How much sleep do kids need?
The amount of sleep a
child needs varies depending on the individual and certain factors, including
the age of the child. Here are some general recommendations:
1-4 weeks: 15-16 hours a day
Newborns usually
sleep between 15 and 18 hours a night, but only for short periods of two to
four hours. Premature babies may sleep longer, and babies with colic may sleep
less.
Since newborns do not
yet have an internal biological clock or circadian rhythm, their sleep patterns
are not tied to day/night light cycles. In fact, they tend to have no pattern
at all.
1-4 months: 14-15 hours a day
By 6 weeks, your baby
starts to calm down a bit and you may notice more regular sleep patterns
appearing. The longest periods of sleep last between four and six hours and now
tend to occur more often in the evening. The turmoil of day and night ends.
4-12 months: 14-15 hours a day
While a maximum of 15
hours is optimal, most babies under 11 months of age only get about 12 hours of
sleep. Developing healthy sleep habits is a major concern during this time, as
your child is now much more sociable and their sleep patterns are more like
those of an adult.
Babies usually sleep
three times, but by 6 months they are reduced to two, by which time (or
earlier) they are physically able to sleep through the night. The establishment
of regular daytime sleep usually occurs at the end of this period, as
biological rhythms mature. The morning siesta usually starts at 9 am and lasts
about an hour. The early afternoon siesta starts between noon and 2:00 pm. and
lasts an hour or two. A late siesta can start anywhere from 15:00. at 17:00 and
usually varies in duration.
1-3 years: 12-14 hours a day
As your child
progresses through their first year between 18 and 21 months of age, they will
likely only miss morning and early evening naps once a day. While babies need
up to 14 hours of sleep per day, they typically sleep around 10.
Most children aged 21
to 36 months still need one nap a day, which can last anywhere from one to three
and a half hours. They usually go to bed between 7 pm. and 9pm and wake up
between 6am and 8am.
3-6 years: 10-12 hours a day
Children of this age
usually go to bed between 7 pm. and 9pm and wake up around 6am and 8am like
they did when they were younger. At age 3, most children are still sleeping,
but at age 5, they are not. Daytime naps are also getting shorter. New sleep
problems usually do not appear after 3 years.
7-12 years: 10-11 hours a day
At this age, due to
social, school and family activities, bedtime gradually becomes longer and
later, with most 12-year-olds going to bed around 9 pm. There is still a wide
range of bedtime from 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm, as well as total sleep time from 9
to 12 hours, although the average is only about 9 hours.
12-18 years old: 8-9 hours a day
The need for sleep remains just as important to the health and well-being of adolescents as it is in youth. It turns out that many teenagers may need more sleep than in previous years. However, for many teens, social pressure interferes with normal sleep quantity and quality.