Bedtime calculator by age: when should my baby or toddler go to bed?

This calculator begins with the research and counts backward from there. The research piece is the total sleep per 24 hours that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends for your child’s age. The rule-of-thumb piece is how much of that sleep typically comes from naps. Whatever remains is night sleep, and subtracting night sleep from your wake-up time gives bedtime.

Keep in mind: a calculator gives an average. The hard part is getting your particular baby to follow it. That is what a custom plan and daily check-ins are for.

Putting a bedtime on paper is simple. Plenty of families already have a rough idea of when their child ought to be asleep; the trouble is that the child doesn’t fall asleep at that time, or doesn’t stay asleep. That’s the part Actually Sleeping tackles, with a plan written for your child and daily support while it beds in.

How the math works

Start with the AASM range for your child’s age: 12–16 hours at 4–12 months, 11–14 hours at 1–2 years, 10–13 hours at 3–5 years, counting naps.
Take away the midpoint of the typical daily nap total for that age (a rule of thumb). For a child who has stopped napping, take away nothing.
What’s left is the amount of night sleep that keeps the 24-hour total within the AASM range.
Bedtime window = wake-up time minus that night sleep. The earliest bedtime delivers the most sleep; at the latest, total sleep barely meets the AASM minimum.

The AASM ranges span 3–4 hours, so the resulting window is broad as well. In the table, the final column gives the tighter bedtime that many families actually use, a rule of thumb rather than a research finding. That column reflects time in bed, and children seldom sleep for every minute of it, so it may begin a little earlier than the AASM-based window.

No number for babies under 4 months

The AASM gives no recommendation for babies younger than 4 months, pointing to how widely normal sleep varies and how little evidence connects sleep with health outcomes at that age. For that reason, this page shows no bedtime for that age band. Newborns often go to bed late, and bedtime tends to creep earlier during the first few months.

Complete table (child still napping, 7 a.m. wake-up)

Age	AASM total per 24 h	Typical naps (rule of thumb)	Night sleep to stay in AASM range	AASM-based bedtime window	Typical bedtime in practice (rule of thumb)
Under 4 months	No AASM recommendation	Varies widely	–	No number	No set bedtime yet
4 months	12–16 h	3.5–4.5 h	8–12 h	7:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m.	7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
5 months	12–16 h	3–4 h	8.5–12.5 h	6:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m.	7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
6 months	12–16 h	3–3.5 h	8.75–12.75 h	6:15 p.m.–10:15 p.m.	7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
7 months	12–16 h	2.5–3.5 h	9–13 h	6:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.	7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
8 months	12–16 h	2.5–3 h	9.25–13.25 h	5:45 p.m.–9:45 p.m.	7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
9–11 months	12–16 h	2–3 h	9.5–13.5 h	5:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m.	7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
12–14 months	11–14 h	2–2.5 h	8.75–11.75 h	7:15 p.m.–10:15 p.m.	7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
15–23 months	11–14 h	1.5–3 h	8.75–11.75 h	7:15 p.m.–10:15 p.m.	7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
2 years	11–14 h	1–2 h	9.5–12.5 h	6:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m.	7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
3 years	10–13 h	1–2 h	8.5–11.5 h	7:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m.	Not covered by our schedules

Night sleep uses the midpoint of the nap range. If your child wakes at another time, shift every bedtime by the same amount: for a 6:30 a.m. riser, the window comes 30 minutes earlier.

When a child no longer naps

Without a nap, the full AASM total must come overnight, which pulls the window earlier. According to a 2020 meta-analysis, fewer than 2.5% of children give up napping before age 2, and 94% have given it up by age 5, so a child under 2 who resists naps for a few days is probably in a nap transition rather than done with naps. Read nap transitions.

Turning a bedtime window into a child who actually sleeps

Any calculator produces an average. What’s hard is getting one particular child to match it: falling asleep at that time without a fight, and sleeping through until morning. That hinges on routine, naps, temperament and the way the child falls asleep, so it calls for a plan designed around that child. Actually Sleeping provides exactly that, written by Dr. Sam, with bootcamp-style coaching before the first night, daily 1:1 check-ins and naps coached until they are solid. We don’t use cry it out, and we don’t use wait it out. Toddler parents describe the difference in the over-12-months video reviews. You can also try the wake window calculator.

Book the free consultation and turn that bedtime window into a bedtime that really works.

Want your baby sleeping like this?

With Actually Sleeping you get 1:1 coaching: Dr. Sam writes a sleep plan for your baby, we coach you bootcamp-style before the first night, and we check in daily until it is working. We have coached 700+ families, collected 129 video reviews, and put our guarantee in writing: 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days, or a full refund.

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Common questions

What bedtime suits a 1 year old?

For ages 1–2 years, the AASM advises 11–14 hours of sleep per 24 hours. Allowing roughly 2–2.5 hours of naps and a 7 a.m. wake-up, the AASM-based window runs from about 7:15 to 10:15 p.m. Many families actually use 7–8 p.m., which is a rule of thumb.

Is 6:30 p.m. too early for bedtime?

Not necessarily. A baby aged 4–12 months who wakes near 6:30 a.m. and naps a typical amount will still get total sleep inside the AASM range of 12–16 hours with a 6:30 p.m. bedtime. Check by entering your own wake-up time in the calculator.

Why doesn’t the calculator give my newborn a bedtime?

The AASM offers no sleep-hours recommendation for babies under 4 months, since normal sleep varies so much and evidence tying sleep to health at that age is too thin. Any figure would be made up, so the calculator doesn’t show one.

How does bedtime change once my toddler drops their nap?

With no nap, the entire AASM total must happen overnight, so bedtime shifts earlier. At 1–2 years with a 7 a.m. wake-up, 11–14 hours of night sleep puts bedtime between 5 and 8 p.m.; lean toward the earlier end during the transition.