Patient forms and sleep recommendations for children by age
Learn more about children’s sleep patterns and the amount of sleep they need, according to their age. We’ve also provided links to helpful resources and patient forms for the Sleep Center at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Chronic sleep problems in children and teens can seriously affect their school and sports performance, not to mention their daily lives and activities at home. Many young people are eager to stay up late, no matter how early they need to wake up — and they might not realize that they need more sleep.
Do you know how much sleep your child needs each day? The number of hours in a 24-hour period varies based on your child's age. The chart below shows how much sleep your child needs and includes information about sleep patterns by age.
Age
Average sleep per 24 hours
Sleep patterns
Newborn
16–20 hours
1- to 4-hour sleep periods followed by 1- to 2-hour awake periods, both day and night
Infancy, up to 1 year
14–15 hours at 4 months
13–14 hours at 6 months
3- to 4-hour sleep periods for the first 3 months
6- to 8-hour sleep periods at 4–6 months old · 2 naps per day of 2–4 hours each · Day/night differentiation develops between 6 weeks and 3 months
Most infants begin to sleep through the night at 9 months old
Toddlerhood, 1–3 years
12 hours
Night sleep plus 1 nap of 1.5–3.5 hours
Preschool, 3–6 years
11–12 hours
Fewer and shorter naps, usually ending around age 5
Middle childhood, 6–12 years
10–11 hours
Low levels of daytime sleepiness
Increasing differences in sleep amounts on school nights vs. non-school nights
Adolescence, 12 years and older
Ideally 9 hours but usually 7 hours
Sleep schedule may become irregular.
Puberty changes the sleep-wake (circadian) cycle, with later bedtimes and earlier wake times.
Sleep Center patient forms and information
Please download and use these forms and information for your child’s appointments at the Sleep Center:
If your child is having an appointment with our psychologist for behavioral health concerns, please complete this behavioral health clinic history form.
We may ask you to keep track of your child’s sleep patterns using this sleep diary form.
We may have your child wear an actigraph, a small device that looks like a wristwatch. An actigraph tracks light levels and your child’s movements to help assess their sleep patterns. See these instructions on how to use the actigraph and the sleep diary.