How Much Sleep Should My Baby Get?

Recent studies are revealing that babies and toddlers who sleep more have a smaller chance of becoming obese. They suggest more than 12 hours of sleep a day. Sounds like a lot to you and me, but for a healthy baby, it’s necessary. In fact, plenty of sleep not only reduces your child’s risk of obesity, it helps him grow. The human growth hormone(HGH) is released mostly during your baby’s deepest moments of sleep. Makes sense when you think of the last growth spurt your baby or toddler went through and how much more they probably slept.

I’ve included a sleep chart below. But remember, babies do differ in sleep. A little more, a little less – some throw the whole chart out the window during teething or growth spurts. So don’t give yourself the bad-mommy slap if your little one isn’t following the chart!

Age            Nighttime Sleep         Daytime Sleep *        Total Sleep

1 month     8 1/2                            7 (3)                             15 1/2

3 months   10                                 5 (3)                             15

6 months    11                                 3 1/4 (2)                     14 1/4

9 months    11                                 3 (2)                            14

12 months  11 1/4                          2 1/2 (2)                    13 3/4

18 months  11 1/4                          2 1/4 (1)                    13 1/2

2 years        11                                 2 (1)                           13

3 years       10 1/2                          1 1/2 (1)                    12

* number of naps in parentheses

…now if only we could get so much sleep!