Child Sleep Chart & Guide

Sleep Relationship Both Physical  and Cognitive Development

This Child Sleep Chart & Guide is provided to address issues surrounding specific sleep needs of children and teens.  Sleep is important for everyone but especially vital to the health of children.  Several long-term studies have identified the many roles that sleep plays in both physical and cognitive development.  Children who don’t get adequate sleep can suffer with short-term and long-term effects.  Parents should consider the tips supplied to help sons and daughters stay on track for healthy sleep habits.

Benefits of Sleep for Children

Why should you care about the Child Sleep Chart?  You want what is best for your family.  Sleep impacts nearly every aspect of your child’s life.  Do you want your child to do well in school?  They need sleep to process and store information into the memory.  Does your youngster play sports?  Sufficient sleep improves athletic performance.  Everyone wants their child to be healthy and sleep works to boost the immune system.  It also promotes healthy blood sugar and blood pressure levels.  Want your baby boy to grow into a strong young man?  Sleep is essential for bone and muscle growth.  Would you like your kids to be better listeners?  You guessed it, sleep can improve the attention span of children too.  These are just a few of the many reasons you should check out the recommendations in this Child Sleep Chart.

• Promotes Growth
• Improves Health
• Improves Performance
• Reduces Stress
• Increases Attention Span
• Aids Learning

Child Sleep Chart

Guidelines provided in the child sleep chart below were developed by a team. This team’s primary goal was to determine how much sleep is ideal at each age. Specialists in several medical fields including pediatrics and neurology paired with sleep experts in 2015 to establish sleep duration recommendations. The panel relied on expertise in each of their fields to develop guidelines for sleep by age segments. The results were published by the National Sleep Foundation and have become the standard.

Child Sleep Chart Table

Birth to 3 Months

New parents might be surprised at how much a newborn is supposed to sleep.  The National Sleep Foundation recommends between eleven and seventeen hours!  The catch is that they do this in increments of 2-4 hours.  That means, while baby might be getting well rested, chances are mom and dad aren’t.  One strategy used on infants is to identify the signs baby is sleepy and then put baby down to sleep BEFORE he/she is sleeping.  This is used to help them learn to get to sleep on their own.  Every baby is different but common indications are crying, pulling at ears or rubbing eyes.  To be sure your baby is getting needed sleep, allow newborns to nap often.  At about three months you’ll be transitioning to sleeping through the night and the game changes.

Infants Ages 4 to 11 Months

Twelve to fifteen hours sleep is what NSF proposes as appropriate for babies between 4 and 11 months.  However, there was a revision of the recommendations based on differences in individual sleep needs. The new guidelines added a slightly wider range that “may be appropriate” for children in this age group.  Children ages 4-11 months should never get less than 10 hours sleep and should not get more than 18 either.  Hopefully after about six months, your child is sleeping through the night and taking naps during the day to rack up their sleep time.

Toddlers (1-2 Years Old)

When toddlers get between 11 and 14 hours sleep in the 24-hour day, they benefit long term.  In 2017 the Journal of Pediatric Psychology published findings from a study which analyzed data from 2800 children.  Duration of sleep and awakenings were recorded for subjects at 24 months old.  Then, at age six language comprehension and nonverbal intelligence were evaluated.  The kids who slept the recommended amount of time had more favorable outcomes in both categories.

The Preschool Years: Ages 3-5

All the learning taking place at this age can wear a child out.  Though sometimes, the stimulation can make it tough to settle down for sleep.  Don’t assume that you child is getting enough sleep if they refuse to nap.  Occasionally when we are overly tired, we get a “second wind” that makes us seem less tired.  Kids have this experience too.    Watch for clues that your child needs more sleep such as falling asleep in the car.  Make sure your pre-school aged child gets somewhere around 10-13 hours of sleep each day.

School-Aged Children from 6-13

Have you notice a pattern?  Outside of other factors, the older a child gets; the less sleep is required.  Children from 6 years old to 13 years old generally require 9-11 hours of quality sleep.  If they are very active during the day, more sleep may be needed.  Aim to limit sleep to less than 12 hours though.  Too much sleep can cause headaches, back pain, and increase the risk for a host of more serious medical conditions.  On the flip side, busy schedules and caffeine can lead middle and high schoolers to not getting enough sleep.  Many kids this age begin to have interest in caffeinated beverages, it is important to realize its effects on sleep.  Consuming caffeine can not only make it harder to fall asleep, it can shorten total sleep time.

