How much do babies sleep?
The chart by age
14 hours? 11 hours? With or without naps? A baby's sleep needs change enormously over the months, and two babies of the same age can be far apart. Here are the research-based reference points, and above all how to read them.
Baby sleep chart from 0 to 24 months
| Age | Total sleep / 24 h | Naps / day | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–1 month | 14 – 17 h | 5 | No day and night distinction |
| 1–2 months | 14 – 17 h | 4 | The circadian rhythm begins |
| 2–3 months | 14 – 17 h | 4 | Nights gradually lengthen |
| 3–4 months | 14 – 17 h | 3 | Sleep matures |
| 4–6 months | 12 – 16 h | 3 | 5 to 6-hour stretches possible |
| 6–8 months | 12 – 16 h | 2 | Moving to 2 naps |
| 8–10 months | 12 – 16 h | 2 | Two well-established naps |
| 10–12 months | 12 – 16 h | 2 | More regular naps |
| 12–15 months | 11 – 14 h | 2 | Often still two naps |
| 15–18 months | 11 – 14 h | 1 | Moving to one afternoon nap |
| 18–24 months | 11 – 14 h | 1 | Stable rhythm |
Age by age, in detail: 3 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months.
Before 3 months: forget the clock
Newborns live on an ultradian rhythm: short cycles of 3 to 4 hours driven by hunger, independent of day and night. The melatonin passed on by the mother during pregnancy is gone, and the baby's own production only starts around 8 to 12 weeks.
At this age, talking about "bedtime" makes little sense. What you can do: expose your baby to natural daylight, dim the lights in the evening, and let the circadian rhythm settle in at its own pace.
3 to 6 months: the big shift
This is the turning point. Sleep matures, melatonin kicks in and nights start to consolidate. It's also when good habits pay off most: a regular bedtime routine and putting baby down at the right time, within the wake window for their age.
"Sleeping through the night": what it really means
In studies, "sleeping through" means 5 to 6 hours in a row, not 12 hours without a sound. It becomes physiologically possible around 3 to 4 months, but:
- Brief wakings between cycles happen at every age (adults too)
- The real skill isn't never waking up, it's falling back asleep alone
- Between 6 and 12 months, nearly 8 babies in 10 still wake at least once a night, and that is normal
Warning signs
See your doctor if your baby persistently sleeps well below the lower ranges, is hard to wake, constantly drowsy, or if sleep comes with loud snoring, breathing pauses or a drop in their growth curve.
Also worth reading: the wake windows chart and the 2 to 1 nap transition.