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How much sleep does my baby need?.
A
Sleep is essential for brain
development and emotional and physical health. It is therefore important for children
to obtain adequate amounts of rest for their wellbeing.
The amount of sleep a child needs really does depend on the
individual child, some children need lots of sleep whilst others very little.
However there are age related guidelines that will help you
get a picture of the sleep requirements needed at the different ages, they are
however, just guidelines and should be used as such, every child is different
and will have times when they need more or less sleep than others:
| Age |
Daytime sleep
in hrs |
Night time sleep
in hrs |
| 1 week |
8 |
8.5 |
| 4 weeks |
6.75 |
8.75 |
| 3 months |
5 |
10 |
| 6 months |
4 |
10 |
| 9 months |
2.75 |
11.25 |
| 12 months |
2.5 |
11.5 |
| 2 years |
1.25 |
11.75 |
| 3 years |
1 |
11 |
| 4 years |
0 |
11.5 |
| 5 years |
0 |
11 |
As you can see younger infants
tend to sleep on and off throughout the night and day. They usually wake every
few hours to be fed and have their nappies changed. Between the ages of 3 and
6 months the shift from daytime to nighttime sleep starts to occur Children
of this age range appear to be getting used to sleeping during the dark nighttime
hours and need less naptimes during the day.
health visitor
back to faq's - Sleep |
