Baby Sleep: How Many Hours Does Your Baby Need, From Birth to Age 3?

At two weeks old, one baby can sleep 18 hours out of 24, and another of the same age only 9. Both can grow perfectly well. Baby sleep varies enormously from child to child, and the figures going around are ranges, not targets to hit.

Even so, these landmarks are useful: they help you understand why a newborn wakes so often, when to schedule bedtime, and when a lack of sleep may explain the evening crying. Here is what the learned societies say, age by age.

How many hours does a baby sleep at each age?

Here are the total durations over 24 hours, naps included, recommended by Canadian and American guidelines and relayed by Naître et grandir:

Two clarifications. For 4-11 months, Naître et grandir uses 12 to 15 hours, while the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Canadian guidelines go up to 16 hours: the gap is minor. And American experts set no figure before 4 months, because of the very wide normal variation at that age. In France, the Réseau Morphée speaks of 16 to 17 hours on average in a newborn.

Why are these figures only landmarks?

Because sleep needs are partly individual, as in adults. Naître et grandir says it plainly: there is no point counting hours. The real signs of enough sleep are elsewhere:

• your baby is growing well and following their curve;
• they are developing as expected for their age;
• they are alert, attentive and cheerful when awake.

A toddler who sleeps 11 hours and wakes up happy is sleeping enough. On the other hand, a child who is often grumpy, falls asleep everywhere or gets wound up in the evening may be short of sleep, even if their hours seem "normal".

Sleep is not wasted time: it is while sleeping that a baby releases growth hormone, notes the Réseau Morphée. Let them sleep as much as they need.

How do baby sleep cycles work?

Sleep is a succession of cycles. In a newborn, each one lasts 50 to 60 minutes and alternates quiet sleep and active sleep; a baby usually strings together 2 or 3 cycles before waking. In an adult, a full cycle lasts about an hour and a half (Naître et grandir).

Active sleep often surprises parents. Your baby's face is expressive, their eyes move under their eyelids, they smile, grimace or whimper. Yet they are asleep: it is better not to pick them up at that moment. A baby who is truly awake and hungry moves their whole body and opens their eyes wide.

Between 3 and 6 months, cycles get longer (60 to 75 minutes), but a baby wakes more easily between two cycles. These micro-wakings are normal; if they cannot get back to sleep, this is often where the broken nights we discuss in baby not sleeping through the night begin.

Day and night: when does a baby find their rhythm?

At birth, a baby does not tell day from night. Their sleep-wake rhythm sets in spontaneously, most often between 4 and 6 months according to the AFPA paediatricians. It is a maturation of the brain, which you can support without forcing:

1. In the morning, open the shutters at a regular time and go out in daylight.
2. For naps, avoid total darkness: a little light helps your baby tell a nap from the night. Naître et grandir admits an exception for a baby who really struggles to fall asleep.
3. At night, feeds and changes in dim light, in a low voice, with few movements. A soft night light is enough.
4. From 6 months, keep a fixed wake-up time, even at weekends.

The number and length of naps change fast in the first year: all the landmarks are in our article on baby naps.

From the shop

For well-established sleep

Sleep cannot be bought, but a few items help set landmarks: a soft night light to tell night from day, a well-fitted sheet, a spare bed for naps at family homes, and a baby monitor when your baby sleeps in another room.

• −35 %Safety 1stArctic automatic night light – Safety 1st150 DHinstead of 230 DHView product
• −61 %BadabulleLily the Sheep portable night light lamp, pink – Badabulle215 DHinstead of 550 DHView product
• −9 %BadabulleAutomatic wall night light, pink Drops – Badabulle200 DHinstead of 220 DHView product
• −74 %BonjourBébé PremiumFitted sheets, 60x120 cm, grey – BonjourBébé Premium65 DHinstead of 250 DHView product
• −46 %Bebe ConfortTravel playpen cot, Gray Mist – Bébé Confort857 DHinstead of 1 590 DHView product
• −46 %BabymoovYOO-Travel video baby monitor – Babymoov1 394 DHinstead of 2 590 DHView product
• The whole aisle · Night lights and mobiles21 products online, delivered anywhere in Morocco.Open the aisle

Products sold by La Maison du Bébé, publisher of this magazine. Prices as of 12 October 2026; please check the product page.

What are the signs of tiredness?

Put your baby down at the first signs, before they are exhausted. The most common ones, according to the Réseau Morphée and Naître et grandir:

• repeated yawning, heavy eyelids;
• rubbing their eyes, staring or looking into space;
• head nodding, wanting to be held;
• losing interest in toys and faces, irritability.

Around 5-6 months, these signals become easier to read. In a toddler, tiredness is often disguised: red eyes, excitement, aggression, crying. If your baby has not fallen asleep after 15 to 20 minutes, Naître et grandir advises moving on to something else and trying again a little later. All our routine ideas are in helping your baby fall asleep gently.

Late bedtimes, summer evenings: what rhythm in Morocco?

A late bedtime is not a problem in itself, if total sleep stays sufficient. Naître et grandir works out bedtime from sleep need, wake-up time and naps. Example: a baby who needs 12 hours, in a family that gets up at 8 am, with 2 hours of naps, can go to bed around 10 pm.

The problem is a shift with no compensation. In summer, between the heat, late dinners and family celebrations, a child put to bed at midnight but woken at 7 am by light or noise loses several hours. During Ramadan, the whole rhythm of the household also shifts. A few habits help:

• protect the morning: closed shutters and calm if bedtime was late;
• keep the nap, which makes up for some of the lost sleep;
• return to the usual times as soon as possible, as the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends regular meals, naps and wake-ups;
• turn off screens at least an hour before bed, living-room television included.

And when the bedroom stays very hot at night, it is your baby's clothing that needs adapting: see our guide to protecting your baby from the heat.