Sleep needs

How much sleep + how long awake?

Total sleep, number of naps, and wake-window length by age. Based on AASM consensus and the Iglowstein norms most pediatric sleep specialists use.

Sleep needs by age, at a glance

Total sleep, naps, and wake windows for every age band

Sleep needs change fast in the first few years. Total daily sleep drops from as much as 14–17 hours as a newborn to roughly 9–11 hours by ages 6–12, while the number of naps a child takes falls from 4–6 a day down to zero, usually somewhere between ages 2 and 5. The reference list below covers every age band this calculator uses, from newborn through age 12, so it's easy to see where a given age sits relative to what came before and what's next.

0-3 MO
14–17 h total sleep · 4–6 naps · wake window 45–60 min
4-5 MO
12–16 h total sleep · 3–4 naps · wake window 1.5–2 h
6-8 MO
12–15 h total sleep · 2–3 naps · wake window 2–3 h
9-12 MO
12–15 h total sleep · 2 naps · wake window 3–4 h
13-18 MO
11–14 h total sleep · 1–2 naps · wake window 4–5 h
19-23 MO
11–14 h total sleep · 1 naps · wake window 5–6 h
2-3 YR
11–13 h total sleep · 0–1 naps · wake window 6 h
3-5 YR
10–13 h total sleep · 0–1 naps · wake window 6+ h
6-12 YR
9–11 h total sleep · 0 naps · wake window all-day

A "wake window" is how long a child can comfortably stay awake — between one nap and the next, or between the last nap and bedtime — before overtiredness makes falling asleep harder rather than easier. That window is short at first and stretches steadily with age: newborns typically manage only 45–60 minutes awake before needing to sleep again, 4-5-month-olds stretch to 1.5–2 hours, 6-8-month-olds to 2–3 hours, and babies around their first birthday to 3–4 hours. By 13–18 months the window is 4–5 hours, by 19–23 months it's 5–6 hours, and from age 2 onward it runs 6 hours or more as naps become optional and then disappear, until "wake window" essentially means the whole day for a 6-to-12-year-old on zero naps.

None of these figures are pass/fail thresholds — they're population-level norms, and every real child sits somewhere on this spectrum rather than exactly on it. Some 6-month-olds nap twice a day; others nap four times. Total sleep needs commonly run 10–20% higher or lower than the chart in either direction, and a baby who consistently goes down easily and sleeps well is on a fine schedule even when the numbers don't match a particular row above. Age in months is the main input because sleep architecture — how sleep is organized across naps and night — tracks developmental stage far more closely than it tracks any other trait of an individual baby.

Sources: AASM consensus (Paruthi et al. 2016, Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine); Iglowstein et al. 2003, Pediatrics.

6-8 mo
12–15 h
2–3 naps · wake window 2–3 h
TOTAL SLEEP / 24H
12–15 h
NAPS
2–3
AWAKE BETWEEN NAPS
2–3 h
How accurate is this, honestly?
AccuracyPopulation norms

These are population-level norms — your child's "normal" can sit comfortably outside them. Some 6-month-olds nap 4 times a day; some only 2. Sleep needs vary 10–20% in either direction by individual.

Wake windows are guidelines, not rules. A baby who consistently goes down easily and sleeps well is on a fine schedule even if it doesn't match the chart.

Sources: AASM consensus (Paruthi et al. 2016 J Clin Sleep Med); Iglowstein et al. 2003 Pediatrics.

Read the full methodology →
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