the night is not the same thing as getting enough sleep.
A baby can wake several times overnight and still obtain an appropriate amount of total sleep across 24 hours.
Young infants also wake for biologically important reasons, including feeding.
The length of the longest nighttime sleep stretch generally increases as babies mature, but there is substantial variation from one baby to another.
Try not to judge your baby's sleep solely by whether your baby sleeps continuously from bedtime until morning.
How Do Naps Count?
Naps absolutely count.
When recommendations say that a 4- to 12-month-old infant should generally sleep 12 to 16 hours per 24 hours, that number includes daytime naps.
For example, a baby who sleeps 10 hours overnight and takes three hours of naps has accumulated 13 hours of total sleep.
That total falls within the recommended range even though the baby did not sleep 12 to 16 hours at night.
How Many Naps Should My Baby Take?
There is no single nap schedule that every baby must follow.
Nap patterns evolve throughout infancy.
Young babies may sleep many times during the day without a predictable schedule. As babies mature, daytime sleep usually becomes more organized and the number of naps gradually decreases.
Rather than focusing exclusively on the number of naps, look at the combination of total sleep, your baby's behavior while awake, feeding and overall development.
What Are Signs My Baby May Be Tired?
Babies communicate fatigue in different ways.
You may notice:
- Yawning
- Rubbing the eyes or face
- Looking away from stimulation
- Becoming quieter
- Fussiness
- Difficulty engaging
- Increased crying
- Becoming harder to settle
Some babies become increasingly active or irritable when overtired rather than simply appearing sleepy.
Can a Baby Sleep Too Much?
Sometimes.
The number of hours alone does not tell the whole story.
A healthy baby who sleeps toward the longer end of a normal range, wakes appropriately, feeds well and is growing normally may simply have a higher sleep need.
But excessive sleepiness can also accompany illness, dehydration, feeding problems or other medical conditions.
This is particularly important in newborns.
Contact your pediatrician if your baby:
- Is unusually difficult to wake.
- Is repeatedly too sleepy to feed effectively.
- Has a significant change from the usual sleep pattern.
- Has fewer wet diapers than expected.
- Is feeding poorly.
- Is not gaining weight appropriately.
- Seems unusually weak or less responsive.
- Has excessive sleepiness along with fever or other symptoms of illness.
Can a Baby Sleep Too Little?
Babies differ considerably in how much sleep they need.
Occasionally sleeping less than expected is not necessarily concerning.
However, persistent difficulty sleeping can be associated with hunger, discomfort, illness, environmental stimulation or an evolving sleep pattern.
If your baby consistently sleeps far less than expected and is frequently irritable, difficult to console, feeding poorly or otherwise seems unwell, discuss the pattern with your pediatrician.
How Can I Help My Baby Develop Healthy Sleep Habits?
Sleep develops gradually. You cannot force a newborn into a mature sleep schedule, but you can begin creating an environment that supports healthy sleep.
- Keep nighttime feeds and diaper changes calm and relatively quiet.
- Use normal light, interaction and play during daytime awake periods.
- Begin a simple, predictable bedtime routine as your baby gets older.
- Watch for your baby's sleep cues.
- Give older infants opportunities to settle in their sleep space.
- Remember that illness, growth and developmental changes can temporarily alter sleep.
HealthyChildren notes that babies do not have regular sleep cycles until around 4 months. For babies 4 months and older, placing a sleepy baby down before fully asleep may help some infants learn to fall asleep in their own sleep space.
That is a strategy—not a safe-sleep requirement—and it will not work exactly the same way for every baby.
Every Sleep Should Also Be a Safe Sleep
How long your baby sleeps matters, but where and how your baby sleeps matters even more for safety.
- Place your baby on the back to begin every sleep.
- Use a firm, flat, noninclined sleep surface designed for infants.
- Use only a fitted sheet on the sleep surface.
- Keep pillows, loose blankets, stuffed toys, bumpers and other soft objects out of the infant sleep area.
- Room-share without bed-sharing, ideally for at least the first 6 months.
- Avoid overheating.
