How Much Sleep Do Kids Need? Hours by Age, Naps and Bedtimes

Children need more sleep than adults, and the amount falls as they grow. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine's 2016 consensus, which the American Academy of Pediatrics supports, recommends per 24 hours: 11–14 hours at ages 1–2 and 10–13 hours at ages 3–5 (naps included), 9–12 hours at ages 6–12, and 8–10 hours for teenagers.

In short

• The AASM recommends, per 24 hours: 12–16 hours at 4–12 months, 11–14 at 1–2 years, 10–13 at 3–5, 9–12 at 6–12 and 8–10 at 13–18.
• These are 24-hour totals, so naps count, the AAP stresses.
• The AASM gives no figure under 4 months; the World Health Organization says 14–17 hours at 0–3 months.
• Expert bodies differ slightly and every child is different, so treat the ranges as a guide, not a target to the minute.
• To set a bedtime, count back from wake-up time.

How much sleep do children need by age?

Babies aged 4–12 months need 12–16 hours, toddlers 11–14, preschoolers 10–13, school-age children 9–12 and teenagers 8–10, per 24 hours and counting naps. The table puts the AASM figures beside the World Health Organization's guidelines for under-5s.

The AASM panel used a formal consensus method, and its methods paper says it reviewed 864 published articles.

The National Sleep Foundation's 2015 update gives 11–14 hours for toddlers, 10–13 for preschoolers, 9–11 for school-aged children and 8–10 for teenagers. The NHS says most 2-year-olds need about 12–14 hours including naps, and most children aged 3–5 about 12. The AASM itself notes that sleep need varies with "genetic, behavioral, medical, and environmental factors."

Getting there is the other half: see our guide to the bedtime routine and the bedtime story.

How much sleep does a 3-, 5-, 7- or 10-year-old need?

By the AASM ranges, a 3- to 5-year-old needs 10–13 hours in 24 hours, naps included; a 6- to 12-year-old 9–12 hours; a 13-year-old 8–10.

• 3- and 5-year-olds: 10–13 hours, including any nap; the NHS says most 3–5-year-olds need about 12.
• 7-, 8- and 10-year-olds: 9–12 hours.
• 12-year-olds: 9–12 hours. Eight hours is below the range; 8–10 is the teen range, from 13.

The idea that children need "8 hours, like adults" is a myth: no body cited here gives school-age children fewer than 9.

Do naps count toward a child's sleep?

Yes. The AAP stresses that the numbers "reflect total sleep hours in a 24-hour period. So if your son or daughter still naps, you'll need to take that into account." A 3-year-old who naps for an hour and sleeps 10½ hours at night gets 11½ hours, comfortably inside the 10–13 range.

None of these sources gives an age when naps should stop. The WHO says 3–4-year-olds' sleep "may include a nap," the NHS that "some young children will still need a nap during the day," and Türkiye's Child Neurology Society advises limiting naps after ages 3–5. If a late nap keeps pushing bedtime later, try moving it earlier or shortening it.

What time should my child go to bed?

Count back from the time your child has to wake up. There is no official bedtime by age; what the guidelines ask for is enough hours, at regular times.

1. Fix the wake-up time.
2. Work out the night sleep needed: the age range minus any nap. Start at the middle of the range.
3. Count back to get the time to be asleep, then subtract the time your child takes to drift off. That is lights out.
4. Start a 20–30 minute routine before that, with screens off at least an hour before bed (AAP).
5. Adjust by 15 minutes at a time, watching how your child copes in the day.

For a 7:00 a.m. wake-up, the AASM ranges work out like this. It is arithmetic, not an official bedtime.

Say your 7-year-old wakes at 7:00, takes about 15 minutes to fall asleep and you aim for 10½ hours. Lights out is 8:15, the routine starts around 7:45, and screens go off by 7:15. On tight nights, a shorter story helps: our 5-minute bedtime stories and calm stories for sleep fit, choosing a bedtime story by age helps you pick, and a lullaby can close the routine.

The WHO asks for "regular sleep and wake-up times" for under-5s, and Türkiye's Child Neurology Society for similar times on weekdays and weekends. In a UK study of 10,230 children, 7-year-olds with irregular bedtimes had more behavioral difficulties, which improved when bedtimes became regular.

What are the signs a child isn't getting enough sleep?

Look at the daytime. The AAP says a child who doesn't get enough, or good enough, sleep may have trouble paying attention or "zone out" at school, and that regular lack of sleep often shows up as irritability and difficulty concentrating.

Over time, the AASM consensus says, regularly sleeping less than recommended is associated with attention, behavior and learning problems, and with more accidents, injuries, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and depression; in teenagers, with self-harm and suicidal thoughts. These are associations, mostly from observational studies.

Small changes can show. In a small trial of 34 children aged 7–11 with no sleep problems, about 27 extra minutes a night led to better teacher-rated emotional control and less restlessness, and about 54 fewer minutes made both worse. Teachers didn't know who slept more.

What about ADHD? An AAP article reports that children who often snore or have sleep problems are almost twice as likely to have ADHD as those who sleep well. That is a link, not proof that poor sleep causes ADHD.

Can a child sleep too much?

Possibly, but the evidence is thin. The AASM says regularly sleeping more than the recommended hours "may be associated with adverse health outcomes" such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and mental health problems, while its methods paper admits "there is little information regarding any impact of excessive sleep on overall health." If your child suddenly needs much more sleep than usual, mention it to your pediatrician.

How much sleep does a teenager need?

Eight to 10 hours per 24 hours. The AAP notes that teens "require more sleep, not less," and that sleep-wake cycles "begin to shift up to two hours later at the start of puberty." A teen who can't fall asleep early is not necessarily being difficult. Weekend lie-ins don't fix it: an AAP technical report says later weekend timing and catch-up sleep further delay the body's signal for night.

When should you talk to a doctor about your child's sleep?

Talk to your pediatrician if your child snores or breathes loudly or heavily in their sleep, is often sleepy or irritable in the day, or keeps struggling at bedtime or waking at night despite a steady routine. The AAP lists difficulty falling asleep, night waking, snoring, stalling and resisting bed, sleep apnea and loud or heavy breathing as the most common sleep problems in children.

Sources

1. Paruthi S et al. (2016). Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: A Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. link
2. American Academy of Pediatrics (2026). Healthy Sleep Habits: How Many Hours Does Your Child Need? HealthyChildren.org. link
3. World Health Organization (2019). To grow up healthy, children need to sit less and play more. WHO. link
4. Paruthi S et al. (2016). Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine on the Recommended Amount of Sleep for Healthy Children: Methodology and Discussion. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. link
5. Hirshkowitz M et al. (2015). National Sleep Foundation's updated sleep duration recommendations: final report. Sleep Health. link
6. NHS (2025). Helping your baby to sleep. NHS. link
7. Türkiye Çocuk Nörolojisi Derneği (undated). Çocuklarda Uyku İçin Öneriler (Sleep recommendations for children). link
8. Kelly Y, Kelly J, Sacker A (2013). Changes in bedtime schedules and behavioral difficulties in 7 year old children. Pediatrics. link
9. Gruber R et al. (2012). Impact of sleep extension and restriction on children's emotional lability and impulsivity. Pediatrics. link
10. American Academy of Pediatrics (2015). A Lullaby for Good Health. HealthyChildren.org. link
11. Owens J, AAP Adolescent Sleep Working Group (2014). Insufficient sleep in adolescents and young adults: an update on causes and consequences. Pediatrics. link