How Many Hours Do Children Need to Sleep?
Babies are born with no internal clock to regulate their sleep. It is important to maintain a good sleep schedule for your child, so he learns healthy sleep habits as he grows up. As individuals, children have unique sleep requirements, but there are some general guidelines for how much sleep they need as they grow.
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Newborn to Four Months Old
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Newborns typically sleep up to 16 hours a day, generally from two to four hours at a time because young babies need to wake to eat frequently. By four months most babies start to have a better sleep schedule and will sleep from 14 to 15 hours a day.
Four to 12 Months Old
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Still sleeping between 14 to 15 hours in a 24-hour period, babies in this age group are becoming more social and do most of their sleeping at night. At this age, babies can take between two and three naps a day.
One to Three Years Old
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Toddlers need between 12 and 14 hours of sleep and usually still need a nap every day. Most one- to three-year-olds get between nine and 11 hours of sleep each night and a one- to three-hour nap in the afternoon.
Four to Six Years Old
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At this age, most children are no longer taking naps. They sleep from 7 or 9 p.m. to 6 or 8 a.m. and need about 10 to 12 hours of sleep.
Seven to 12 Years Old
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Kids in this age group need less sleep, between 10 and 11 hours a night, and generally go to bed later, with most children going to bed around 9 p.m.
13 to 18 Years Old
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Teenagers need a more adult-like eight to nine hours of sleep each night. Although increased social activities may mean they get less sleep, many teenagers need more sleep than they did as children.
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