How Much Sleep Does Baby Need?

Published by Dominika
Created:
8. 3. 2022
Updated:
8. 3. 2022

Making sure your baby gets enough sleep is typically a high priority for every parent.

Babies spend the majority of their day sleeping. The normal amount of time that babies sleep depends on their age.

Here are general guidelines on how many hours of sleep the average baby requires at various ages, but keep in mind that every child is different – some need more sleep than others. Also, be prepared for your little one’s sleep patterns to fluctuate quite a bit as baby develops and reaches new milestones.

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How Many Hours of Sleep Does My Baby Need?

Newborn

🌙 Nighttime: 8 1/2
☀Daytime: 8 1/2 (varied number of naps)
💤Average Total Sleep: 17

1 month

🌙 Nighttime: 9
☀Daytime: 8 (varied number of naps)
💤Average Total Sleep: 17

2-3 months

🌙 Nighttime: 10
☀Daytime Sleep: 6 (three naps)
💤Average Total Sleep: 16

Because babies don’t recognize daytime from nighttime until they’re a bit older, they need our social cues to learn when to sleep more and when to play more. You can learn your baby onto day regime with daylight and with daytime noises. Bedtime should be very dark and include white noise or non noises at all.

💡TIP: 10 Ideas for Your Baby Bedtime Routine

Baby should be napping throughout the day and waking frequently to feed at night. Baby may take 4-6 naps a day lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours. Night sleep should have longer periods of sleep, but still waking every 3-4 hours. In total, expect to have 11-17 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period.

Your baby’s sleep is really determined by their feeding needs. With a stomach the size of an egg, baby needs frequent feedings which wakes them frequently.

Newborns are the perfect sleeper for their individual and developmental age appropriate needs.

4-6 months

🌙 Nighttime: 10
☀Daytime: 5 (two or three naps)
💤Average Total Sleep: 15

In these months of baby‘s you should begin to notice that baby is waking less to feed at night and stretching out their wake time thru the day.

Your 4-6 months old baby should be getting 3-3,5 hours of daytime sleep spread across three to four naps and then sleeping 11-12 hours at night. It is completely normal and healthy for them to continue waking for one-two feeding.

Baby is developmentally ready for a sleep routine. Many parents find that their baby suddenly forgot the difference between night and day and is demanding nighttime slumber parties! This is pretty normal. If you find your infant is challenging you during naps and bedtime, it may be time to start a sleep routine.

How will you know when the sleep routine time is right? If your baby is refusing naps, seems grumpy, and is frequently waking at night.

💡TIP: 5 Steps to Teach Your Baby Sleep Through the Night

7-9 months

🌙 Nighttime: 11
☀Daytime: 3 1/2 (two naps)
💤Average Total Sleep: 14 ½

10-12 months

🌙 Nighttime: 11
☀Daytime: 3 (two naps)
💤Average Total Sleep: 14

Sometime around 8 months you may find that a third nap is a struggle and your baby is waking up too early for the day. These are signs that they are ready to drop down to a two naps schedule.

Baby still may need 2-3 hours of sleep split between those two naps and 11-12 hours of night sleep.

Your baby may also be ready to drop off night feedings, but it’s completely normal to continue to until closer to 12 months.

This is a time typically filled with many sleep disruptions, such as teething or a new milestone. Staying consistent with your routine and letting them practice their new skill as much as possible between naps will help you get back on track quicker.

💡TIP: Why Your Baby Won’t Sleep and How to Calm Him/Her Down

Older 12 months

🌙 Nighttime: 11
☀Daytime: 2 1/2 (one nap)
💤Average Total Sleep: 13 ½

Happy One Year! You have a toddler now!

This month comes with many obstacles, but also tons of fun.

Try to keep your baby in their crib as long as possible, and even closer to 3 years, to avoid any serious bedtime and naptime protests.

💡TIP: How Long Can Baby Sleep in Bassinet?

Typical sleep ranges are becoming tighter with less sleep time required and will continue to do so for the rest of their lives. Baby should be sleeping 11-12 hours thru night and getting 1,5-3 hours of daytime sleep over 1-2 naps. You’ll know when it’s time to drop that second nap when they are lasting longer and sometimes getting too close to bedtime.

What Can You Do if Your Baby Doesn’t Sleep Enough?

Parents who have concerns about their baby’s sleep should start by speaking with a pediatrician. Keeping a sleep diary to track your baby’s sleep patterns may help the doctor determine if your baby’s sleep has a normal pattern or may reflect a potential sleeping problem.

For babies who struggle to sleep through the night, behavioral changes may encourage longer sleep sessions. For example, reducing the speed of response to awakenings may encourage self-soothing, and gradually pushing back bedtime may create more sleepiness that helps a baby stay asleep longer.

It may also be beneficial to improve sleep hygiene by creating a consistent sleep schedule and routine and ensuring that the baby has a calm and quiet environment for sleep.

What Else Can Help?

If you want to be sure that your baby is sleeping peacefully in his own room, then you have a constant urge to check on him/her every second.

The constant running from the comfort of the couch to the bedroom, or from the bedroom to the children’s room, is tiring. Baby monitors will make this unnecessary effort easier for you. Thanks to modern technologies, there is no need to spend on overpriced baby monitors. If you have two phone devices you have your baby monitor – baby app monitor.

You do not need to buy any special equipment, use the devices you own – e.g. smartphone, tablet, laptop, Apple watch, Onvif/HomeKit camera.

Go to App Store or Google Play and download the app Annie Baby Monitor on both devices. One device is a parent unit and the other is a child unit. Pair the devices and the monitoring can begin!

How Much Sleep Does Baby Need?