How do I know if my baby/child is tired? How much sleep does my child need?
Here are some early tired cues to watch for:
Babies:
- Red-rimmed eyes, red eyebrows
- Rubbing eyes
- Staring or having glazed-over eyes
- Yawning
- Pulling ears or hair around ears
Toddlers:
- All of the above
- Silly/hyperactive
- Clumsy
If your child is hysterical/crying, they could be overtired. If you follow your child’s early cues and offer sleep when they need it, you can avoid overtiredness. Why is this helpful? Because overtired children have a harder time settling into sleep and/or a more restless night of sleep.
Having a general idea of “wake windows” is beneficial, but ultimately following your child’s cues is recommended. Here is a general guideline for awake windows:
- Newborn – 12 weeks: 45-75 minutes
- 3-5 Months – 1.5-2 hours
- 6-8 months – 2-3 hours
- 9-12 months 3-4 hours
- 13 months – 2.5 years – 4-6 hours
How much sleep does my child need within 24 hours? (reference for this chart below: sleepfoundation.org/children-and-sleep/how-much-sleep-do-kids-need)
