At half past six the mood at the dinner table tips over, at seven the child is lying in bed whining, and at eight they are suddenly wide awake again. Or the other way round: you put them to bed on time, and they lie awake for an hour calling for you every five minutes. In both cases the same question arises: how much sleep does my child actually need? The answer depends a great deal on age, but also on the individual child, and two children of the same age can differ by up to two hours a day. This age guide gives you the guideline values that professional bodies recommend from birth to the teenage years, shows you how to derive a suitable bedtime from them, and explains how to tell whether your child is getting enough sleep.
The short answer: according to common recommendations, toddlers between one and two years need around 11 to 14 hours of sleep a day including the nap, children from three to five years around 10 to 13 hours, and school children from six to twelve years around 9 to 12 hours. The ranges are deliberately broad because the need for sleep is individual. More reliable than any number of hours is observation: a child who wakes up on their own in the morning, is balanced during the day and falls asleep within 15 to 30 minutes in the evening is getting enough sleep.
- Professional bodies give sleep needs as ranges: around 11 to 14 hours at 1 to 2 years, 10 to 13 hours at 3 to 5 years, 9 to 12 hours at primary-school age.
- Within one age group, differences of up to two hours a day are normal – long sleepers and short sleepers exist even among toddlers.
- Bedtime is worked out as wake-up time minus night-time sleep need, plus 15 to 30 minutes to fall asleep.
- Overtired children often don't seem tired but hyper – a common misunderstanding.
- Fixed times, a calm bedtime ritual and a secure sleep environment have a stronger effect than any calculation of hours.
Why sleep is so important for children
For children, sleep is not a break from the day but active development time. While your child sleeps, the brain processes what they experienced and learned during the day, from the new word at playgroup to the first time without stabilisers. In deep sleep the body releases growth hormone, and the immune system works at full speed, something you really notice in the Swiss winter with its waves of daycare colds. Well-rested children are more balanced during the day and cope more easily with frustration.
Conversely, lack of sleep in children rarely shows up as yawning on the sofa. Far more often it appears as tantrums in the late afternoon, clumsiness, tears over small things or a hyper mood that parents wrongly interpret as "not tired yet". Many paediatricians report that a proportion of sleep-onset problems in the preschool years are linked to a bedtime that doesn't match the need for sleep: too early, and the child lies awake; too late, and they are overtired.
How much sleep does my child need? The age table
The following guideline values are based on the recommendations of international sleep medicine bodies and give total sleep per 24 hours, i.e. night-time sleep plus naps. They are deliberately expressed as ranges. A child who is slightly below or above but is fit during the day is not sleeping "wrongly".
| Age | Recommended sleep per 24 h | Daytime sleep | Typical in everyday life |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–3 months | approx. 14–17 hours | many short sleep phases | No rhythm; sleep is spread across day and night |
| 4–11 months | approx. 12–16 hours | 2–3 naps | Day-night rhythm develops |
| 1–2 years | approx. 11–14 hours | 1–2 naps, usually 1–2 hours | Transition to one midday nap |
| 3–5 years | approx. 10–13 hours | nap gradually drops away | Playgroup, kindergarten; many no longer nap |
| 6–12 years | approx. 9–12 hours | no daytime sleep | Primary school, the walk to school, hobbies |
| 13–18 years | approx. 8–10 hours | no daytime sleep | Body clock shifts later |
For baby sleep, the official safety recommendations also apply: on the back, a bed of their own in the parents' room, no loose blankets or pillows in the first year, and a room temperature of around 18 °C. For questions about your baby's sleep, the parent counselling service (Mütter- und Väterberatung) or your paediatrician is the right place to turn to.
Individual differences: why the table is only a guideline
The ranges in the table are broad, and that is no accident. Long-term studies, including at the University Children's Hospital Zurich, have shown how much the need for sleep varies between children of the same age. One three-year-old copes well with 10 hours, another needs 13. Both are healthy. The need for sleep is largely innate, similar to height, and cannot be trained at will. If you put a child with a low sleep need into bed for twelve hours, you get a child who lies awake in the evening or cheerfully sings at five in the morning.
On top of that there are phases when the need fluctuates: growth spurts, an infection, settling in at daycare or starting kindergarten can temporarily increase the need for sleep. After a lot of activity outdoors, for example sledging, most children fall asleep earlier and more deeply. Instead of fixating on a number, it is therefore worth looking at the weekly average and at behaviour during the day. A child who wakes up without an alarm on five out of seven days and gets through the day well is getting enough sleep, even if the table might suggest otherwise.
When should my child go to bed? Calculating bedtime
The simplest formula is: wake-up time minus night-time sleep need equals the time to fall asleep; subtract another 15 to 30 minutes for falling asleep itself, and you have the time your child should be lying in bed. It is important to subtract the nap: a three-year-old with a total need of 12 hours who still sleeps for an hour at midday needs 11 hours at night. If they have to get up at 7 a.m. for daycare, they should be asleep by around 8 p.m., so in bed at about 7.30 p.m.
A few examples with a 7 a.m. wake-up time: a two-year-old with a need of 12.5 hours and a 1.5-hour nap needs 11 hours at night and should be in bed around 7.30 to 8 p.m. A four-year-old without a nap and a need of 11.5 hours should be lying down at 7.15 to 7.30 p.m. If your child lies awake for a long time in the evening despite the sums adding up, the nap may be too long or the bedtime too early. If they sleep two hours longer at the weekend, the weekday bedtime is too late. You can read what helps when falling asleep still doesn't work in our article Child won't fall asleep.
