Bedtime calculator
What time should kids go to bed?
Start from the time they wake up and count back the sleep they need. Pick their age and wake-up time.
Find their bedtime
Lights out between 7:00 and 8:00 pm.
Bedtimes by age
Lights-out windows for three common wake-up times. Lean toward the earlier end if they wake up tired or skipped a nap. For 1 to 3 year olds, this is night sleep with a nap on top. Tap an age from 1 to 8 for what changes at that age.
| Age | Up at 6:00 | Up at 6:30 | Up at 7:00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6:00–7:00 | 6:30–7:30 | 7:00–8:00 |
| 2 | 6:00–7:00 | 6:30–7:30 | 7:00–8:00 |
| 3 | 6:30–7:30 | 7:00–8:00 | 7:30–8:30 |
| 4 | 6:30–7:30 | 7:00–8:00 | 7:30–8:30 |
| 5 | 6:30–8:00 | 7:00–8:30 | 7:30–9:00 |
| 6 | 7:00–8:00 | 7:30–8:30 | 8:00–9:00 |
| 7 | 7:00–8:00 | 7:30–8:30 | 8:00–9:00 |
| 8 | 7:00–8:30 | 7:30–9:00 | 8:00–9:30 |
| 9 | 7:00–8:30 | 7:30–9:00 | 8:00–9:30 |
| 10 | 7:30–9:00 | 8:00–9:30 | 8:30–10:00 |
| 11 | 7:30–9:00 | 8:00–9:30 | 8:30–10:00 |
| 12 | 7:30–9:00 | 8:00–9:30 | 8:30–10:00 |
How much sleep kids need
These are the recommended hours from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's consensus statement on how much sleep children need (Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2016), which the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed. They count all sleep in 24 hours, so for younger kids a nap is part of the total.
| Age | Hours per 24 hours |
|---|---|
| 4 to 12 months | 12 to 16, with naps |
| 1 to 2 years | 11 to 14, with naps |
| 3 to 5 years | 10 to 13, with naps |
| 6 to 12 years | 9 to 12 |
| 13 to 18 years | 8 to 10 |
The bedtime windows above are our own arithmetic inside those ranges: night sleep counted back from wake-up and rounded to 15 minutes. They're a starting point, not medical advice.
How to tell it's working
- They fall asleep within about 20 minutes of lights out, without a second wind.
- They wake up close to the same time on their own most days.
- Late afternoon is ordinary, not a meltdown every day around 5.
- If lights out keeps turning into an hour of stalling, bedtime may be too early for now. Try 15 minutes later for a week before changing anything else.
Every kid is a little different. If you're worried about how your child sleeps, ask their pediatrician.
Once you know lights out, the hard part is the two hours before it. Nightlight picks a dinner that fits the energy you have left and counts every step back from bedtime.
Plan tonightFree, no account, and what you tap stays on your phone.
On an iPhone? Nightlight is on the App Store, with a nudge at every step of the evening.