How much sleep does your child need?

One question that families often ask me is how much sleep their little ones should be getting. You will know when your child is tired and when more sleep is needed as there are many clues in their behaviour, especially when they are young.

To answer the question, I often refer to guidelines based on the average infant.

These are only guidelines, as all children are different, but I hope that this helps a little:

1 – 2 months old 10½ – 18 hours per 24 hours.
3 – 11 months old 9-12 hours at night. 30 min-2 hour naps, 1-4 times a day.
12-months – 3 years old. 11-14 hours per 24 hours. 18 months – 1 nap of 1-3 hours
3 – 5 years old. 11-13 hours at night.
5 – 12 years old. 10-11 hours at night.

Again, these are just guidelines. If your child doesn’t seem overtired and they are getting less sleep than the totals above, don’t worry about it; they’re doing just fine.

If your child is suffering from sleep deprivation and is obviously tired through the day, you may want to work on getting them some more sleep each day.

Use this guide as exactly that- a point of reference to inform you if you are concerned about the amount of sleep your child is getting. As always, I am here to answer questions!