- Do not use couches, armchairs, swings or other sitting devices as routine infant sleep spaces.
These recommendations apply to naps as well as nighttime sleep.
Don't Compare Your Baby With Another Baby
Few subjects invite more comparison than infant sleep.
One parent says their baby sleeps 10 hours straight. Another baby wakes every three hours. A third takes long naps but wakes frequently overnight.
Those differences do not automatically mean one baby is sleeping correctly and another is not.
Look at the whole child: total sleep, feeding, growth, development, temperament and behavior while awake.
Recommended sleep ranges are useful guides, not a competition.
When Should I Call My Pediatrician?
Contact your pediatrician if:
- Your newborn is repeatedly difficult to wake for feeds.
- Your baby suddenly becomes much sleepier than usual.
- Your baby is feeding poorly or has fewer wet diapers.
- Your baby is not gaining weight appropriately.
- Your baby seems to have persistent difficulty breathing during sleep.
- Your baby frequently appears to stop breathing.
- Your baby consistently seems uncomfortable or in pain when lying down.
- You are concerned that your baby's sleep pattern may reflect illness rather than normal variation.
When Is It an Emergency?
Seek emergency medical attention if your baby has severe difficulty breathing, turns blue or gray, becomes limp or unresponsive, has a prolonged pause in breathing, or cannot be awakened normally.
If your baby is unresponsive or is not breathing normally, call emergency services immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours should a newborn sleep?
Newborns commonly sleep about 16 to 17 hours total in a 24-hour period, but sleep is usually fragmented into short stretches. The AASM does not establish a specific recommended sleep-duration range for babies younger than 4 months because there is insufficient evidence to define one.
How much should a 4-month-old sleep?
For infants 4 to 12 months, the recommended range is 12 to 16 hours per 24 hours, including naps.
How much should a 6-month-old sleep?
A 6-month-old falls within the 4- to 12-month recommendation of 12 to 16 total hours of sleep per 24 hours, including naps. Individual babies may vary within that range.
How much should a 9-month-old sleep?
The recommended range remains 12 to 16 hours per 24 hours, including naps, for infants through 12 months of age.
How much sleep does a 1-year-old need?
Children ages 1 to 2 years are generally recommended to get 11 to 14 hours of sleep per 24 hours, including naps.
Do naps count toward my baby's total sleep?
Yes. Pediatric sleep-duration recommendations for infants and toddlers include naps in the total number of hours slept during a 24-hour period.
Does my baby need to sleep through the night?
No. Night waking is common during infancy. Total sleep across the entire day is more useful when considering whether a baby is getting an appropriate amount of sleep.
Should I wake my newborn to feed?
Some newborns need to be awakened for feeding, particularly during the early weeks or when there are concerns about weight gain, prematurity, jaundice or feeding. Follow the feeding plan recommended by your baby's pediatrician.
Dr. G's Pearl
Don't turn your baby's sleep into a stopwatch.
Sleep recommendations are ranges because babies are individuals. What matters is not whether your baby matches another baby's schedule or reaches an exact number every day.
Look at the whole picture: Is your baby feeding well, growing, developing, waking appropriately and generally doing well while awake?
That tells me much more than whether yesterday's sleep total was 13 hours or 14.
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References
- Paruthi S, Brooks LJ, D'Ambrosio C, et al. Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: A Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2016;12(6):785-786.
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Child Sleep Duration Health Advisory.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Getting Your Baby to Sleep. HealthyChildren.org.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2022 Recommendations for Reducing Infant Deaths in the Sleep Environment. Pediatrics. 2022;150(1):e2022057990.
- Moon RY, Carlin RF, Hand I; AAP Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and AAP Committee on Fetus and Newborn. Evidence Base for 2022 Updated Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment to Reduce the Risk of Sleep-Related Infant Deaths. Pediatrics. 2022;150(1):e2022057991.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Safe Sleep.
Related Parent Resources
Explore more pediatric guidance about infant sleep, safe sleep, night waking and bedtime in the Pediatric Parent Guide Sleep Library .