I found this helpful (rough!) guide in a parenting magazine it shows how much sleep (approx!) your child should be getting for each age….
1 week 16.5 hours (4 daytime naps)
1 month 15.5 hours (3 daytime naps)
3 months 15 hours (3 daytime naps)
6 months 14.5 hours (2 daytime naps)
9 months 14 hours (2 daytime naps)
12 months 13.75 hours (1 daytime naps)
18 months 13.5 hours (1 daytime nap)
2 years 13 hours (1 daytime nap)
3 years 12 hours (1 daytime nap)
4 years 11.5 hours (ouch! No nap…)
I think this guide is pretty good although, from my experience working at a nursery I found most of the kids had stopped their daytime nap by their 3rd birthday.
What are your thoughts? Did your babies/children follow this pattern?
5 Responses to “Sleep Guide for Babies and Toddlers”
That is interesting. My oldest daughter stopped her daytime naps well before her third birthday and my youngest isn’t two yet so only time will tell for her but I do think the overall averages are close. Thanks for the post and for submitting to The Carnival of Family Life!
We were pretty close. They are 3 1/2 now and seem to be sliding into wanting an afternoon nap again. Must be a growing phase. We have been forced to keep them awake and put them to bed a few minutes early because if they take even a half hour nap, their 7:30 bedtime turns into a 9:00 sleep time.
[...] [...]
My 5 1/2 year old would probably still nap if he would sit still long enough to fall asleep. My 3 year old still naps great for 1-2 hours. YEA! I think it depends on the kid and how much sleep they need. But that charts seems like a great guideline. Thanks for posting it.
I think my children have followed this pattern pretty closely. However, Girlie Girl stopped taking naps at 1. My nephew who is 4 still needs a 3 hour nap every afternoon! Thanks for sharing this with the Carnival of Family Life.