How much sleep does a baby need?

Few questions keep tired parents up at night quite like this one: is my baby sleeping enough? Or too much? The World Health Organization gives ranges for each age, and the NHS reminds us how much individual babies differ. Here’s what both say, and how to see your own baby’s pattern clearly.

How much sleep does a newborn need?

For the youngest babies, WHO guidance describes a wide range, and it includes naps:

So for a baby aged 0–3 months, WHO describes 14–17 hours of good-quality sleep across 24 hours. For a baby aged 4–11 months, the range is 12–16 hours. Both ranges count every nap as well as night sleep.

How much sleep does a 1 to 2-year-old need?

For toddlers, the range narrows a little:

Baby sleep by age at a glance

• 0–3 months: 14–17 hours, including naps.
• 4–11 months: 12–16 hours, including naps.
• 1–2 years: 11–14 hours, including naps.

These are WHO’s figures. Notice that they’re ranges spanning several hours, not a single number to hit.

Why your baby’s sleep doesn’t match the chart

If your baby’s days look nothing like a neat schedule, you’re in good company. The NHS says:

That’s why a single day rarely tells you much. One short night, or one long nap, is just one data point. Looking at a whole week gives you a much clearer picture of your baby’s own rhythm and how it changes.

How to track naps and night sleep

Since the WHO ranges cover 24 hours, naps and night sleep need to be counted together. A simple routine helps:

1. Log when your baby falls asleep and wakes up, for naps as well as nights.
2. Don’t worry about the odd missed entry. Trends over several days matter more than one perfect day.
3. Look at weekly totals, not just last night.
4. Write down questions as they come up, so you remember them at your next appointment.

If several people look after your baby, it’s worth agreeing that everyone logs sleep the same way. Otherwise the nap at Grandma’s simply disappears from the total.

Every sleep should be a safe sleep

However long your baby sleeps, the NHS advice on how they sleep stays the same:

Our safe sleep checklist covers the rest of the NHS advice, in a form that’s easy to share with grandparents and nannies.

When to ask a professional

If you’re worried about your baby’s sleep, or something has changed and you’re not sure why, talk to your health visitor or GP. A week of sleep logs makes that conversation much easier: you can show them what’s actually been happening rather than relying on memory.

Questions to ask your health visitor about sleep

Appointments go quickly, so it helps to arrive with your questions written down. Some that parents often find useful:

• How does my baby’s total sleep over the past week compare with the WHO range for their age?
• How might naps change over the next few months?
• How can we keep sleep safe when my baby naps at a grandparent’s home or with a nanny?
• Is there anything in this week’s log you would like to look at more closely?

See your baby’s sleep over a week with BabyLifeLog

BabyLifeLog has a sleep timer that keeps running when you close the app or lock your phone. Tap once when your baby falls asleep and once when they wake. Everyone in the family logs into the same journal, so naps with a grandparent or nanny count too.

Lumi’s morning note looks at yesterday’s total sleep next to the WHO range for your baby’s age and your own last 7 days, and the 7-day summary shows the pattern for your next appointment. Lumi never diagnoses. It only points out what the numbers show and where they come from. For a wider view, see what to track in your baby’s first year.