1-4 Weeks Old: 15 - 16 hours per day
Newborns typically sleep about 15 to 18 hours a day, but only in short
periods of two to four hours. Premature babies may sleep longer and colicky
ones shorter.
Since newborns do not yet have an internal biological clock, or circadian
rhythm, their sleep patterns are not related to the daylight and nighttime
cycles. In fact, they tend not to have much of a pattern at all.
1-4 Months Old: 14 - 15 hours per day
By 6 weeks of age your baby is beginning to settle down a bit, and you may
notice more regular sleep patterns emerging. The longest periods of sleep
run four to six hours and now tends to occur more regularly in the evening.
Day-night confusion ends.
4-12 Months Old: 14 - 15 hours per day
While up to 15 hours is ideal, most infants up to 11 months old get only
about 12 hours sleep. Establishing healthy sleep habits is a primary goal
during this period, as your baby is now much more social, and his sleep
patterns are more adult-like.
Babies typically have three naps and drop to two at around 6 months old, at
which time (or earlier) they are physically capable of sleeping through the
night. Establishing regular naps generally happens at the latter part of
this time frame, as his biological rhythms mature. The midmorning nap
usually starts at 9 a.m. and lasts about an hour. The early afternoon nap
starts between noon and 2 p.m. and lasts an hour or two. And the late
afternoon nap may start from 3 to 5 p.m. and is variable in duration.
1-3 Years Old: 12 - 14 hours per day
As your child moves past the first year toward 18-21 months of age he will
likely lose his morning nap and nap only once a day. While toddlers need up
to 14 hours a day of sleep, they typically get only about 10.
Most children from about 21 to 36 months of age still need one nap a day,
which may range from one to three and a half hours long. They typically go
to bed between 7 and 9 p.m. and wake up between 6 and 8 a.m.
3-6 Years Old: 10 - 12 hours per day
Children at this age typically go to bed between 7 and 9 p.m. and wake up
around 6 and 8 a.m., just as they did when they were younger. At 3, most
children are still napping, while at 5, most are not. Naps gradually become
shorter as well. New sleep problems do not usually develop after 3 years of
age.
7-12 Years Old: 10 - 11 hours per day
At these ages, with social, school, and family activities, bedtimes
gradually become later and later, with most 12-years-olds going to bed at
about 9 p.m. There is still a wide range of bedtimes, from 7:30 to 10 p.m.,
as well as total sleep times, from 9 to 12 hours, although the average is
only about 9 hours.
12-18 Years Old: 8 - 9 hours per day
Sleep needs remain just as vital to health and well-being for teenagers as
when they were younger. It turns out that many teenagers actually may need
more sleep than in previous years. Now, however, social pressures conspire
against getting the proper amount and quality of sleep.