How much is enough sleep

You need the right amount of sleep in order to be your best the next day. If a child has the right amount of sleep it may reduce their tantrums and meltdowns. But sometimes parents don’t know how much sleep their children need in order to function properly.

Babies

It might be difficult to establish good sleeping patterns with a newborn baby at the start. Newborns are can spend around 16 - 20 hours of the day sleeping. However those hours are not always consecutive. In fact, sleep for a newborn rarely lasts over 4 hours at a time. This is caused by a baby’s need to eat often. From 3 to 6 months, a baby may sleep 5 hours all together during the day and 10 at night. At this time 6-8 of the night-time sleep hours might be consecutive. From 6 - 12 months, a baby should sleep around 3 hours during the day and 11 at night time. Of course these are all estimates and your baby’s habits could significantly vary.

Kids Ages 1 - 3

Kids ages 1 - 3 should sleep around 10 -13 hours. Some of those hours may be during the day for certain kids. It’s important to find the right balance between time spent napping vs. sleeping at night but If your child does not seem to easily fall into a nap routine, consider taking away nap time altogether and opting for an earlier bedtime.

Kids Ages 4 – 5

Kids ages 4 – 5 should get 10 -12 hours of sleep on average. Like the younger children, this time will be in a mix of napping and sleep time. What time those hours are received is not as important as the fact they get them. If your child is phasing out of naps try to replace them with some quite time in the afternoon.

Kids Ages 6 - 10

School-aged kids need about 9 or 10 hours of sleep. This can vary greatly as your child is now developing their own personal sleep habits. To determine if your child is getting enough sleep, pay attention to your child’s cues. Irritability or hyperactive behavior may indicate the need for more sleep.

Keep in mind these are guidelines and only you know what works best for your child. If your child is waking up throughout the night or having problems falling asleep or staying asleep you may want to consult your pediatrician.

Source: http://www.thechildrenshospital.org/wellness