Sleep needs table: This is how much babies and children sleep
Sleep is tremendously important, especially for our little ones. They grow, learn, explore, romp and observe so much that they have to fully recharge their energy tanks at night. But how much sleep does your child need depending on their age? We have created two tables for you.
A healthy sleep is the alpha and omega for your child. It provides balance, enough energy and a good start to the day. How many hours of sleep a child needs depends heavily on age.
Index
ToggleSleep requirements table for babies and toddlers
We have shown you the optimal sleep duration for children up to six years of age in this table:
How much sleep do babies need?
The need for sleep in babies is quite high. In the first weeks and months, the little ones need almost 17 hours of sleep. No wonder, after all,they first have to arrive in the new world and develop.
Only from three months it becomes significantly less, then “only” 14.5 hours a day are necessary. In most cases, this sleep duration is divided into five to six sleep phases, which are distributed over day and night. However, this varies from baby to baby.
Until babies are one year old, the sleep duration decreases again slightly and is about 14 hours during this period.
How much sleep do toddlers and children need?
From the first to the third year of life, toddlers still need a lot of sleep. They participate more actively in everyday life and want to do more. But so much happens in the first few years that her little body absolutely needs enough sleep – and that’s between 13.5 and 12.5 hours a day. A good nap can be worth its weight in gold here.
If the transition from toddler to child is reached at the age of four, your offspring only needs half a day’s sleep. Twelve hours is appropriate at this age. At the age of six, the sleep duration of children gradually approaches that of an adult late riser at just over ten hours.
The right sleeping environment plays a big role
It is important that you create a good sleeping environment for your baby and child that supports a restful and good sleep. There are a few things you can do to create the optimal sleeping environment for your child:
- The children’s room should be darkened as much as possible at night. Especially with babies, it is advisable to introduce a day-and-night rhythm. For example, if you live in the city – or even at certain times of the year – you have to help out in the evening.
- In order for the body to regenerate well at night, a suitable mattress is essential. Depending on their age, children spend a large part of their day on it, which is why it should be chosen carefully.
- Sleeping bags are recommended for babies. Because with this there is no danger that this slips over the face and the child gets bad air. Practical here are especially baby sleeping bags, which are suitable for all four seasons. An additional advantage: It is made of 100 percent cotton and is tested for harmful substances according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100.
With our13 tips for a good sleeping environment, we show you how to continue to create good conditions.
Sleep requirements table for schoolchildren
We have shown you the optimal sleep duration for children between seven and 16 years in this table:
When is bedtime for primary school children?
When your child starts school, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain a healthy sleep. Because: Arriving late is not as easily forgiven at school as in kindergarten. Fixed bedtimes are therefore a must from this age at the latest to get enough sleep.
This is important insofar as the little ones have to concentrate increasingly for a long time during the day. They are taught a lot at school. Getting enough sleep helps to process what you have learned and replenish the energy tanks.
In primary school, you should make sure that your child gets at least nine or ten hours of sleep. Let’s say your child has to get up at seven o’clock for school. Then it should sleep in the evening at 10 pm at the latest. It is therefore best to make sure that it goes to bed at 9 pm. Then it can still read, cuddle with you and has the time it takes to hike to the land of dreams in time.
When is bedtime for students?
If the little ones are out of primary school and gradually grow up, the required sleep duration decreases more and more. For example, 16-year-olds only need eight and a half hours of sleep on average, which roughly corresponds to the sleep duration of adults.
Until then, you should still keep an eye on the fact that your offspring gets about nine hours of sleep at night. Because if there’s one thing you can’t underestimate, it’s the fact of how tiring and exhausting puberty can be for your child. Sleep helps him to recover from these “hardships”. In other words, the less sleep, the more irritable the child.
But this also applies to adults! Therefore, always make sure that both your offspring and you get enough sleep.