Academic Consequences of Sleep Deprivation

Students have poorer academic performance when they don’t have a long enough period of sleep.  Middle schoolers, high schoolers, and even college students can experience these effects thanks to disturbances in brain function.  They can also suffer from memory impairment and have difficulty staying awake during their classes.  Staying focused in classes can be challenging with decrease attention from sleep loss.  Sleeping fewer hours is not the only way students are affected either.  Going to sleep at differing times each day or waking up at different times can produce the same effects.  Additionally, going to sleep late or getting lower quality sleep creates the same results as not getting enough Zzzzs.

Why Kids Don’t Get Enough Sleep

A child sleep chart organizing sleep recommendations and tips wouldn’t be complete without outlining potential areas of concern.  Reasons why children may not reach acceptable sleep duration are many.  In some cases, a responsible adult can help and in others, it takes more.  Here are a few issues that lead to kids not getting enough sleep.

1.  Early Rising – Schools don’t necessarily have your child’s sleep health in mind when they design the school day. Getting up too early can cut sleep short.
2. Staying Up Too Late – Staying up late should not be used as a reward for good behavior. Similarly, going to bed early should not be a consequence for bad behavior.  Consistent sleep and wake times safeguard length of sleep.
3. Not Enough Napping – Up through toddlerhood naps are basically mandatory to obtain the right amount of sleep.
4. Taking Naps Too Late – The window of time between nap and bedtime is delicate. Mastering your child’s needs and abilities can help you decide how late in the afternoon is too late for a nap.
5. Separation Anxiety – Tackling independent sleep has many obstacles, including a child’s separation anxiety. Find ways to comfort your child that don’t include sleeping in the parent’s bed.

Helpful Tips Regarding Kids and Sleep

Many of the tips in this section of the child sleep chart and guide could apply to anyone, regardless of age.  For example, creating a bedroom environment that is conducive to sleep is a good idea for mom, dad, and the kids.  Maintaining a good sleep routine and schedule can help adults and kids stay on track to get the necessary amount of sleep.  There are some tips here that will only apply to a baby, toddler, child or adolescent.

• Staying on a bedtime and waking schedule ensures there is enough time to get adequate sleep.
• Alongside the same lines, napping should be kept at a minimum for older kids and teenagers. Getting sleep mid-day might make it harder to fall asleep on time.
• Continue waking up at the same time every day, even on the weekends and school breaks.
• Set up the bedroom in a manner that will help your child attain distraction-free sleep. This includes taking away handheld electronics, storing them out of sight and out of reach.  Darker, cooler and quiet rooms make for easier sleep initiation.
• Establish the bed as off limits unless it’s time to sleep. For youth, the bed should be associated with sleep and nothing else.  This means no reading in bed, talking on the phone on the bed or watching television.
• While flavored expresso beverages and soda are all the rage, caffeine can impact your child’s ability to fall and stay asleep. Limit caffeinated foods and drinks altogether if possible, but especially in the late afternoon and early evenings.
• Prepare for the onset of sleep by dimming lights and turning off screens as it becomes closer to bedtime. The human body’s circadian rhythm takes cues from light and darkness that it is time to wake or time to sleep respectively.
• Have dinner early. Sleeping on a full tummy is uncomfortable and can make it difficult to doze off.
• Encourage children to fall sleep independently.
• As your baby gets older and needs less sleep, promote nighttime sleep.
• Babies exert many signs that they want to sleep, learn to recognize those signs.
• Most children appreciate a regular routine. A good sleep routine will be consistent from day to day.
• Follow safe sleeping practices.
• Students can understand and enjoy learning. Take this time to teach your children why sleep is important and about healthy sleeping habits.
• Communicate with your kids your bedtime expectations. Hint: Bedtime is not the time this should be discussed.

Healthy Sleep for Kids of All Ages

Insufficient sleep is a “public health problem” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Sleep directly affects your health in multiple ways.  For growing kids, it is especially important because their bodies need repair as muscles and bones grow and stretch.  Brain development can be negatively affected when kids don’t get the sleep they need.  Sleep also boosts the immune system.  Parents of school aged kids understand the importance of a healthy immune system as children are constantly surrounded by others and exposed to germs.  Poor sleep health is attributed to increased risk for numerous medical conditions including blood sugar, blood pressure and cardiac concerns.  Establishing sleep habits that allow for the appropriate amount of sleep during these formative years can yield lifelong benefits.

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