How much sleep does my child need – expert reveals how much sleep kids should be getting at every age

Research by sleep specialists found that a child's sleep needs vary by age – here's what parents need to know.

We all know that getting the kids to sleep (and to stay asleep through the night!) can be tricky.

Send little ones to bed too early and you get cries of 'Mummm, I can't sleep' during your evening's TV viewing. But, leave it too late and you run the risk of them getting overtired and being unable to get to sleep – again ruining your evening 'off' mum duties.

• How much sleep does your baby REALLY need?

And of course, the later they get to sleep, the harder it is to wake them up the next morning – turning the already stressful school run into something even more chaotic.

So, luckily for us, there's a simple guide to let us know JUST how much sleep a child should get – and it covers ALL ages.

What time should my child go to sleep?

A simple guide by MedicineNet – that was first put together in 2021 but is doing the rounds with parents once again – found that sleep needs for a child depends on their age.

While it states that babies under the age of 1 need anything from 13 hours and 45 minutes to 16 hours and 30 minutes, toddlers need a total sleep time of around 12 or 13 hours.

Meanwhile, a 5 year old will need 11 hours of sleep, a 7 year old will need 10 hours and 30 minutes and a 9 year old will need 10 hours of sleep a night.

Intrigued? Take a look at the official guidance below:

How much sleep does my child need?

One week old

• Daytime: 8 hours
• Nighttime: 8 hours 30 minutes
• Total sleep: 16 hours and 30 minutes
• Number of naps: 4

Four weeks old

• Daytime: 7 hours
• Nighttime: 8 hours 30 minutes
• Total sleep: 15 hours and 30 minutes
• Number of naps: 3

Three months old

• Daytime: 5 hours
• Nighttime: 10 hours
• Total sleep: 15 hours
• Number of naps: 3

Six months old

• Daytime: 3 hours 15 minutes
• Nighttime: 11 hours
• Total sleep: 14 hours and 15 minutes
• Number of naps: 2

Nine months old

• Daytime: 3 hours
• Nighttime: 11 hours
• Total sleep: 14 hours
• Number of naps: 2

12 months old

• Daytime: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Nighttime: 11 hours 15 minutes
• Total sleep: 13 hours and 45 minutes
• Number of naps: 2

18 months old

• Daytime: 2 hours 15 minutes
• Nighttime: 11 hours and 15 minutes
• Total sleep: 13 hours and 30 minutes
• Number of naps: 1

Two years old

• Daytime: 2 hours
• Nighttime: 11 hours
• Total sleep: 13 hours
• Number of naps: 1

Three years old

• Daytime: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Nighttime: 10 hours and 30 minutes
• Total sleep: 12
• Number of naps: 1

Four years old

• Nighttime: 11 hours 30 minutes

Five years old

• Nighttime: 11 hours

Six years old

• Nighttime: 10 hours 45 minutes

Seven years old

• Nighttime: 10 hours 30 minutes

Eight years old

• Nighttime: 10 hours 15 minutes

Nine years old

• Nighttime: 10 hours

10 years old

• Nighttime: 9 hours 45 minutes

11 years old

• Nighttime: 9 hours 30 minutes

12 years old

• Nighttime: 9 hours 15 minutes

13 years old

• Night-time: 9 hours 15 minutes

14 years old

• Nighttime: 9 hours

15 years old

• Nighttime: 8 hours 45 minutes

16 years old

• Nighttime: 8 hours 30 minutes

17 years old

• Nighttime: 8 hours 15 minutes

18 years old

• Nighttime: 8 hours 15 minutes

The research, by MedicineNet, describes sleep as 'the foundation of the healthy development of young children' and adds:

'Lack of sleep can have a negative effect on behaviour, emotions, attention, social relationships, and school or work performance.'

And it's not the only sleep guide out there.

We previously shared a clever kids’ sleep calculator that promises to work out the precise bedtime for your child based on sleep science. Worth a go, isn't it?

How do you work out your child's bedtime?

The kids' sleep calculator (devised by Hillarys) aims to take the stress out of bedtime by finding the ideal time that your child (over the age of 4) should go to bed.

Simply put in his age and what time he needs to wake up and you'll get the answer you've been dreaming of!

How the Sleep Calculator for Kids works (Hillarys).

How does the sleep calculator work?

The calculator works by taking into account different children’s sleep cycles; the idea being that children feeling happier and more energised if they are woken between sleep cycles rather than from a deep sleep.

These cycles depend on their age, and the time it takes them to fall asleep. On average, it takes about 14 minutes for a child to fall asleep, and the calculator takes this into account.

