How many hours a child must sleep in a day?

Sleeping is the source of health. Researches showed that when human started to miss enough hours for sleep, body and brain stops step by step. Brain stops some not frequently using parts first and then stops others step by step. It’s possible to see same for body. Especially some organs slow down. Newborn babies sleep more than any age and older people sleep less and less every day. It’s normal that sleep time has a connection with the energy a person burn and it’s very high in children. How many hours a child must sleep in a day?


If the child is 1-4 weeks old, she must sleep at least 15-16 hours per day. Some 1-4 weeks old babies may sleep up to 18 hours. It’s normal if child is sleeping in two to four hours periods. Premature babies may sleep longer than 18 hours. Colicky children may sleep fewer than 10 hours per day and they must be showed to doctor because of colic or different symptoms. Most of the parents think that sleeping 18 hours is not normal and they need to go doctor but it’s normal because newborn babies don’t have any internal biological hour and they can’t schedule theirselves with the night and day.
15-16 hour sleep periods continues in 1-4 months old children. But after 6 weeks, it’s possible to feel that child’s sleep hours are going to more regular schedule every day. Also they sleep more. 1-4 months old children may sleep up to 6 hours but it’s 4 hours for a healthy child. They start to stay awake in day but sleep on evening. Day-night confusion stops but they don’t want to sleep in night because they sleep in evening.

Sleep interval in 4-12 months old children decrease to 14 hours. It’s normal that child sleep less every week and at the end of period, child sleeps for 12 hours regularly. It’s an important period because child starts to understand sleep’s importance and she’s ready to get healthy sleeping habits. Three naps in a day are still normal for 4-12 months old children. Child solves morning- night confusion completely and she starts to sleep like adult because her biological time and rhythm starts to work like adult.

1-3 years old children sleeps 10 hours regularly but some children may sleep 12 hours or more. They start to left their morning nap and most of them make only one nap in day. 2 hours nap is typical but some children sleep over 3 hours while sleep only 1 hour. 7 or 8 p.m is standard sleeping time for them and they wake in 6 a.m.
3-6 years old don’t like nap in day but they mostly fall sleep. Naps start to be shorter and shorter every week. It’s very rare to see sleep problems between 3 and 6 because children are very active, their inside biological clock and rhythm are working without problem and they need sleep. 10 hours of sleep is enough for 3-6 years old children.
7-12 years old children go to bed at least 9 p.m. It’s normal because they go to school, they socialize and they don’t want to repeat the lifestyle they lived before school. They want to live like adults. Average sleeping hour is 9 for this interval. Most of the children face stress first in this period and some of them may break their sleeping habits.
12-18 years old children sleep 8 hours but they need over 10 hours still. Reasons like school time or breakfast time forces them to sleep less.