Child sleep calculator illustration

Child Sleep Calculator

Enter your child's age and wake-up time - get the perfect bedtime instantly

AAP guidelines NHS aligned Ages 0-17 Free & instant
AAP guidelines
NHS aligned
No data stored
All devices
🌙 Bedtime Calculator
7
years old
Newborn17 years
Set their school or usual wake-up time
✨ Recommended Bedtime
Ideal Bedtime
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Range: - to -
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Hours Needed
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Wake-Up
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Age
🌃 Sleep window
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    Also try: Kids Screen Time Calculator
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    Recommended Sleep Hours by Age

    Official recommendations from AAP (US) and NHS (UK) - including naps for younger children

    Age Total Sleep Night Sleep Naps Ideal Bedtime*
    Newborn (0–3 mo) 14–17 hrs 8–9 hrs Multiple Flexible (feed-led)
    Infant (4–11 mo) 12–15 hrs 10–12 hrs 2–3 naps 6:30–7:30pm
    Toddler (1–2 yrs) 11–14 hrs 10–11 hrs 1 nap 7:00–8:00pm
    Preschool (3–5 yrs) 10–13 hrs 10–11 hrs Optional 7:00–8:30pm
    School age (6–9 yrs) 9–12 hrs 9–12 hrs None 7:30–9:00pm
    Tween (10–12 yrs) 9–12 hrs 9–12 hrs None 8:00–9:30pm
    Teen (13–17 yrs) 8–10 hrs 8–10 hrs None 9:00–10:30pm

    *Ideal bedtimes assume a 7am wake-up. Sources: AAP HealthyChildren.org, NHS.uk

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    Bedtime Routine Tips

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    Screens off 1 hour before bed
    Blue light from devices delays melatonin production, pushing sleep time later.
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    Warm bath routine
    A warm bath 60–90 minutes before bed triggers the body's natural cooling response which aids sleep onset.
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    Bedtime story
    Reading together calms the mind and creates a reliable sleep cue. Even older children benefit from quiet reading time.
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    Cool, dark bedroom
    The ideal sleep temperature for children is 65–70°F (18–21°C). Use blackout curtains to keep the room cool and dark.
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    Consistent schedule
    Same bedtime and wake time every day - including weekends - is the single most powerful tool for better sleep.
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    No sugar or caffeine after 3pm
    Cola, energy drinks, chocolate, and sweets can all delay sleep. Even fruit juice contains natural sugars that raise alertness.
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    Bright light in the morning
    Morning sunlight resets the circadian clock. Open curtains immediately after waking to anchor the body's sleep schedule.
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    School prep the night before
    Reducing morning stress means children can wake more gradually and calmly - improving the quality of their sleep window.
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    Frequently Asked Questions

    Children aged 3–5 need 10–13 hours of sleep per night according to both the AAP and NHS. For a 5-year-old waking at 7am, the ideal bedtime is between 6pm and 9pm, with 7pm–7:30pm being optimal for most children at this age.
    For a 10-year-old waking at 7am, the recommended bedtime is 8pm–10pm, giving 9–12 hours of sleep. On school nights, 8:30pm is a practical target for most families at this age. Consistency matters more than the exact time.
    First, check the timing - if your child is overtired or not tired enough, neither will work. Move bedtime 15 minutes earlier or later and observe. Then audit the routine: screens off 1 hour before bed, consistent sequence of events (bath → pyjamas → story → lights out), and the same time every night including weekends. Most sleep issues in children resolve within 2–3 weeks of a consistent routine.
    Key signs include: difficulty waking in the morning, falling asleep in the car or during the day, irritability or emotional outbursts, poor concentration at school, hyperactivity (overtired children often become hyper rather than tired-looking), frequent illnesses, and weight gain over time. Many children's "behavior problems" are actually sleep deprivation.
    Yes. Teenagers need 8–10 hours - more than most adults. Adolescent biology also shifts the circadian rhythm later, making it genuinely harder for teens to fall asleep before 11pm. This is a physiological reality, not laziness. Early school start times are a significant public health issue for this reason. Where possible, allowing teens to sleep later at weekends and on holidays is beneficial.
    Under 3: naps are essential. Ages 3–5: one nap of up to 90 minutes is fine if needed. Over 5: daytime napping generally isn't needed and can interfere with night sleep. If a school-age child is regularly napping, they're likely not getting enough sleep at night - address the night schedule rather than encouraging the nap.
    Yes - completely free, always will be. No sign-up required. All calculations happen in your browser and no data is stored or transmitted.
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    From Our Blog

