Finding the right amount of sleep for babies and toddlers can feel overwhelming for many parents. Sleep is essential for a child's growth and development, and understanding their unique sleep needs can set the stage for healthier (and easier!) routines. This blog will help understand the average sleep needs for babies and toddlers across different ages.
The Importance of Sleep for Young Children
Sleep is crucial for physical health, emotional stability, and cognitive growth. During sleep, children's bodies produce growth hormones, strengthen immunity, and enhance learning. As parents, we often notice that their children display different behaviours based on their sleep quality throughout the day. Overtired kids can become fussy, more emotional or have difficulty concentrating. Knowing how much sleep each age group needs can empower parents to establish a nurturing sleep rhythm.
How much sleep do babies and toddlers need on average?
New-borns (0-2 Months)
New-borns require about 14-17 hours of sleep within a 24-hour period, divided between day and night.
Their sleep cycles tend to be short, lasting around 50-60 minutes. Because new-borns have small stomachs, they typically need to eat every 1-3 hours, disrupting longer sleep periods. For example, many parents find that their baby wakes consistently at 2-3 hour intervals during the night. Being responsive and flexible to their needs is essential during this phase.
Babies (3-11 Months)
As infants grow, their sleep needs decrease slightly to about 12-15 hours each day.
By this stage, many infants start to sleep longer stretches at night and require 2-3 naps during the day. During the 6-9 month mark, many babies begin to establish more predictable sleep patterns; about 70% of infants can sleep through the night by 9 months.
Key stages of transition:
4-6 Months: 3 naps a day, averaging 4-5 hours across the day.
Between 6-8 months, you'll find they will likely transition from 3 naps to just 2 naps a day. Ideally building 3-3.5hrs of day sleep.
8-12 Months: As the months go on you'll find that their sleep pressure starts to change. Naps will gradually reduce in length, and they'll need some longer wakeful times in-between.
Toddlers (1-3 Years)
Toddlers usually need about 11-14 hours of sleep daily, for overnight sleep and between 1-2 naps per day. The average age for transitioning to one nap is at around 13-17 months. You will naturally find that they will clock less day and night sleep ahead of this transitioning, the 2 naps will be helping to conserve their energy! Once they do transition, their day sleep increases as does their nights.
As they grow, many toddlers resist nap time. However, keeping a consistent nap schedule can help prevent overtiredness. Research suggests that toddlers who nap regularly are 20% less likely to experience behavioural issues and maintain better overall moods.
Influencing Factors
While these age ranges provide useful guidelines, it's important to consider each child's unique needs. All children are different, and they transition through naps at different stages! They also all have different sleep needs, some higher than others. Several factors can impact sleep their requirements along the way too:
Growth spurts: Babies might require extra sleep during periods of rapid growth, often becoming cranky or restless.
Developmental milestones: Learning skills like sitting up or walking can temporarily disrupt a child's sleep routine.
Health concerns: Conditions like allergies or teething can also affect sleep.
Tips for Encouraging Healthy Sleep
Creating a sleep-friendly environment can significantly enhance how well children sleep. Here are some practical suggestions:
Establish a routine: A consistent and calming pre-bedtime routine signals to your child that it’s time to sleep. Activities can include reading stories or listening to soft music.
Create a sleep-conducive environment: A dark, quiet room helps children feel comfortable. Parents might consider blackout curtains and white noise machines if needed.
Limit screen time: Blue light from screens can interfere with melatonin production. Aim to turn off screens at least one hour before bedtime. Same goes for blue light machines - I'd consider red lights in their bedroom to prevent disruption to their melatonin production.
Be consistent: Consistency during naptime and bedtime helps children develop a natural sleep-wake schedule.
Observe wake windows: Understanding the optimal awake times for your baby or toddler can prevent overtiredness and encourage better sleep. If you are finding that their timings are well off, and the naps/bedtimes are a fight, scale it back and start a bit earlier before increasing their wake time in order to help you find their sweet spot.
A Path to Better Sleep
Understanding the sleep needs of babies and toddlers can help parents massively in understanding their cues, routines and bringing easier sleep habits. No parent wants to spend their days fighting naps, or all evening with bedtime battles.
If you are struggling in getting their timings right, and sick of searching for schedules that just don't work then I have the perfect Nap Success mini course right here. With a presentation, charts and my secret sauce to getting it right for YOUR baby. Here’s to successful and peaceful nights ahead!
If you would prefer to have a chat - you can book in a free call with me below.
Jade
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