How Many Hours Your Child Should Sleep At Night

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, which is also endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics has several recommendations when it comes to the amount of SLEEP a child needs…

Infants 4 months to 12 months should sleep 12 to 16 hours per 24 hours (including naps) on a regular basis to promote optimal health.

Children 1 to 2 years of age should sleep 11 to 14 hours per 24 hours (including naps) on a regular basis to promote optimal health.

Children 3 to 5 years of age should sleep 10 to 13 hours per 24 hours (including naps) on a regular basis to promote optimal health.

Children 6 to 12 years of age should sleep 9 to 12 hours per 24 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health.

Teenagers 13 to 18 years of age should sleep 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health.

Because the amount of sleep a child needs is cumulative over a total 24 hour day, this chart tells us what we instinctually already knew—when our kids sleep more during the day, they can stay up a little later at nighttime and be okay. 

When they start dropping naps, you might need to inch bedtime up earlier to make up for those lost hours.