Have you been wondering how long your infant should sleep? Sleep is incredibly important at all ages. Without the right amount, there could be potential consequences.
And when it comes to children, this fact is no different. Here, we will talk about the recommendations for sleep by age when they stop sleeping as much, and the importance of getting enough sleep as a child.
Baby Sleep Chart
Sleep and its Importance for Infants
We all know that getting a proper amount of sleep is beneficial to us in general. And for babies, it is beneficial as well. Studies and research show that getting enough sleep as an infant helps with their memory as well as cognitive function.
These studies of sleep findings have shown that sleep in the infant years plays a huge role in developing long-term memory. The same studies also showed that there is potentially a link between sleep and emotional development and regulation.
Infant Sleep Needs by Age
Stanford Medicine gives us an outline of the amount of sleep that is recommended for infants.
Newborns up to a month old have a total of 16 to 17 hours of recommended sleep. This breaks down into 8 hours during the day and 8 to 9 hours during the night.
After they are a month old the nighttime sleep hours stay the same. However, the daytime hours drop to 7 hours of sleep. This amount of sleep is satisfactory until they are 3 months old.
From 3 to 6 months their nighttime hours are from 9 to 10 hours, and their daytime hours drop to about 4 or 5 hours.
When they are 6 months the nighttime hours are 10. Your baby’s daytime hours are about 4 hours of sleep.
From there it stays the same until 9 months of age. At this time their nighttime hours go up another hour to 11 hours. And their daytime hours drop to 3. This schedule sticks around until after they are 1 and a half years old.
When they reach 1.5 years old the nighttime hours stay at 11 hours, and the daytime hours drop to 2.5.
When they reach 2 years old their daily naps drop to 2 hours.
Final Thoughts
As we can see, your baby’s sleep schedule will decrease more by about 9 months of age. Sleep is important for your baby as they develop so much during this time. In this time your baby’s body is doing so much work as they grow so quickly.
This is also true of their brain and development.
ALSO READ: Parent-Child Zodiac Compatibility
