logo

The Global Domain Name (url) Families.com is currently available for acquisition. Please contact by phone at 805-627-1955 or Email for Details

How Many Hours of Sleep Do Your Kids Need?

What time should your kids go to bed? In general, parents want their kids to go to bed rather early, while kids push to stay up a little later. Fortunately, there are some very specific guidelines about bedtime that parents can rely on.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) has released consensus recommendations for the amount of sleep needed to promote optimal health in infants, children and teenagers. The purpose was to promote optimal health in children and teenagers to avoid the risks of insufficient sleep.

The recommendations follow a ten-month project conducted by a Pediatric Consensus Panel of 13 of the nation’s foremost sleep experts, and are endorsed by the American Academy Pediatrics, the Sleep Research Society, and the American Association of Sleep Technologies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have used this information for their sleep recommendations.

Here is how many hours of sleep your kids need:

  • Infants four to twelve months old: 12 to 16 hours per 24 hours (including naps) on a regular basis to promote optimal health
  • Children one to two years of age should sleep 11 to 14 hours per 24 hours (including naps) on a regular basis to promote optimal health
  • Children three to five years of age should sleep 10 to 13 hours per 24 hours (including naps) on a regular basis to promote optimal health
  • Children six to 12 years of age should sleep 9 to 12 hours per 24 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health
  • Teenagers 13 to 18 should sleep 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health.

The panel found that sleeping fewer than the recommended hours is associated with attention, behavior, and learning problems. Insufficient sleep also increases the risk of accidents, injuries, hypertension, obesity, diabetes and depression. The panel also found that insufficient sleep in teenagers is associated with increased risk of self-harm, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts.

Parents who have school-aged children, or younger children that go to day care, should keep the sleep recommendations in mind. What time does your child need to get up in order to get to school or day care on time? Calculate backward for the recommended hours of sleep needed for a child that age – and you have found the perfect bedtime.

Keep in mind that the recommendations for infants, toddlers, and young children include naps. It’s ok for a baby, toddler, or young child to get their recommended amount of sleep as a combination of naps and their regular bedtime.

Related Articles on Families.com:

* Summer Bedtime Battle

* Bedtime Transistions

* The Sleep Puzzle