How Many Hours Should My Child Sleep?

A very common question parents ask is how much their child should be sleeping in a day.  Depending on their age, this answer will vary, so I have provided a guideline for you below.

Recommended hours of sleep by age:
Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours
Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours
Toddlers (1-3 years): 11-14 hours
Preschoolers (3-5 years): 10-13 hours

For example, my twins are 14 months old and they sleep 12 hours at night and take two 1-hour naps a day, totaling 14 hours of sleep a day!

Another great tip I would like to share is about Awake-Time Thresholds.  A lot of times children have trouble sleeping because when they get overtired, their bodies produce  cortisol and adrenaline to give then more energy so they can fight off their exhaustion.  If we better understand the time-frame of how long a child their age can handle being awake, we can look for their sleep cues during that period and put them down for naps and bed at a more appropriate time before they hit that overtired mark.

Awake-Time Thresholds:
Newborn – 4 months: 30 – 60 minutes
4 – 9 months: 90 minutes – 2 hours
9 – 18 months: 2.5 hours – 4 hours
18 months – 4 years: 4 hours – 6 hours

For instance, Kaydence & Krew wake up at 6:30am and take a nap by 8:30-9am, wake up around 10 and go back down for their 2nd nap around 1-1:30pm until around 2:30.  Then they go to bed by 6:30pm.

Such simple tools to help your child get the rest they need!

If your little one isn’t getting the recommended sleep, then there may be sleep habits that need to be adjusted to achieve more quality sleep. Some parents think that their kid just doesn’t need a lot of sleep, and that is not true at all. All kids should be in these ranges for healthy development.
If they aren’t, please feel free to contact me for help on how to get them the desired amount of sleep. Even just a 30-minute phone call can help you get them on the right track. You can book a call directly on my Facebook Page or even go to my Contact page to fill out an Intake Form.