How many hours does a baby need to sleep by age (0 to 3 years)

The number of hours a baby needs to sleep varies according to their age and development, with newborns being around 16 hours a day and, when they are 1 year old, around 11 hours a night plus two naps during the day for 1 to 2 hours each.

Although babies sleep most of the time, until around 6 months of age, they do not sleep for many hours at a time, because they wake up or have to be woken up to feed. However, from this age onwards, the baby can sleep almost throughout the night.

If you suspect changes in your baby’s sleep, it is recommended to consult a pediatrician, who is the best doctor to advise on the most appropriate strategy for your baby to learn to sleep through the night alone.

Baby’s number of hours of sleep

The recommended number of hours of baby sleep per day varies according to age, as indicated in the table below:

Additionally, some babies may sleep for more hours at a time than others. However, especially in the first few months, it is common for the baby to wake up more frequently.

To find out if your baby is getting enough sleep, make an appointment with the pediatrician closest to you:

How to help your baby sleep

Some tips to help your baby sleep include:

• Play with the baby during the dayduring periods when you are awake;
• Create a sleep routineleaving fewer lights on, making less noise and avoiding noisy games close to bedtime;
• Putting the baby to sleep when he is drowsybut still awake, to get him used to falling asleep in his own bed;
• Avoid leaving the baby watching television or using the cell phone/tablet at nightespecially close to bedtime;
• Give a warm bath a few hours before the baby goes to bed to calm you down;
• Lull the baby, read or sing a song in a soft tone before putting the baby to bed so he knows it’s time to sleep.

From 7 months onwards, it is normal for babies to become more active and have difficulty falling asleep or waking up several times during the night, as they want to practice everything they learned during the day.

Check out other tips from Dr. Clementina, psychologist and baby sleep specialist:

Can I let the baby cry until it calms down?

There is no real contraindication for this strategy, but it should only be adopted when this is the parents’ desire and always under the supervision of the pediatrician..

In some cases, letting the baby cry until he calms down may be an option to help the baby learn to sleep alone at night, although most parents and caregivers generally do not like this technique.

There are studies showing that, after a few days, the baby understands that it is not worth crying during the night, learning to fall asleep alone. Furthermore, although it may seem like a cold attitude, the technique does not seem to cause trauma to the baby or harm their relationships with their parents.

Parents who choose to adopt this strategy must also take some precautions, such as: avoiding using this technique on babies under 6 months and making sure that the baby is not sick, hungry, cold or in danger during the night.