How Many Hours of Sleep Does My Baby Need?(And is My Baby Getting Enough?)

Sleep is probably the most significant concern parents have at well-baby visits (and in parent facebook groups, and online forums, and when talking with friends over text at 2am when your baby is up...again...).

Part of the reason for this concern is the conflicting information out there on what is "normal". I've written quite a bit on this in the past (see my article on biologically normal sleep here and an article on why the science on sleep is so varied. Today, however, I'm focusing on the practical question:

HOW MUCH SLEEP DO BABIES NEED?

With so much varied opinion on how much sleep babies need, we can be grateful that the National Sleep Foundation can provide some answers, though the final answer may be a bit surprising.

No time to read? Watch this 4 minute video I recorded on the topic. The graphic in this video is from the Child Sleep Institute using data from the National Sleep Foundation.

The first surprise is that the range of what is acceptable for sleep within a 24 hour period is really broad. When the information you are getting suggests your baby should be getting ___ hours of sleep, knowing that there is a broad range can be reassuring. And if we think about it, this broad range shouldn’t be too much of a surprsie, really: as adults, our sleep needs vary from person to person, and babies' needs vary too!. However, it is easy to get caught up in "should": my baby should be sleeping x hours a day. And it's easy to start to worry about making sleep happen when your baby isn't meeting the "should".

When we see how broad these ranges really are (10-18 hours in a 24 hour period for babies from 4 months to 11 month, for example) it demonstrates just how different baby sleep needs are between babies! Some babies need very little sleep (much to the chagrin of tired parents), and some babies need a lot (sometimes so much that it can be worrying). If you are worried about how much sleep your baby is getting, ask your healthcare provider (physicians, lactation consultants, infant development consultants, and Occupational Therapists are just some of the professionals who may have additional training in infant sleep. Their knowledge and perspectives may help reassure you or may help identify approaches to optimizing sleep so that your baby is getting what they need (regardless of the average amount of sleep).

HOW MUCH SLEEP DOES YOUR BABY NEED?

So, is your baby getting enough sleep? And if so, how can you be sure?

The ranges provided by the National Sleep Foundation are so broad that they don't really help parents figure out what their baby needs. There is, however, a reasonably reliable source for determining what your baby needs: your baby's mood.

Generally, if your baby is waking up content from naps and night time sleep, they are likely getting enough sleep. Who better to tell you what your baby needs than your baby?!

But what if your baby is waking up cranky?

Well, there are lots of reasons that sleep gets woken up before they're ready, especially in the first few years: teething, illness, noise, discomfort, reflux, food or environmental sensitivities, temperature. By identifying (and where possible, reducing) the impact of these interruptions, you'll be optimizing your baby's chances of getting what they need (not just what books tell you they should have) within what they are developmentally capable of.

If you've ruled out all the usual suspects and your baby is still waking up cranky, it's possible you've got a highly sensitive baby, which is not uncommon with the families who reach out to me. As Macall Gordon, a professor and child temperament researcher has said, parents of babies with high needs, or "little zingers", often need extra support in navigating sleep and sleep needs. It’s an intense temperament that impacts sleep and can be extra exhausting for parents. And we all know that tired parents need all the support they can get!

What’s the take home message?

Ranges for acceptable sleep are broad because babies are all unique. And so their sleep needs are unique too! Want to know if your baby is getting enough sleep? Look to them to give you the clues.

Whether your baby is getting enough sleep for them or not, a little help navigating this intense time, can go a long way.

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