How Much Sleep Do Kids Need?

By Gariane Gunter, M.D.

Children these days are busier than ever! I often hear from parents that it is such a rush to fit everything in and still get the kids to bed on time. I struggle with the same dilemma at my house. As a mom, I understand how difficult early bedtimes can be, however, as a psychiatrist, I know why an adequate sleep schedule is so significant for our child's physical and emotional health.

The American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Your Child's Sleep provides some helpful guidelines regarding just how much sleep children need at different stages in their development. Keep in mind that these numbers reflect total sleep hours in a 24-hour period. So if your child still naps, you'll need to take that into account when you add up his typical sleep hours.

Birth-6 Months, children need 16-20 hours

6-12 Months, children need 14-15 hours

Ages 1-3, children need 10-13 hours

Ages 3-10, children need 10-12 hours

Ages 11-12, children need 9-12 hours

Teenagers need 10-12 hours of sleep per night

Kids need a lot of sleep, huh?! Children and teens who are sleep deprived may show some difficult behaviors. They may display frequent irritability, overreact emotionally, have difficulty concentrating, forget things easily, wake often during the night, and may even display hyperactive behaviors.

Teaching kids how to keep a nighttime routine that gets them to bed early will help your children be at their best. Sweet Dreams!