How much sleep does a baby really need?

For every new parent sleep is always a major concern. No matter how much sleep your baby is or isn’t getting you worry. Is it too much? Not enough? Enough?  

Every baby’s needs are different, but here are some helpful guidelines to how much sleep your child requires to stay healthy as well as a few tips to making sure he gets it.

Sleep Guidelines

Here is a rough guideline to the amount of sleep your baby should be getting every day. Please note, these are total number of hours – naps, night, everything – that your baby should be getting in a 24 hour period, not the length of one stretch of sleep.

• Birth – 3 months: 16 – 15 hours.
• 3 – 9 months: 15 – 14 hours.
• 9 months – to 2 years: 14 – 13 hours
• 2 – 4 years: 13 – 12 hours

Usually infants take 3 or 4 naps a day. Babies 6 months to a year old take two naps a day. 18 month-old toddlers usually drop to one nap a day. With luck you can keep your preschooler napping until he’s 4 or 5 years-old.  

A cranky baby is probably a tired baby

Of course, every child is different and your baby might not fit perfectly into these guidelines. Don’t worry about it if he seems happy and healthy. But if your child isn’t getting as much sleep as he should be getting he might often be tired, cranky, or lethargic. You might need to consider that the issue is lack of sleep.  

Sleep Begets Sleep

It might appear counterintuitive, but sleep begets sleep. The more a child sleeps, the more a child will sleep. So even though it might seem logical that keeping your child up during the day would make him sleep better later, instead it’s a set up for a long painful sleepless night. By the same token, putting your child to bed earlier tends to make him sleep later. I know, it sounds crazy, but it really works. Put your baby to bed early and often and you’ll start to see more, not less sleep.

Routines lead to easy bed times

If you take notes about your baby’s habits during the first couple of weeks you’ll soon see that a routine emerges out of what feels like chaos. As your baby gets older you can use that to your advantage. Learn to anticipate when to soothe your baby to sleep before he gets over tired. If you keep the routine consistent soon sleep will come easily to your baby. 

By always sticking to the same pre-bed routine for naps and night time your baby will learn to anticipate what’s happening next and will start to relax as soon as you start the routine. Your routine doesn’t have to be long – a cuddle, a song, or a book can be enough – as long as it’s consistent. Going to sleep is a reflex that can be learned, you just need to be patient and consistent for it to take hold.

Photo of sleeping baby copyright Jessica Rosenberg.

Jessica Rosenberg is an aspiring novelist and freelance writer who blogs daily at It’s My Life… and posts frequent reviews and giveaways at The Lemonade Stand.

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2. Getting Your Baby to Sleep through the Night
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4. Sleep Strategy for Twins
5. Take a Look At Your Sleep Habits