How much sleep does a baby actually need? (0 to 12 months, minus the panic)

Last verified: July 8, 2026

The short answer: newborns sleep a lot but in pieces, around 18 hours a day for many. By 3 to 6 months, some babies manage 5 to 8 hours at night. Some. If yours does not, that is inside normal, not a problem to fix.

The numbers, and the word everyone skips

Sleep charts usually get shared without their most important word: “some.” Here is what the NHS actually says, age by age (NHS: Helping your baby to sleep):

Newborns: asleep more than awake, often around 18 hours a day, but the total varies. They wake at night because they need to be fed. Too hot or too cold can also wake them.
3 to 6 months: fewer night feeds are needed, and some babies sleep 5 to 8 hours or longer at night. Not all.
6 to 12 months: for some babies, night feeds are no longer necessary, and some sleep around 15 hours in total, most of it at night. Teething or hunger can still wake them.
After the first birthday: around 12 to 15 hours in total.

Notice the pattern in the wording. Some babies. May. Can. The NHS also says it straight: every baby has their own pattern of waking and sleeping, and it is unlikely to be the same as other babies you know. The neighbor’s baby who “slept through at eight weeks” is one baby, not the rule.

Broken nights are normal at first

The NHS is blunt about the early months: newborn babies invariably wake up repeatedly in the night at first, and disturbed nights can be very hard to cope with. “Invariably” means all of them. It is not you. It is not something you did.

What the NHS suggests for surviving this stretch:

Sleep when your baby sleeps, even during the day, even if the house is a mess
If you have a partner, split the nights: share bottle feeds, or have them take the early morning shift so you can sleep
Once breastfeeding is settled, a partner can occasionally give a bottle of expressed milk at night
If you are on your own, consider asking a friend or relative to stay a few days so you can catch up

What you can actually influence

You cannot make a baby sleep. You can help a little. The NHS suggests:

Teach day and night from the start. Days: curtains open, normal noise, games. Nights: lights low, voice quiet, feed and change without fuss, no playing. Babies slowly learn which is which.

Build a simple bedtime routine. A bath, night clothes and a fresh nappy, maybe a story or a lullaby, dimmed lights, a goodnight kiss. The magic is not in any single step. It is in the sameness, night after night.

Do not chase silence. The NHS specifically suggests letting your baby get used to sleeping through a certain amount of everyday noise. You do not need a silent house.

Keep your baby’s sleep space in your room for at least the first 6 months, day and night sleeps included. This lowers the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

When sleep suddenly gets worse again

Patterns change. The NHS lists growth spurts, teething, and illness as normal reasons sleep gets shaken up, and advises being ready to adjust routines as your baby grows. A stretch of worse sleep after weeks of better sleep is usually a phase passing through, not a skill lost. We wrote more about this, including why we do not use the term “sleep regression,” in our window 2 guide.

When to ask for help

If your baby is having ongoing trouble sleeping, or you want help building a routine, the NHS suggests speaking to your health visitor. That is what they are there for, and asking early beats white-knuckling it for months.

And our rule, which applies to sleep as much as anything: your own concern is reason enough to ask. If something about your baby’s sleep worries you, say it out loud to a professional.

Keep reading

Sources

NHS: Helping your baby to sleep (page last reviewed January 2025)
NHS: Soothing a crying baby

Peanutbean provides general information for educational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Every baby develops at their own pace. Always talk to your pediatrician about your child’s health.

Common questions

How much sleep does a baby need by age?

Roughly: newborns around 18 hours a day in short stretches, 3 to 6 months some sleep 5 to 8 hours at night, 6 to 12 months around 15 hours total, and after the first birthday about 12 to 15 hours. Every baby is different.

Is it normal for my baby to still wake at night?

Yes. The NHS says newborns invariably wake repeatedly, and waking through the first year is common, often from hunger or teething. It is not something you caused.

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