Infants typically require about how many hours of sleep per day?

• A. 12 hours
• B. 15 hours
• C. 16 hours
• D. 18 hours

Answer: (B)

Infants need a lot of sleep to support rapid growth and brain development, and that sleep is spread across day and night. The typical total sleep per day for infants is about 14 to 15 hours, with longer night periods and several daytime naps. About 15 hours is the best general estimate because it reflects the common average across infancy. Twelve hours is generally too little for most infants, sixteen hours can occur for some but isn’t the standard average, and eighteen hours exceeds the usual range for healthy infancy.