I’ve noticed that the older my son gets, the more time he spends awake during the day.  We’ve been really fortunate with his sleeping patterns so far.  He sleeps soundly though the night, from about 10pm to 9am, waking up about every three hours to eat.  It’s like clock work.  He normally sleeps most of the day too, but the pattern varies more.  Three hours here, an hour there.  If a car ride is involved he might sleep for four or five hours before waking up to eat.  Yesterday he spent most of the day awake, which prompted me to do some research on just how much sleep he should be getting, and how often should he be awake and alert.  Here’s a nifty little layout that hopefully answers this question for both the infant stage and onward.  The times are approximate, but most children should fall with in the time ranges.  If your child is sleeping more or less, it’s probably a good idea to consult his or her pediatrician.

Newborn:

• Sleep a total of 16 t0 20 hours a day
• Sleep for 1 to 4 hours at a time
• Should wake up overnight to feed every 2 – 4 hours
• Usually only takes approximately 20 minutes to settle down to sleep
• Usually not awake for more than 1 hour between sleeping

3 to 6 Months:

• Sleep a total of 14 to 18 hours a day
• Sleep for 2 to 3 hours at a time
• Should sleep through the night at least 6 hours
• Sometimes takes up to 1 hour to settle down for sleeping
• May be awake for 2 to 3 hours between sleeping

6 to 9 Months:

• Sleep a total of 12 to 16 hours a day
• Sleep for 1 to 3 hours at a time
• Should sleep overnight at least 8 hours
• May take up to 1 hour to settle down to sleep
• May be awake for 2 to 4 hours between sleeping

9 to 12 Months:

• Sleep a total of 10 to 14 hours a day
• Sleep for 1 to 2 hours at a time
• Should sleep through the night at least 8 hours
• May take up to 1 hour to settle down to sleep
• Usually only sleeps 2 or 3 times during the day

By the time your child is a year old, he or she should have fallen into a pretty regular schedule as far as sleeping goes.  It’s not a good idea to change sleep times on a regular basis, as this can cause some unstability in their mood and developement.  Try to go to bed at the same time every night, and don’t force a baby to stay awake during the day in hopes they will sleep better at night.  They need lots of sleep, so don’t worry if they spend most of the day napping.  Enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts!