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This is general education, not medical advice, and can't replace your own doctor, pediatrician, GP or health visitor, who know your baby. If your baby seems unwell, is feeding poorly, or anything worries you, contact them. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
The short answer: a by-age chart
These figures are total sleep across a full 24 hours, naps included. The infant and toddler ranges come from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and are endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics; the newborn figure reflects what Stanford Medicine, the NHS and the Sleep Foundation describe as typical.
| Age | Total sleep in 24 hours | What's normal |
|---|---|---|
| Newborn (0–3 months) | About 16–18 hours | In short stretches, often 1–3 hours at a time, day and night; waking to feed is expected. |
| Infant (4–12 months) | About 12–16 hours (incl. naps) | Longer night stretches start to appear; usually 2–3 naps that gradually reduce. |
| Toddler (1–2 years) | About 11–14 hours (incl. naps) | Daytime sleep settles toward a single nap of roughly 1–2 hours. |
Note that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine deliberately does not set a target number for babies under four months, because sleep at this age varies so much from baby to baby and the evidence for a single figure is limited. The newborn range above is a typical observation, not a goal to hit.
Newborns (0–3 months)
Newborns spend more time asleep than awake. Stanford Medicine puts newborn sleep at roughly 16 to 17 hours a day, and the NHS and Sleep Foundation describe a similar 16-to-18-hour total — but it arrives in short, scattered pieces rather than one long night. Newborns often sleep no more than one to three hours at a stretch, around the clock.
Frequent waking is built in, not a problem to fix. The NHS notes that newborns wake roughly every two to three hours to feed, simply because their stomachs are small. There isn't much of a day–night pattern yet either; Stanford Medicine explains that babies don't develop regular sleep cycles until they're about six months old. In these early weeks, following your baby's lead on feeding and sleep is the most realistic approach.
Infants (4–12 months)
From around four months, the picture starts to organise. The AAP-endorsed guidance suggests about 12 to 16 hours of total sleep per 24 hours, naps included. As Stanford Medicine describes it, the total amount of sleep slowly decreases over the first year while the length of nighttime sleep increases — so nights gradually get longer even as the daily total comes down a little.
Daytime sleep is still a big part of the total at this stage, typically two or three naps that slowly consolidate as your baby grows. Some babies begin managing longer night stretches around five or six months, but there's a wide spread, and plenty of healthy babies take longer. (If your baby suddenly starts waking more around four months, that's a recognised, temporary phase — see our guide to the 4-month sleep regression.)
Toddlers (1–2 years)
For children aged one to two, the AAP-endorsed recommendation is about 11 to 14 hours of sleep per 24 hours, including naps. Napping winds down compared with infancy: the Sleep Foundation notes toddler daytime sleep often accounts for around one to two hours a day, and many children settle into a single afternoon nap over their second year.
Most of a toddler's sleep now happens at night, anchored by a consistent bedtime. A calm, predictable wind-down continues to do a lot of the heavy lifting — there's more on this in our main sleep guide.
Why these are ranges, not targets
Every baby is different, and the numbers above are guidelines rather than scores to hit. Healthy babies can sit at the lower or higher end of a range and be perfectly fine. What matters more than any single figure is the overall picture: a baby who is feeding well, growing along their own curve, and generally content and alert when awake.
The reason these ranges are worth knowing is that, as the AAP notes, regularly getting roughly the recommended amount of sleep is linked with better attention, learning, memory, mood and overall health. It's the general pattern over weeks that counts — not whether a particular day landed exactly inside the range.
When do babies sleep through the night?
This is the question behind the question, and there's no single answer. Stanford Medicine notes that most babies don't sleep through the night — meaning a stretch of about six to eight hours — without waking until they're around three months old, and some take considerably longer. The NHS puts it plainly: babies don't routinely sleep through the night until around the age of one.
In other words, night waking through much of the first year is normal and expected, not a sign that anything is wrong. As night sleep naturally lengthens, those wakeful stretches tend to ease. If your baby's sleep feels very different from this, or you're simply worried, it's always reasonable to check in with your doctor or health visitor.
Is my baby getting enough?
Rather than counting every hour, it often helps to watch your baby. Reassuring signs include feeding well, steady growth, and being reasonably alert and sociable during awake windows. It also helps to spot tired cues early and offer sleep before your baby becomes overtired. Stanford Medicine lists common signs of sleep readiness as:
- Rubbing their eyes.
- Yawning.
- Looking away from you or from activity.
- Fussing or becoming harder to settle.
Catching these and starting your wind-down can make settling easier. And whatever your baby's age, keep safe sleep constant — back to sleep, on a firm flat clear surface, every time. See our safe-sleep checklist for the essentials.
When to talk to a doctor
Trust your instincts. It's reasonable to contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if your baby has a new or lasting change in how they sleep, new or ongoing trouble settling or staying asleep, seems unusually difficult to settle or excessively sleepy, isn't feeding well or you're worried about their growth, or if anything simply doesn't seem right to you. Stanford Medicine specifically suggests speaking with your baby's doctor if a new pattern of trouble sleeping appears. A quick conversation can rule things out and set your mind at ease — and for anything urgent, especially breathing difficulties, seek help straight away rather than waiting.
Back to the full guide
This is part of our baby sleep guide, which covers safe sleep, bedtime routines, the 4-month regression and more.
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Sources
- American Academy of Pediatrics / HealthyChildren.org — Healthy Sleep Habits: How Many Hours Does Your Child Need?
- Sleep Foundation — How Much Sleep Do Babies and Kids Need? and How Much Do Newborns Sleep?
- NHS — Helping your baby to sleep.
- Stanford Medicine Children's Health — Infant Sleep.
Ninna is a monitoring app, not a medical device or healthcare provider. This article is general information, last reviewed June 2026, and is not medical advice. Always follow the guidance of your own doctor, pediatrician, GP or health visitor, and check your national health service for the advice that applies where you live.