Newborns need 16 to 18 hours of sleep per day, but that number gradually decreases as your baby grows. By their first birthday, most babies need 12 to 16 hours, and toddlers between 1 and 2 years old need 11 to 14 hours total. These ranges include both nighttime sleep and naps, and the split between the two shifts significantly during the first year of life.
Sleep Needs by Age
During the first three months, your baby will sleep the most they ever will, typically 16 to 18 hours in a 24-hour period. But that sleep comes in short bursts spread across the day and night. Newborns rarely sleep through the night, and stretches of two to three hours at a time are completely normal. Their bodies haven’t yet developed the internal clock that distinguishes day from night.
Between 4 and 11 months, total sleep drops to 12 to 16 hours per day. Some babies start sleeping through the night around 5 or 6 months, though a significant chunk of their daily sleep still comes from daytime naps. By around 3 months, many babies begin settling into longer stretches of 4 to 5 hours of continuous nighttime sleep, which feels like a breakthrough for exhausted parents.
Once your child hits their first birthday and enters the toddler stage (1 to 2 years), they need 11 to 14 hours total. Napping decreases to about 1 to 2 hours per day. Two naps are typical at the start of this period, but most older toddlers consolidate down to one afternoon nap.
Why Babies Wake So Often
A newborn’s sleep cycle lasts only 45 to 60 minutes, roughly half the length of an adult’s. Babies also spend a much larger portion of their sleep in REM, the lighter, more active phase of sleep where the brain is busy processing new information. Adults and older children spend more time in deep, still sleep. Because babies cycle through lighter sleep so frequently, they’re far more likely to wake between cycles.
Your baby’s brain doesn’t begin producing meaningful amounts of melatonin, the hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle, until about 6 weeks of age. A recognizable day-night rhythm typically doesn’t emerge until around 9 weeks. Before that point, your newborn genuinely can’t tell the difference between 2 p.m. and 2 a.m., and their sleep schedule will reflect that.
Night Feedings and Longer Sleep Stretches
Hunger is the main reason young babies wake at night, and the frequency of night feeds changes as your baby’s stomach grows. By 3 months, many babies start consolidating sleep into one longer nighttime stretch of 4 to 5 hours, with shorter naps during the day. For breastfed babies especially, it’s common to continue needing at least one night feed well past 6 months. Bottle-fed babies may drop night feeds around 6 months, when solid foods begin supplementing their diet and they can take in enough calories during the day.
How Naps Change in the First Year
Most young babies take three naps a day. Between 6.5 and 8 months, the majority transition from three naps to two. You’ll know your baby is ready when the third nap becomes consistently difficult, either refused entirely or so late it pushes bedtime back.
When your baby is on a three-nap schedule, they can typically handle about 2 hours of awake time between sleeps. Once they drop to two naps, that window stretches to 2.5 to 3.5 hours between sleep periods. These “wake windows” matter because putting a baby down too early leads to short naps, while waiting too long creates an overtired baby who has a harder time falling asleep.
The transition from two naps to one usually happens between 12 and 18 months. At that point, most toddlers settle into a single afternoon nap lasting 1 to 2 hours.
Recognizing When Your Baby Is Tired
Catching sleepiness cues early makes a real difference. The first signs are subtle: yawning, droopy eyelids, staring off into the distance, furrowed brows, or a glazed expression. Physical cues follow quickly. Your baby may rub their eyes, pull on their ears, suck their fingers, arch their back, or clench their fists.
If you miss those early signals, overtiredness sets in. Tired babies often make a prolonged whining sound, sometimes called “grizzling,” that hovers just below actual crying. Overtired babies escalate past that into loud, frantic crying and become much harder to settle. The goal is to start your nap or bedtime routine when you see those early cues, not after the meltdown has begun.
Sleep Regressions
Just when you think you’ve cracked the code, your baby’s sleep may suddenly fall apart. Sleep regressions are temporary periods when a baby who was sleeping well starts waking frequently, fighting naps, or taking much longer to fall asleep. The most common one hits around 4 months, when your baby’s sleep architecture matures and they begin cycling through sleep stages more like an adult.
Later disruptions are less about age and more about what your baby is going through developmentally. Learning to roll over, pull up to standing, or crawl can keep a baby mentally wired at bedtime. They essentially want to practice their new skills instead of sleeping. Separation anxiety, which peaks around 9 months, is another common trigger. These regressions typically last one to three weeks and resolve on their own.
Setting Up a Safe Sleep Environment
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends placing babies on their backs for every sleep, in their own sleep space, with no other people. Use a crib, bassinet, or portable play yard with a firm, flat mattress and a fitted sheet. Nothing else belongs in there: no loose blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, or bumper pads. Avoid letting your baby sleep on a couch, armchair, or in a swing or car seat (unless the car seat is actually in a moving car).
Room temperature matters more than most parents realize. The ideal range for an infant’s sleep space is 68 to 72°F (20 to 22°C). Overheating is a known risk factor for sleep-related infant deaths, so dress your baby in one layer more than you’d wear comfortably in the same room, and skip the heavy blankets entirely. A sleep sack is a safer alternative for keeping your baby warm.