How Much Should A Baby Sleep?

Most parents struggle with sleep issues at some point in their child's life. One of the biggest questions parents have, is how much should my baby sleep?

An important question, because how much your baby sleeps directly impacts their mental and physical development.

Here are some guidelines for how much sleep your child needs at the different stages in his development, according to The National Sleep Foundation.

Newborns (1-2 Months) Newborns sleep a lot! Most babies average about 16 hours of sleep a day. Unfortunately, most of that sleep comes in little snippets of no more than about 1 to 2 hours at a time.

Infants ( 3-11 months) Starting at about 3 months, most babies little nervous systems have matured enough to allow for longer sleep sessions - usually about 4 - 5 hours at a time. By six months, most babies are sleeping through the night. If this is not the case with your baby, it's generally not because they're hungry, but instead have established a habit of seeking comfort from you at this time of night. Teaching your baby to go back to sleep on his own will allow him to sleep through the night. Most babies will establish their own little napping pattern which generally consists of about 2 naps a day, for a total of 13 hours of daily sleep. Don't worry if your baby takes lots of little short naps instead of 2 longer ones. Babies have an inherent way of knowing how much sleep they need. As long as your baby doesn't seem cranky when he's awake, he's probably getting enough sleep.

Toddlers (1-3 years) Toddlers need about 12-14 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. Once they reach about 18 months of age, their naptimes will usually decrease to one a day lasting about 2-3 hours.

Preschoolers (3-5 years) Children ages 3 - 5 need about 10-12 hours of sleep a day. By age 3, only about 50% of kids are still napping, and by 5 most do not nap at all. By this age, if your child is getting plenty of rest at night, it's not necessary that they nap.

School Aged Children (5 - 12 years) Children ages 5 - 12 need 10-11 hours of sleep each night. Don't underestimate the importance here - inadequate sleep can lead to mood swings, hyperactivity and other problems that can impact his ability to learn.

Teenagers (13-18 years) Most teens need about 9 hours of sleep each night in order to feel alert and well rested. Unfortunately, about 90% of all teens are getting less than 8 hours each night. Not good - studies have shown that teens are more likely to be overweight and more prone to depression when they're not getting enough sleep.

How much should a baby sleep? You can help your children get the sleep they need, by first of all knowing how much your baby should sleep. Second, by providing a comfortable sleep environment and third, by maintaining a consistent bedtime routine.