Schedules & wake windows
How much sleep does a baby need? Totals by age, from newborn to preschool
How many hours of sleep babies and toddlers need by age, from expert recommendations and research, and why 'normal' is wider than you might think.
The short version
- Newborns typically sleep around 14–17 hours in 24 hours, but healthy babies vary widely. The HSE gives a range of 9 to 18 hours.
- From 4 to 12 months, experts recommend about 12–16 hours in total including naps; for 1–2 year olds, 11–14 hours; for 3–5 year olds, 10–13.
- Your child's mood and energy during the day are a better guide than hitting an exact number.
- Persistent very short sleep, loud snoring or pauses in breathing are reasons to check in with your GP.
Few questions cause more quiet worry than “is my baby getting enough sleep?” Especially when another parent’s baby apparently sleeps twelve hours straight.
Here’s what the experts recommend, and why the range of normal is wide.
Sleep needs by age
These figures combine recommendations from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), the US National Sleep Foundation (NSF) and the HSE. All of them describe totals across 24 hours, naps included.
| Age | Typical total sleep in 24 hours | What it often looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Newborn (0–3 months) | about 14–17 hours (NSF); HSE range 9–18, average about 14 | Short sleeps of a few minutes to a few hours, day and night |
| 3–6 months | about 12–14 hours (HSE); 12–16 from 4 months (AASM) | Longer night stretch emerging, 3–4 naps |
| 6–12 months | about 12–16 hours (AASM) | 10–12 hours at night, 2–3 naps |
| 1–2 years | about 11–14 hours (AASM) | 10–12 hours at night, 1–2 naps |
| 3–5 years | about 10–13 hours (AASM) | 10–12 hours at night, nap fading out |
Sources: Paruthi et al., 2016; Hirshkowitz et al., 2015; HSE newborns; HSE 3–6 months; HSE 6 months–2 years; HSE 2–5 years.
The AASM doesn’t give a recommendation for babies under 4 months, because sleep varies so much at that age.
Why “normal” is a wide road
When researchers pooled data from dozens of studies, the average infant slept about 12.8 hours a day, but the normal range ran from roughly 9.7 to 15.9 hours (Galland et al., 2012). That’s a six-hour spread between healthy babies.
Night waking varies just as much. In one study following 75 babies across their first year, about half were sleeping from midnight to 5am by around 3 months. But at 12 months, more than a quarter still weren’t sleeping from 10pm to 6am (Henderson et al., 2010).
So if your baby sleeps less than a friend’s, or less than a chart, they may simply be a lower-sleep baby. Many are.
Better signs than the number
Rather than counting hours, it helps to ask:
- Is my baby mostly content when awake? Some grizzles are normal, but long stretches of misery may suggest overtiredness, hunger or illness.
- Are they feeding and growing well? Your public health nurse or health visitor can reassure you.
- Do they settle reasonably, at least some of the time?
- How are you coping? A baby’s sleep can be “normal” and still be too much for a family to manage. That’s a valid reason to look for support.
Daytime sleep vs night sleep
As babies grow, sleep gradually shifts from day to night. Daytime sleep shrinks from several naps to one, and then, usually somewhere between 3 and 5 years, to none (see when toddlers stop napping). Night sleep lengthens and becomes more continuous.
If your baby’s total looks right but the balance seems off, for example lots of daytime sleep and long night wakings, look at nap timing and wake windows.
When to check in
Reach out
Talk to your GP, public health nurse or health visitor if your baby seems very sleepy and hard to wake (especially a newborn with jaundice), is sleeping much more or less than usual and seems unwell, snores loudly, pauses in breathing or gasps during sleep, or if you’re worried for any reason. Trust your instincts.
Questions parents ask
How many hours should a newborn sleep?
The National Sleep Foundation suggests 14 to 17 hours a day for newborns. The HSE notes that babies up to 3 months can need anywhere from about 9 to 18 hours, averaging around 14, in short bursts between feeds.
How much should a 6 month old sleep?
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 12 to 16 hours in total for babies aged 4 to 12 months, including naps. The HSE describes about 10 to 11 hours at night at 6 months plus three naps.
My baby sleeps less than the chart says. Is that a problem?
Not necessarily. Recommended ranges describe what's typical for healthy children, and some sleep a little more or less. If your baby is generally content, feeding well and growing, slightly less sleep is often just who they are. If you're worried, or they seem tired and unhappy much of the time, speak to your GP or public health nurse.
When do babies sleep through the night?
It varies hugely. In one study, about half of babies were sleeping from midnight to 5am by around 3 months, but at 12 months more than a quarter still weren't sleeping from 10pm to 6am. Both are normal.
Sources
- Recommended amount of sleep for pediatric populations (Paruthi S et al., J Clin Sleep Med, 2016) — American Academy of Sleep Medicine, via PubMed
- National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary (Hirshkowitz M et al., 2015) — PubMed
- Normal sleep patterns in infants and children: a systematic review of observational studies (Galland BC et al., 2012) — PubMed
- Sleeping through the night: the consolidation of self-regulated sleep across the first year of life (Henderson JM et al., 2010) — PubMed
- Newborn sleep — HSE
- Your baby's sleep needs: 3 to 6 months — HSE
- Your child's sleep needs: 6 months to 2 years — HSE
- Sleep: 2 to 5 years — HSE