How Much Should a Baby Sleep? Hours by Age, Newborn to 12 Months

How much should a baby sleep?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 14 to 17 hours of sleep in 24 hours, naps included, from birth to 3 months, and 12 to 16 hours from 4 to 11 months. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends 12 to 16 hours in 24 hours, naps included, for babies aged 4 to 12 months, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) endorsed that recommendation.

The AASM gives no figure for babies under 4 months. Its 2016 consensus says recommendations for younger infants "are not included due to the wide range of normal variation in duration and patterns of sleep, and insufficient evidence for associations with health outcomes." A panel of 13 sleep experts wrote it after reviewing 864 scientific articles.

The table adds what babies were observed to sleep in a 2012 systematic review of 34 studies in Sleep Medicine Reviews.

Age	Guidance per 24 hours, naps included	Observed average (range), 2012 review
0 to 2 months	WHO: 14 to 17 h (0 to 3 months). NHS: around 8 to 18 h, both normal (newborns). AASM: none	14.6 h (9.3 to 20.0 h)
About 3 months	WHO: 14 to 17 h (0 to 3 months). AASM: none	13.6 h (9.4 to 17.8 h)
About 6 months	WHO: 12 to 16 h (4 to 11 months). AASM: 12 to 16 h (4 to 12 months)	12.9 h (8.8 to 17.0 h)
About 9 months	WHO: 12 to 16 h (4 to 11 months). AASM: 12 to 16 h (4 to 12 months)	12.6 h (9.4 to 15.8 h)
About 12 months	AASM: 12 to 16 h (4 to 12 months). WHO: 11 to 14 h (1 to 2 years). NHS: most around 12 to 15 h (after the first birthday)	12.9 h (10.1 to 15.8 h)

The WHO and AASM figures are recommendations, and the NHS figures describe what is normal or typical. The review's figures come from parents' diaries and questionnaires, and each range is its estimate of where 95% of babies fall. The review notes that activity-monitor studies have recorded 50 minutes less sleep in infants than parents reported.

Sleep need differs between babies. The AASM says it is influenced by genetic, behavioral, medical and environmental factors, and the NHS says some babies need more sleep and some less. The 2012 review found that studies from predominantly Asian countries reported about 1 hour less sleep across ages 0 to 12 years than studies from predominantly Caucasian or non-Asian countries.

How much should a newborn sleep in 24 hours?

The WHO recommends 14 to 17 hours of sleep in 24 hours from birth to 3 months, and the NHS says a newborn sleeping anywhere from around 8 hours to around 18 hours a day is normal. The NHS adds that most newborns are asleep more than they are awake. In the 2012 review, babies aged 0 to 2 months averaged 14.6 hours.

The NHS says a newborn may sleep in short or long bursts, and is highly unlikely to sleep through the night because they have tiny tummies and need to be fed. In the review, babies aged 0 to 2 months woke 1.7 times a night on average, with an estimated range of 0 to 3.4 wakings.

How much should a baby sleep at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months?

At 1 and 3 months the WHO recommends 14 to 17 hours of sleep in 24 hours; at 6 and 9 months the WHO and the AASM both recommend 12 to 16 hours; and at 12 months the AASM's 12 to 16 hours still applies, while the WHO recommends 11 to 14 hours from 1 to 2 years. In the 2012 review, babies averaged 14.6 hours at 0 to 2 months, 13.6 hours at about 3 months, 12.9 hours at about 6 months, 12.6 hours at about 9 months and 12.9 hours at about 12 months.

From 3 to 6 months, the NHS says, babies need fewer night feeds and may be able to sleep for longer, and some babies may sleep 8 hours or longer at night, though not all will. A 2010 study in Pediatrics found the largest average increase in the length of babies' self-regulated night sleep came between 1 and 4 months. For what happens to sleep around 4 months, see the 4-month sleep regression.

By around 6 months, the NHS says, a baby may sleep for up to 12 hours at night, though teething pain and hunger can disturb their sleep. After the first birthday, the NHS says most babies sleep around 12 to 15 hours in total.

How much does a baby sleep during the day versus at night?

A newborn's sleep is spread throughout the day and night in short periods, and from around 10 to 12 weeks, as the body clock begins to emerge, it becomes increasingly concentrated at night, according to the 2012 review. For why a young baby can be wide awake at night, see day-night confusion in newborns.

Naps fall and the longest stretch of sleep grows over the first 2 years, the review found. Babies averaged 3.1 daytime naps at 0 to 5 months and 2.2 at 6 to 11 months, and their longest single stretch of sleep averaged just under 6 hours at 0 to 5 months and just over 8 hours at 6 to 24 months. For how long babies stay awake between naps, see wake windows by age.

What does "sleeping through the night" mean for a baby?

In two studies published in Pediatrics, "sleeping through the night" meant a stretch of 5 to 8 hours: midnight to 5 a.m., 8 hours, or 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. of self-regulated sleep, which counts wakings a baby settles from without help, in a 2010 study, and 6 or 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep in a 2018 study.

The 2010 study followed 75 babies through their first year, using parents' sleep diaries, kept 6 days a month and checked against video. The probability of meeting the midnight-to-5 a.m. and 8-hour criteria reached 50% at 3 months, and for 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. it reached 50% at 5 months. At 12 months, 11 of the 75 babies did not meet the first two criteria, and 21 did not meet the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. one, which the authors called the most developmentally and socially valid.

The 2018 study, of 388 babies, found that 27.9% to 57.0% of 6- and 12-month-olds did not sleep through the night, depending on the age and on whether the bar was 6 or 8 hours. It found no significant link between sleeping through the night and mental development, psychomotor development or maternal mood, though sleeping through was associated with a much lower rate of breastfeeding. The authors concluded that expectations for early sleep consolidation could be moderated.

When should you call your pediatrician about your baby's sleep?

Tell your pediatrician right away about frequent snoring or breathing problems at night, talk to them if your baby seems to sleep too much or too little, and seek medical help immediately for a newborn who is increasingly sleepy or hard to wake.

• Your newborn seems increasingly sleepy, unresponsive or hard to arouse. The AAP says to seek medical help immediately.
• Your baby snores frequently or has problems breathing during the night. The AAP says to let your pediatrician know right away.
• You are worried your baby is sleeping too little or too much. The AASM says parents with that concern should consult their healthcare provider.
• Call 911 or your local emergency number right away if your baby's breath stops for more than 20 seconds, or their skin turns pale, bluish or grayish. The AAP's emergency list, which follows its description of pauses in breathing, also includes a change in muscle tone, a fever or other symptoms of illness.

Pauses in breathing followed by rapid catch-up breathing, called periodic breathing of infancy, are generally considered normal, and the AAP says babies should outgrow it by age 6 months. For where and how your baby should sleep, see safe sleep practices.