    Screens and Sleep: What to Change
    The three ways devices disrupt children's sleep, and the fixes that work without a total ban.
    Night Terrors vs Nightmares: How to Tell Them Apart
    They look alike at midnight but come from different sleep stages and need almost opposite responses.
    Sleep Training Methods Compared
    Ferber, the chair method, pick-up-put-down and bedtime fading - how each works and what the research says.
    Clock Changes and Your Child's Sleep
    A gradual-shift plan for both the spring and autumn clock changes, plus how to use daylight.
    Helping Children Sleep While Travelling
    Jet lag, unfamiliar rooms and sharing one room as a family - how to prepare and recover.
    Room-Sharing and Bed-Sharing
    What the AAP and NHS say for babies, the trade-offs for older children, and how to transition.
    Toddler Sleep Regressions: What Actually Helps
    The 18-month and 2-year regressions explained, and the things that help versus the things that make them worse.
    Early Morning Waking: Causes and Fixes
    Why children wake at 5am - the six common causes of early rising and a practical fix for each.
    Why Sleep Is Critical for Child Development
    What happens in your child's brain and body during sleep, and why it matters for growth and learning.
    The Best Bedtime Routines by Age
    A complete age-by-age guide to building a bedtime routine that actually works.
    Signs Your Child Is Sleep Deprived
    What to watch for at every age when tired children don't look tired - and how to help.
    Nap Schedules by Age
    When children stop napping, how long naps should be, and what to do when naps fight with nighttime sleep.
    How to Fix Your Child's Sleep Schedule
    A step-by-step plan to reset a chaotic sleep schedule gently and quickly.
    All articles Sleep checker Sleep chart Sources Editorial standards
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    ✅ All sleep figures follow published guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the NHS. Last reviewed 5 September 2026 - see our editorial standards and review process. Not a substitute for advice from your child's doctor.

    Why Getting Bedtime Right Actually Matters

    Most parents know sleep is important. But knowing it and knowing the exact right bedtime for your child's age? That's where it gets harder. The challenge is that sleep needs change dramatically as children grow - a 2-year-old and a 12-year-old need very different amounts, and the same bedtime won't work for both.

    This calculator takes the guesswork out of it. Enter your child's age and what time they need to wake up, and it instantly gives you a science-based bedtime recommendation - drawn directly from AAP and NHS guidelines.

    What Sleep Does for Your Child

    Sleep is when children grow, learn, and recover. During deep sleep, the brain consolidates everything learned that day, transferring it from short-term to long-term memory. Growth hormone is released almost entirely during sleep. The immune system rebuilds. Emotional experiences are processed and regulated.

    One research finding that surprises most parents: sleep-deprived children often don't look tired. Instead of slowing down, they become hyperactive, irritable, and hard to manage. Many behavior issues that look like personality problems are actually sleep deprivation in disguise.

    How Much Sleep Do Children Actually Need?

    Use the calculator above to find the ideal bedtime based on your child's specific age and wake-up time.

    How This Calculator Works

    The calculator does one job and does it precisely. It takes the age you select and looks up the night-sleep range for that age from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine consensus statement (the same ranges the AAP endorses). It then subtracts that sleep need from the wake-up time you enter, working backward to a bedtime window and a single "ideal" target in the middle of that window. Nothing is estimated beyond what the published guidance defines, and the whole calculation runs in your browser - no data about your child is sent anywhere or stored.

    Because it works backward from wake-up time, the calculator naturally accounts for the thing most bedtime advice ignores: your morning. A child who has to be up at 6:30am for a long school run needs an earlier bedtime than one who wakes at 8am, even at the same age. Enter your real wake-up time rather than an ideal one.

    What the Calculator Cannot Tell You

    Published sleep ranges are population averages. Within any age band there are children who genuinely thrive on the lower end and children who need the top of the range. The calculator gives you a well-founded starting point; your child's behaviour tells you whether to adjust. Signs the bedtime is roughly right: your child falls asleep within about 15 to 20 minutes, sleeps through most nights, and wakes on their own or is easy to wake in the morning. Signs it needs to move earlier: bedtime resistance, a "second wind" in the evening, hyperactivity rather than visible tiredness, and hard, tearful mornings.

    Adjust in 15-minute steps every few nights rather than making big jumps. Sleep schedules shift gradually, and a sudden hour-earlier bedtime usually just means an hour of lying awake.

    The Habit That Makes Bedtime Stick

    Knowing the right time is only half of it. The other half is a consistent wind-down: the same sequence of calm activities, in the same order, starting about 30 to 45 minutes before lights-out. For most children that is a warm bath, into pyjamas, teeth, one or two books, then lights out. The specific steps matter less than doing them the same way every night, including weekends. Predictability is the signal that tells a child's brain sleep is coming, and it is the single most powerful tool parents have for reducing bedtime battles.

    Two environmental factors do most of the remaining work: darkness and a cool room. Aim for a bedroom dark enough that you cannot easily see your hand, and a temperature around 16 to 20C (about 65 to 68F). Screens off at least an hour before bed protects the natural evening melatonin rise that darkness triggers.

    How We Keep This Accurate

    Outdated health information is worse than none, so we review the calculator's sleep data and every guide on this site at least every six months, and whenever the AASM, AAP or NHS announce a revision. If official recommendations change, we update the figures and note the change. You can read our full process, our sources, our corrections policy and how the site is funded on our editorial standards page.

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