- 0–3 months: 14–17 hours in 24 (National Sleep Foundation). The NHS says a newborn's total varies but can be around 18 hours.
- 4–12 months: 12–16 hours including naps (American Academy of Sleep Medicine, supported by the AAP).
- 1–2 years: 11–14 hours including naps (AASM).
- Under 4 months the AASM gives no number at all, because normal varies so much.
- Night sleep consolidates over the first year; waking at night is still common at 6–12 months.
Baby sleep chart by age
| Age | Total in 24 h | Day sleep, typically | Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newborn (0–6 weeks) | 14–17 h; can be around 18 | 6–9 h in many short naps | short stretches between feeds, around the clock |
| 1 month | 14–17 h | 6–9 h | one longer stretch often appears |
| 2 months | 14–17 h | 4½–6 h in 4–5 naps | with 1–2 feeds for many babies |
| 3 months | 14–17 h | 3½–5 h in about 4 naps | half of babies sleep midnight–5 a.m. |
| 4–5 months | 12–16 h | 3–4½ h in 3–4 naps | about 11–12 h in bed, wakings included |
| 6 months | 12–16 h; average about 14 | 2½–3½ h in 2–3 naps | about 11–12 h |
| 7–9 months | 12–16 h | 2–3½ h in 2 naps | about 11–12 h |
| 10–12 months | 12–16 h (11–14 h from the first birthday) | 2–3 h in 2 naps | about 11–12 h |
| 1–2 years | 11–14 h | 1½–3 h, 2 naps → 1 | about 11–12 h |
Totals: National Sleep Foundation (0–3 months) and AASM consensus (4 months–2 years). Day sleep: the ranges our nap planner uses. Night: time from bedtime to morning, wakings included; in a Swiss study night sleep averaged 11.0 hours at 1 month and 11.7 at 1 year (Iglowstein 2003). The 6-month average of 14.2 hours is from the same study.
Normal is a wide range
Sleep guidelines are ranges for a reason. The AASM didn't set any number for babies under 4 months "due to the wide range of normal variation". In the Swiss study above, the middle half of 6-month-olds spanned 2½ hours, from roughly 13 to 15½ hours a day (Iglowstein 2003). A review of 34 studies found infants averaged 12.8 hours, with a normal spread from about 10 to 16 hours (Galland 2012). A baby who sleeps 12 hours and one who sleeps 16 can both be perfectly well.
What tells you more than the hours: is your baby mostly content when awake, feeding well, and growing along their curve?
Night and day: when do babies sleep longer at night?
Newborns don't know night from day yet; they sleep in short pieces between feeds, waking repeatedly through the night for the first few months (NHS). The biggest change comes between 1 and 4 months. In a study that followed 75 babies with monthly sleep diaries, the most likely age to first sleep from midnight to 5 a.m. was 2 months, and half of the babies did so by 3 months. Sleeping from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. took longer: half managed it by 5 months (Henderson 2010).
That still leaves plenty of babies who wake. Some 3–6-month-olds sleep 5 to 8 hours or longer at night, "but not all" (NHS). In a survey of 715 families, 79% of 6–12-month-olds still woke at least once a night (Brown 2015). Night waking in the first year is common, not a failure.
How much does a newborn sleep?
About 14 to 17 hours in 24 (NSF), sometimes up to around 18 (NHS), but in pieces of 1 to 4 hours, because newborns wake to feed every 2 to 3 hours around the clock. In the first weeks, a baby who sleeps more than 4–5 hours and starts missing feeds should be woken for a feed (AAP). Our newborn feeding page covers how much and how often.
Is my baby sleeping too much or too little?
Usually not, if they're feeding well, growing and alert when awake. Talk to your pediatrician if your baby:
- is hard to wake for feeds or seems floppy or unusually sleepy, especially in the first weeks;
- has a fever of 100.4 °F (38 °C) or more and is 3 months or younger: call right away (AAP);
- regularly sleeps far outside the ranges above and seems unhappy or unwell when awake.
Safe sleep matters more than hours: the NHS recommends your baby sleeps in the same room as you, day and night, for at least the first 6 months, which can reduce the risk of SIDS.
Questions
How much should a newborn sleep?
About 14 to 17 hours in 24 (National Sleep Foundation), and the NHS says it can be around 18. It comes in short pieces between feeds, day and night.
How much should my baby sleep at 2 weeks?
Like a newborn: about 14 to 17 hours in 24, in stretches of 1–4 hours between feeds. In the first weeks, wake your baby if they sleep more than 4–5 hours and start missing feeds (AAP).
How much should my baby sleep at 2 months?
About 14 to 17 hours in 24, with 4½–6 hours of it in 4–5 daytime naps. Many 2-month-olds still have 1–2 night feeds; 2 months is the most common age to first sleep from midnight to 5 a.m. (Henderson 2010).
How much should my baby sleep at 3 months?
About 14 to 17 hours in 24, roughly 3½–5 hours of it in naps. Half of babies sleep from midnight to 5 a.m. by 3 months (Henderson 2010).
How much should my baby sleep at 6 months?
12 to 16 hours including naps (AASM); in one study the average was 14.2 hours (Iglowstein 2003). Usually 2½–3½ hours of that is in 2–3 naps.
How many hours should a baby sleep at night?
From a few months on, typically 11–12 hours from bedtime to morning, wakings included (Iglowstein 2003). Waking once or more at night is still common at 6–12 months (Brown 2015).
Do wake windows and total sleep go together?
Yes. Wake windows tell you when the next nap is due; total sleep tells you roughly how much your baby needs over the day. See wake windows by age.
Sources
- Paruthi S. et al., Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: A Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, J Clin Sleep Med 2016
- AAP, HealthyChildren.org: Healthy Sleep Habits: How Many Hours Does Your Child Need? (the AAP supports the AASM guidelines)
- Hirshkowitz M. et al., National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations, Sleep Health 2015
- NHS: Helping your baby to sleep
- Iglowstein I. et al., Sleep duration from infancy to adolescence: reference values and generational trends, Pediatrics 2003
- Galland B.C. et al., Normal sleep patterns in infants and children: a systematic review of observational studies, Sleep Med Rev 2012
- Henderson J.M.T. et al., Sleeping through the night: the consolidation of self-regulated sleep across the first year of life, Pediatrics 2010
- Brown A., Harries V., Infant sleep and night feeding patterns during later infancy, Breastfeeding Medicine 2015
- AAP, HealthyChildren.org: Amount and Schedule of Baby Formula Feedings
- AAP, HealthyChildren.org: Fever and Your Baby
Spotted a mistake or an outdated figure? Write to [email protected].