Sleep for young children: How much sleep does my child need?

Many parents wonder how much sleep their children need, whether naps are necessary and if their child’s sleeping habits are normal.

All parents will likely face sleep dilemmas with their child at some point. If it doesn’t happen at 5 months old, it will happen at 5 years old, but it will happen! To say sleep is important would be a major understatement — sleep is necessary to function, to live. The good news is, for most kids, healthy sleep is just a habit or two away.

In this blog: 

• How many hours of sleep do kids need?
• Are naps necessary for young children?
• Kids and sleeping
• How to get your kids to sleep
• Signs your child isn’t getting enough sleep
• Pediatric sleep disorders

How many hours of sleep do kids need?

The amount of sleep your child needs depends on their age. In general, kids need the most sleep as babies and will slowly transition to needing less sleep as they age. The amount of sleep your child gets not only affects their mood and behavior but also the well-being of everyone in the house, especially when they’re young.

How many hours of sleep kids need by age

Are naps necessary for young children?

In general, it’s difficult for kids to get all the sleep they need at night alone. Especially when they’re young, kids need to eat more frequently, which can interrupt their sleep. Naps help kids get the sleep they need for growth, development and well-being.

Sleepy kids may rub their eyes, look tired or act out — all these signs indicate your child may need more sleep. A consistent nap schedule can help your child settle into their naps. For babies, put them down for naps while they’re sleepy but not yet asleep. Doing so will help kids learn how to fall asleep by themselves, which is a very important skill.

By age 4, most kids have given up their naps (although some still do!). The amount of time a child needs to sleep is spread over a 24-hour period. For this reason, your 4-year-old may go to sleep earlier than your 2-year-old if they’ve dropped their naptime. Either way, understand that when your child is in school, naps will no longer happen, and you should adjust bedtime as needed to ensure your child gets enough sleep.

Kids and sleeping

Sound impossible? Sometimes it is. However, the reason it seems impossible usually isn't because your child wouldn't benefit from that much sleep, but because by the time you/your spouse arrives home from work, you eat dinner, do homework, maybe go to soccer — it’s already later than the bedtime needed for your child to get enough hours of sleep.

Even sleep experts understand life happens. Do your best to structure your routine in a way that would get your children the amount of sleep they will thrive on most of the time. For instance, if your child will sleep an hour later on a weekend, see if you can get on a team that plays on Fridays instead of Saturday morning. If 6 p.m. gymnastics is going to throw your whole family off, give that feedback to the coach. You’d be amazed how quickly class times can change, even by 30 minutes, if enough parents give the same feedback.

How to get your kids to sleep: Sleep tips from Texas Children’s pediatric experts

The best way to help kids sleep is establishing a regular bedtime and bedtime routine. What the routine looks like will vary by age, but anything that helps your child relax and feel calm helps.

In the same vein, limit bright lights and electronics at night. Dim lights if possible or turn off overhead lighting in favor or warm lamps. Use the night setting on any devices and put them away at least 1 hour before bedtime.

Keep bedrooms cool, dark and quiet. When noise or light can’t be avoided, ear plugs or a white noise machine and an eye mask can help.

If your child has trouble sleeping, talk with your pediatrician about other tips and supplements that may help.

Signs your child isn’t getting enough sleep

Watch for signs that your child needs more sleep, such as:

• Changes in mood: being cranky or irritable
• Trouble with concentrating or following conversations — ask your child’s teacher what they’re seeing if you’re concerned at home
• Falling asleep quickly in the car or their stroller
• Trouble waking up or falling back asleep after they’ve woken up in the morning
• Seeming drowsy or “crashing” before their regular bedtime

Pediatric sleep disorders

Nearly half of children experience problems sleeping at some point during childhood, according to the Sleep Foundation. Common sleep disorders in kids include sleep apnea and insomnia, as well as parasomnias, which are behaviors that disrupt sleep, such as sleepwalking and night terrors.

Sleep apnea in children

Sleep apnea is typically a chronic condition that disrupts your child’s sleep, causing tiredness during the day. Sleep apnea is a leading cause of daytime sleepiness. The most common cause of sleep apnea in children is enlarged tonsils and adenoids that block your child’s airway during sleep.

Sleep apnea causes one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths during sleep, which typically last a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with snoring or choking sounds.

We can diagnose and treat sleep apnea in our Multidisciplinary Obstructive Sleep Apnea Clinic. Treatment may include medication; devices to help your child breathe easier; ear, nose and throat procedures; or dental/plastic surgery procedures, depending on the cause of your child’s sleep apnea.

Insomnia in children

When children experience insomnia, they may have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or both. Generally, insomnia in kids falls into three categories:

• Behavioral insomnia: Up to about age 5, insomnia may result from inconsistent bedtimes and resistant behaviors, such as using tactics to delay going to bed.
• Conditioned insomnia: More common in older kids and teens, conditioned insomnia results from anxiety about bedtime and sleeping.
• Transient sleep disturbances: This type of insomnia is caused by temporary changes to kids’ normal routines, such as travel, illness or other life events.

Our pediatric sleep medicine team at Texas Children’s Sleep Center has expertise in identifying and treating problems that disrupt a child’s sleep patterns. Treatment typically focuses on the underlying cause of insomnia, which may include addressing sleep habits, treating medical conditions contributing to sleep problems, therapy or medication.

Parasomnias

Children can also experience a variety of behaviors that disrupt sleep, from sleepwalking, night terrors, bedwetting and more. Parasomnias in children are most common in preschool-aged children and usually decrease in frequency as they age.

The sleep experts at Texas Children’s Sleep Center can diagnose your child’s parasomnia, determine the underlying cause and the best treatment for your child based on these findings. Find a Texas Children’s Sleep Center location or sleep clinic near you.

Frequently asked questions about kids and sleep