How many naps a day should a baby have and when do they drop off?
Applies to age: 0–18 months
In short
Daytime naps should match the child's daily rhythm and the need that comes with their age. Including naps, 14–17 hours of sleep a day are recommended at 0–3 months of age and 12–16 hours at 4–11 months of age.
What is normal
Some claims: international norm
- A child may nap during the day, and naps should match the child's daily rhythm and the need that comes with their age.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Pozwól dziecku drzemać w ciągu dnia, ale zgodnie z rytmem dna i jego zapotrzebowaniem wynikającym z wieku.
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [1]
- A child aged 0–12 months should sleep 15–18 hours a day (the youngest even up to 20 hours).
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
15–18 godzin (najmłodsze nawet do 20 godzin), jeśli ma 0–12 miesięcy
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [1]
- A child aged 1–3 years should sleep 12–14 hours a day.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
12–14 godzin, jeśli ma 1–3 lat
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [1]
- An infant should have 14–17 hours of good quality sleep (age 0–3 months) or 12–16 hours (age 4–11 months), including naps.
Source: WHO · international norm – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Have 14–17h (0–3 months of age) or 12–16h (4–11 months of age) of good quality sleep, including naps.
WHO · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [2]
- A child aged 1–2 years should have 11–14 hours of good quality sleep, including naps, with regular sleep and wake-up times.
Source: WHO · international norm – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Have 11-14 hours of good quality sleep, including naps, with regular sleep and wake-up times.
WHO · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [2]
- Every infant has their own pattern of waking and sleeping, which is unlikely to be the same as that of other infants the parent knows.
Source: NHS · international norm – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
Your baby will have their own pattern of waking and sleeping, and it's unlikely to be the same as other babies you know.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [3]
- All infants change their sleep patterns.
Source: NHS · international norm – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
All babies change their sleep patterns.
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [3]
ER / 112 (Poland)
Some claims: international norm
Immediate medical help needed: international norm
- A child who is not responding like they normally do, is not eating, is difficult to wake or is sleepier than usual needs immediate medical help.
Source: NHS – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
is not responding like they normally do, is not feeding, is difficult to wake or is more sleepy than usual
NHS · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [3]
- In Poland, when life or health is at risk, call 112 (the emergency number in Poland) or 999 (the ambulance number in Poland).
Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Zadzwoń na 112 lub 999, jeśli zagrożone jest życie lub zdrowie.
NFZ i Akademia NFZ · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-09 · license [4]
international norm “International norm” next to a section heading means its claims come from a non-Polish source, because no Polish source in our registry covers this topic. When this applies to only some of the claims, the foreign ones carry the same label next to their source.
Sources
- Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl)License: CC BY 3.0 PL. Source: Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original.
- WHO (who.int)License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. Source: WHO (who.int). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original. WHO does not endorse this site or its content.
- NHS (nhs.uk, Anglia)
- https://www.nhs.uk/baby/caring-for-a-newborn/helping-your-baby-to-sleep/
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sepsis/
License: Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS (nhs.uk, Anglia). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The summary is ours and is not attributed to the NHS. - NFZ i Akademia NFZLicense: Treści NFZ – wykorzystanie ze wskazaniem źródła, bez obrotu komercyjnego. Source: NFZ i Akademia NFZ. Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original.