The calculator will actually offer you several ideal bedtimes to choose from. These enable you as their parent to pick the one best suited to their needs. For instance, you know if your child needs a lot of sleep, or if they are still perky with less than the recommended time.

Certified sleep consultant Lucy Shrimpton explains the logic behind the calculator:

'Whatever the length of sleep, waking up at a time that doesn’t interrupt a deep sleep, guarantees the best start to the day.'
So for example, a four-year-old child that needs to wake up at 7am, should be put to bed at 5:46pm, 6:16pm, 6:46pm, 7:16pm or 7:46pm based on an average 30-minute sleep cycle.

But a seven-year-old who needs to wake up at the same time has the recommended bedtimes of 7:56pm, 8:46pm or 9:36pm, based on a longer and more age-appropriate 50-minute cycle.

Lucy explains:

'Our sleep cycles are made up of REM sleep and non-REM sleep. Then we go into a lighter sleep as the cycle is ending so you feel naturally refreshed and ready to wake.

If you are in deep sleep when you wake, which is not the natural waking part of your cycle, you are more likely to feel groggy. Coming out of it can be disorientating and confusing.'

However, when we calculated what time an 18-year-old who needs to be up at 18 should go to bed, it came up with 2.16am, 3.46am … and 5.16am. So do use a bit of common sense when using it!

Lucy commented:

'At 18, they don’t need 12 hours sleep, which is why it’s come up with that calculation. But I would advise going to bed earlier and waking up earlier to get into a better rhythm.'

Take a look at

Top tips to prepare your child for starting school

If your child starts primary school this year, or has back-school jitters at the start of a new term, it can feel like a daunting prospect – for both of you! Luckily, there are plenty of ways to get everyone ready for the first day. From settling in tips and school uniform hacks, through to setting up playdates with new classmates, our top tips will help get you organised and them relaxed and ready for the first day of school.

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What time should your 5-year-old go to bed?

According to Vicki Dawson, Founder and CEO of The Children's Sleep Charity, there's no set time:

'As a rule, children aged 5-7 years old still need around 10.5 hours to 11 hours sleep per night – but remember all children vary.  

'The first thing to do is consider how much sleep your child needs and what time they need to get up in the morning in order to get ready for school.  

To work bedtime out then work backwards counting the number of hours sleep.  For example, if you feel that your 5 year old needs around 11 hours sleep and has to be up at 6.30am to get ready for school, count backwards 11 hours and you'll find that bedtime should be 7.30pm.  

And don't forget to implement a wind-down routine in advance of bedtime, says Vicki:

'The bedtime routine should begin an hour before at 6.30pm with relaxing activities replacing screen time.'

What time should your 9-year-old go to bed?

As children get older they can get by with a little less sleep, but only a little less.

Vicki recommends 9-11 year olds (or older children at primary school) get 9.5 to 10 hours of sleep each night.

Of course, some children may still need more than that.

Top bedtime tips for getting back-to-school ready

As bedtimes get later and later and it gets harder to wake little ones in the morning, it can make back to school early starts hard work.

However, there are some things you can do to help prepare little ones for the early mornings, explains Vicki:

'If your child's got into the habit of falling asleep later than usual, they won't be the only ones. Start to make adjustments to bedtime now in order to get your child’s body clock back on track, ready for the school term.'

Here are Vicki's top tips for getting ready for back to school wake-ups:

1 Bring bedtime forward

Gradually move bedtime by 15 minutes every few nights backwards and also ensure that you do the same with wake up time each morning.  

If you plan this well you'll find that by the time the school term arrives, your child's body clock will be back on track and it won't be such a battle to get him up each day.

2 Implement a bedtime routine

This should begin an hour before your child goes to sleep and should consist of calming activities such as colouring and jigsaws.  

3 Let the light in

Open the curtains first thing in the morning to let the daylight flood in. This helps to reset your child’s body clock, waking them up ready for the day ahead.  

4 Stick with it

Consistency is key when it comes to sleep so the sooner you can get back into the habit of a good routine, the easier September will be!

Young kids still waking too early? The Gro Clock is the perfect sleep trainer to help them know when it's time to get up – or stay in bed. See more details here at Amazon.

What about YOUR sleep?

It’s not just your child who has enjoyed later bedtimes and lie-ins in the summer holidays.

To help get YOU back to school ready, Hillarys has also produced a sleep calculator for adults.

Simply fill in the time you have to be up in the morning and then the interactive calculator gives you the exact time you should go to bed.

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