For babies and young children, sleep is of utmost importance because humans experience the most significant development early in life, which affects the brain, body, emotions, and behavior, laying the foundation for their continuous growth through childhood and adolescence. During sleep, growth hormone and numerous immune factors are secreted, which together enable proper growth and development of the child.
In light of this, it is normal for parents to want to ensure that their children, whether babies or young children, get the necessary sleep.
Babies spend most of their day sleeping. Exactly how much babies will sleep during the day depends on their age.
Newborns (0-3 months)
The Sleep Foundation (SF) recommends that newborns spend between 14 and 17 hours sleeping each day. Due to the need for feeding, this sleep is usually divided into several shorter periods.
While the majority of total sleep occurs at night, it is rare for newborns to sleep through the night without waking. To accommodate feeding, nighttime sleep segments, and daytime naps, parents often work on developing a schedule for the newborn’s day.
Parents should be aware that changes in newborns’ sleep patterns can occur and do not necessarily indicate a sleep problem.
Babies (4-11 months)
Babies in this age range should sleep between 11 and 15 hours a day.
Children (1-2 years)
It is recommended that toddlers sleep between 11 and 14 hours a day. Their napping decreases compared to babies by about 1-2 hours of daytime sleep. A daytime nap is normal at the beginning of this period, but it is not uncommon for older children to only take an afternoon nap.
Preschool age (3-5 years)
Preschool children aged 3-5 years should sleep around 10-13 hours daily. During this time, naps may become shorter, or the preschooler may stop napping regularly.
School age (6-13 years)
School-aged children should sleep a total of 9-11 hours each day, but of course, individual needs of each child in this group can vary significantly. Younger school-aged children usually need more sleep than those in middle school or approaching middle school.
When school-aged children begin going through puberty and enter adolescence, their sleep patterns change significantly and can lead to various challenges that teenagers face.
