Baby sleep by age: total sleep, naps and wake windows

Newborns sleep for most of the day and night, often 14 to 17 hours in total, in short stretches broken by feeds. From 4 to 12 months most babies need 12 to 16 hours including naps, and from one to two years 11 to 14 hours. Within those ranges babies differ a lot, so the best guide is a baby who feeds well, grows well and is mostly content when awake. The baby sleep calculator turns these averages into a sample day of naps and a bedtime; this guide explains where the numbers come from and how loosely to hold them.

Total sleep by age

The figures below combine guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, which covers babies from 4 months, and the US National Sleep Foundation, which also gives a newborn range. All are totals for 24 hours, including naps:

• Newborn to 3 months: about 14 to 17 hours.
• 4 to 12 months: 12 to 16 hours.
• 1 to 2 years: 11 to 14 hours.
• 3 to 5 years: 10 to 13 hours.

The NHS gives similar but not identical figures, noting that a newborn's total sleep varies but can be around 18 hours, and that some babies need more or less sleep than others from birth. The differences are a useful reminder that these are typical ranges, not targets to hit.

Naps and wake windows

A wake window is how long a baby stays awake between sleeps. It grows with age, from under an hour for newborns to around two to three hours at six months and five hours or more for toddlers. Wake windows are a practical rule of thumb used by parents and sleep advisers rather than a research-based standard, but they describe a common pattern: a baby kept up much longer than usual often becomes overtired and fussy and finds it harder to settle.

The number of naps falls as wake windows lengthen. Typical patterns are three or four naps at three to four months, three at around five to seven months, two from around eight months, and one from somewhere between about 12 and 18 months. Many children drop the last nap between about three and five years. Transitions are rarely clean, so expect a few weeks of switching between patterns.

A sample day

The calculator takes your baby's age and morning wake-up time and lays out naps and a bedtime using typical wake windows and nap lengths for that age. For a 6-month-old who wakes at 07:00, it suggests naps starting around 09:15 and 13:00, a short catnap at about 16:30 and bedtime around 19:15. If the bedtime it produces falls outside the usual 6:00 to 8:30 pm range, it says so, because a shorter last nap or an earlier start is usually the easier fix. Treat the times as a starting point. Watch for sleepy cues such as yawning, rubbing eyes, staring into space or fussing, and adjust in small steps. Under three months it is only a rough rhythm, because newborns do not follow schedules. To see your baby's actual pattern, the baby tracker logs sleeps and feeds, and the baby age calculator gives the exact age, including corrected age for babies born early.

Night waking

Waking at night is normal in the first year. Young babies need night feeds, and older babies still wake briefly between sleep cycles, which are shorter than an adult's; Sleep cycles, and waking up less awful covers how cycles work. The NHS notes that some babies of 3 to 6 months sleep for five to eight hours or longer at night, but not all, and teething, illness and hunger can bring night waking back for a while. A calm, consistent bedtime routine, such as a bath, a feed, a story and the same words at lights out, helps babies learn the difference between night and day. Some parents use steady background sound; if you do, keep the device well away from the cot and the volume low. The white noise player has a timer so it switches itself off.

Safe sleep basics

Whatever the schedule, follow safe sleep advice every time your baby sleeps, day or night. NHS advice to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) includes:

• always put your baby to sleep on their back;
• use a firm, flat, waterproof mattress in a clear cot, with no pillows, bumpers or soft toys;
• keep your baby in the same room as you for at least the first six months, for naps as well as at night;
• keep the room smoke-free and do not let your baby get too hot;
• never fall asleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair.

When to get advice

Talk to your health visitor, midwife or GP if you are worried about how much your baby sleeps, or if they seem unusually sleepy and hard to wake, are feeding poorly or snore loudly with pauses in their breathing. Get urgent medical help if your baby has difficulty breathing, is floppy or unresponsive, or is under three months old and has a high temperature. And look after yourself: broken nights are hard, and asking for help is normal. This guide is general information, not medical advice.