Free tool for parents
What time should my child go to bed?
Pick your child’s age and when they wake up. The calculator works back from the sleep hours recommended for their age and gives you tonight’s wind-down, story time and lights out.
Bedtime by age, for a 7:00 am wake-up
| Age | Sleep in 24 hours | Naps | Lights out | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 to 11 months | 12-16 hours | usually 2 or 3 naps, about 3 hours in all | 7:45 pm | 5:45 pm to 9:45 pm |
| 1 to 2 years | 11-14 hours | usually 1 or 2 naps, about 2 hours in all | 8:15 pm | 6:45 pm to 9:45 pm |
| 3 to 5 years | 10-13 hours | many still nap about an hour at 3; most stop by 5 | 7:45 pm | 6:15 pm to 9:15 pm |
| 6 to 12 years | 9-12 hours | no naps | 8:15 pm | 6:45 pm to 9:45 pm |
| 13 to 18 years | 8-10 hours | no naps | 9:45 pm | 8:45 pm to 10:45 pm |
Lights out aims at the middle of each range once typical naps are taken off, and allows 15 minutes to fall asleep. Under 4 months, sleep follows feeds more than the clock, so the calculator starts at 4 months.
How to make an earlier bedtime stick
Move bedtime in 10 to 15 minute steps every few nights rather than all at once, and keep the wake-up time the same, weekends included. Light is the strongest clock: dim the house during the wind-down and open the curtains in the morning.
The same short routine every night does more than any single trick. A story in bed is the natural last step: it gives the day an ending, and a child who knows the story comes after teeth and pyjamas stops bargaining about them. Our guide to a calm bedtime routine walks through one, and how long a bedtime story should be covers the right length by age.
Questions parents ask
What time should a 6-year-old go to bed?
Children of 6 to 12 need 9 to 12 hours of sleep a night. For a 7:00 am wake-up that is lights out around 8:15 pm, anywhere from 6:45 pm to 9:45 pm. Waking at 6:30 am, aim for about 7:45 pm.
What time should a toddler go to bed?
Toddlers of 1 to 2 need 11 to 14 hours of sleep in 24 hours, including about 2 hours of naps. Waking at 7:00 am, lights out around 8:15 pm suits most.
What time should a 4-year-old go to bed?
Children of 3 to 5 need 10 to 13 hours in 24 hours. Many 4-year-olds nap about half an hour or not at all; with a 7:00 am wake-up, lights out around 7:45 pm fits.
How long before bed should the bedtime routine start?
About 30 minutes: bath, teeth, pyjamas, then a calm story in bed with the lights low. Keep the same order every night; the routine itself becomes the signal that sleep is coming.
How long does it take a child to fall asleep?
Usually 10 to 20 minutes after lights out. The calculator allows 15 minutes, so the sleep hours it aims for are hours actually asleep.
Where do these sleep hours come from?
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine's consensus on sleep duration for children (Paruthi et al., Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2016), which the American Academy of Pediatrics endorses. The hours are per 24 hours and include naps.
Sleep ranges: 4 to 11 months 12-16 h · 1 to 2 years 11-14 h · 3 to 5 years 10-13 h · 6 to 12 years 9-12 h · 13 to 18 years 8-10 h (American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2016).