How Much Should my Child be Sleeping?

How Much Should my Child be Sleeping?

Whether you have a babe that is an excellent sleeper, or you have a little one who's resisting sleep at all costs, it can be helpful for all mamas to know if their child is getting enough sleep.

When your kids are struggling to sleep through the night or aren't taking consistent naps (and you've exhausted the DVR and there's nothing good on Netflix to keep you going throughout the day or night), it's normal to go looking for some answers. Here's a quick and easy guide to help you figure out how much shut eye your babe (and you) should be getting, and some things you can expect from her/him sleeping as they grow.

L'ovedbaby Organic Cotton Footed Overall - White
L'ovedbaby Organic Cotton Footed Overall - White
 

Newborn Sleep

When your babe is 0-3ish months they will be sleeping anywhere from 14-18 hours every day. They'll be sleeping more as a newborn, but it will be much more inconsistent. Be patient with your little one, and let them sleep when (and where) they want. They'll usually wake up every 2-3 hours ready to eat and for some face time with mama. Make sure and swaddle those sweeties in some breathable, stretchy material to maximize their consistent sleep. You can definitely do your best to transition from co-sleeping to bassinet to crib throughout the newborn stage, and that will help you once they reach their infant sleep stage.

Age: Newborn
Nighttime: 8 1/2 hours
Daytime: 8 1/2 hours (varied number of naps)
Average Total Sleep: 17 hours
Age: 1 month
Nighttime: 8 1/2 hours
Daytime: 7 1/2 hours (varied number of naps)
Average Total Sleep: 16 hours
Age: 3 months
Nighttime: 9 hours
Daytime Sleep: 6 hours (3 naps)
Average Total Sleep: 15 hours

Chicco Lullago Portable Bassinet
Chicco Lullago Portable Bassinet

Infant Sleep

Once your child hits four months old, his/her sleep patterns will likely change. Sometimes this can be pretty drastic, and your little one might have some trouble with sleeping at this stage. This is also known as a sleep regression (learn more about it here) and basically just means that your babe is changing from newborn to infant sleeping. Now would be a great time to start sleep training or setting a consistent sleep schedule for your little sweetie, if you haven't already. They will respond really well to naps at the same time each day and for roughly the same amount of time. You should also try your best to get them down for bed at the same time each night, and do the same thing before bed. If you want to do a bath every night, you go girl! If you just want to read a book and change into jammies, that works great too! As long as they are able to recognize that it's bedtime by the routine, you'll all benefit from more sleep.

Age: 6 months
Nighttime: 10 hours
Daytime: 4 hours (2 or 3 naps)
Average Total Sleep: 14 hours
Age: 9 months
Nighttime: 11 hours
Daytime: 3 hours (2 naps)
Average Total Sleep: 14 hours

Little Unicorn Big Kid Cotton Muslin Quilt
Little Unicorn Big Kid Cotton Muslin Quilt

Toddler Sleep

Once your baby turns into a toddler *sniff*, they should have the sleeping-at-night thing down. Keep your eye out for emerging teeth though, because they may make it a little harder on your tots to sleep well. There's also another one of those pesky sleep regressions once they reach a year and a half, and you may run into some nap resistance for the simple fact that they want to use their new favorite word, "NO!" Such a cute developmental milestone. You'll probably need to readjust the nap schedule to accommodate one nap, but try your best to hold on to two for as long as possible because...well, treat yo'self, mama.

Age: 12 months
Nighttime: 11 hours
Daytime: 3 hours (2 naps)
Average Total Sleep: 14 hours
Age: 18 months
Nighttime: 11 hours
Daytime: 2 1/2 hours (1-2 naps)
Average Total Sleep: 13 1/2 hours

Your child's sleep will change with age, and can go from a lot to a little in the blink of an eye. As a mama, you have to learn to roll with the punches, expect some trial and error, and do your best to get some shut eye for your babe AND you!

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