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How to tell whether your child is getting enough sleep
More reliable than any table is your child's behaviour over the day. These signs suggest they are getting enough sleep: they usually wake up on their own in the morning, and in a good mood. They are balanced during the day. They fall asleep in the evening within 15 to 30 minutes, without hours of back and forth. And they get through the late afternoon, the classic zone for meltdowns, without major drama.
These signs, on the other hand, point to too little sleep: you have to wake your child in the morning, and they are grumpy for a long time afterwards. They fall asleep in the evening as soon as their head touches the pillow, or even in the car on the way home from daycare. They are irritable, tearful or noticeably clumsy in the afternoon. And in the evening they are not tired but hyper, running around and laughing shrilly. It is precisely this last sign that misleads many parents, because an overtired child produces stress hormones that keep them artificially awake. Night waking is also often connected to the daily rhythm; there is more on this in our article Child wakes up at night.
Myths under the microscope
"If my child goes to bed later, they'll sleep longer in the morning." For most toddlers this is not true. Their body clock wakes them at the usual time, no matter when they fell asleep. Going to bed later therefore usually just means less sleep.
"A tired child falls asleep by themselves." Only if they get to bed in time. If the window is missed, the child is overtired, hyper and takes considerably longer to fall asleep.
"Napping disturbs night-time sleep." That only applies once the child is ready to give it up. For two-year-olds the nap is important; for four- or five-year-olds it can indeed push the evening back.
"Children sleep anywhere when they're tired." Some do, many don't. Noise, light, a room that is too warm or a bed in which the child feels unsafe noticeably delay falling asleep, even when they are very tired.
The nap: when it gets shorter and when it drops away
The nap is the part of the sleep need that changes most in the first years of life. At one year, most children still sleep once or twice during the day; by two, a single nap of one to two hours has settled in. At three, about half of children still need it, and over the course of the fourth and fifth year it drops away for most. That is why many daycare centres in Switzerland only offer a rest period without compulsory sleep from kindergarten age onwards.
Typical signs that the nap is getting too long or is no longer needed: the child lies awake for a long time at midday before falling asleep, or they do sleep but aren't tired in the evening until 9 p.m. Then it helps to shorten the nap, to around 45 minutes for example, or to replace it with a quiet hour with books. The total amount of sleep then usually shifts into the night, and the child falls asleep earlier and better in the evening. An earlier dinner cushions the afternoon slump that often occurs as a result. How to manage the transition is explained in our guide on dropping the nap.
In practice: 5 steps to the right sleep schedule
- Observe for a week: note the times of falling asleep, waking up and napping, plus the mood in the afternoon. Don't change anything during this week.
- Read off the need: work out the average total sleep and compare it with the table. Above all, look at whether the signs of too little sleep are appearing.
- Set the bedtime: wake-up time minus night-time sleep need minus 15 to 30 minutes for falling asleep. Shift the bedtime in 15-minute steps, not all at once.
- Align the evening routine with it: the ritual starts around 30 to 45 minutes before lying down: dinner, bath or wash, pyjamas, story, lights out. You will find a tried-and-tested example in our bedtime routine from age 2. Screens stay off in the last hour.
- Review after two weeks: if the child usually wakes on their own and the afternoon is more relaxed, the time is right. If not, adjust by another 15 minutes.
At the same time, pay attention to the sleep environment: a room that is as dark and quiet as possible, a room temperature of around 18 to 20 °C, no TV in the child's room and a bed in which your child feels safe and secure.
Frequently asked questions about children's sleep needs
How much sleep does a two-year-old need?
Professional bodies recommend around 11 to 14 hours of sleep per 24 hours for one- to two-year-olds, including the nap. Most two-year-olds sleep around 11 hours at night and one to two hours at midday. Individual deviations of an hour are completely normal.
How much sleep does a three-year-old need?
For three- to five-year-olds the guideline values are around 10 to 13 hours a day. About half of three-year-olds still nap at midday, in which case night-time sleep is correspondingly shorter. What matters is whether the child is balanced during the day.
How much sleep does a kindergarten-age child need?
Children of kindergarten age between four and six usually need 10 to 12 hours, generally without a nap. With a wake-up time of 7 a.m., a child of this age should therefore be in bed around 7.30 to 8 p.m.
What can I do if my child isn't tired in the evening?
First check whether the bedtime matches the actual need for sleep and whether the nap is too long. A hyper child is also often overtired rather than not tired enough. A calm, consistent evening routine helps more in both cases than discussions.
From what age does a child no longer need a nap?
Usually between the ages of three and five, although the range is wide. Signs are lying awake for a long time at midday or a child who doesn't fall asleep until late in the evening. A quiet hour without compulsory sleep is a good transition.
When should I talk to the paediatrician about sleep?
If your child is clearly below the guideline values for several weeks, is noticeably exhausted during the day, snores loudly or has pauses in breathing during sleep, it is worth talking to your paediatrician. Counselling also makes sense when the situation is putting a heavy strain on the family.
This article is for general information only and does not replace paediatric advice. If problems persist, please consult your paediatrician.
