How much do babies sleep, from birth to one year
How many hours babies sleep at each age, why they wake at night, when they start sleeping longer and how to help them tell day from night.
4 min read
In this article
A newborn sleeps around 16 to 18 hours a day, but in short stretches, day and night, because they need to feed often. From 6 to 12 months, sleep drops to around 15 hours, mostly at night. Night waking is normal throughout the first year.
Sleep by age, roughly
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1
0 to 3 months
Around 16 to 18 hours in 24. Wakes every 2 to 3 hours to feed, including at night. Cannot yet tell day from night.
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2
3 to 6 months
Fewer night feeds. Some babies sleep 5 to 8 hours at a stretch at night, others do not, and both are normal.
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3
6 to 12 months
Around 15 hours in total, mostly at night, with 2 or 3 daytime naps. Teething, hunger or separation anxiety can wake them again.
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4
After one year
Around 12 to 15 hours in total, usually with one or two daytime naps.
These are averages. Some babies sleep less, some more. If your baby is feeding well, gaining weight and alert when awake, they are getting the sleep they need.
Day is day, night is night
- By day: open the curtains, play, do not hush the house. Everyday noise does not harm daytime sleep.
- At night: low light, a quiet voice, no games. Change the nappy only if needed, and put your baby down soon after feeding.
A simple bedtime routine
From around 3 months, the same routine each evening helps your baby understand sleep is coming. It does not need to be long: a bath, pyjamas and a clean nappy, a song or a book, low light, a cuddle. What matters is that it is the same, at the same time.
Advice you will often hear
“Do not pick them up, they will get used to it.” In the first months, babies cannot be spoiled. Many babies only sleep in someone’s arms in the early weeks, and it passes.
“Give them more at the evening feed so they sleep through.” Cereal in the bottle or starting solids early does not make babies sleep longer.
“Wrap them up well so they do not catch cold.” Babies sleep worse, and less safely, when they are too hot. The room is best at 16 to 20°C.
However tired you are, keep sleep safe: your baby on their back, in their own cot, with no pillow, and never on a sofa with you. Read more in safe sleep for babies.
You need sleep too
Sleep when your baby sleeps, at least once a day. Share nights with your partner if you can. Accept family help with the housework, not just with the baby. If tiredness leaves you feeling hopeless or low for days on end, talk to a doctor.
Common questions
How many hours does a newborn sleep?
When do babies sleep through the night?
How many naps does a baby need at 6 to 12 months?
Sources we consulted
- NHS: Helping your baby to sleep
- AAP, HealthyChildren.org: Getting your baby to sleep
Written by the mam.al editors as general information. It does not replace advice from your doctor or paediatrician. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.