How much sleep does a child need?

Most parents wonder whether their child is getting enough the right amount of sleep at some point. I know I do. Both my boys seem to be able to recharge their batteries quite quickly and I often wonder if they're 'normal'. Obviously all children are different and some just naturally need more or less sleep than others. Mine fall into the less category.

The Baby Center recently made a post about how much sleep children really need at different ages which includes a useful table breaking it down into age, nighttime sleep, daytime sleep and total sleep. You can check it out here. It even shows the number of naps.

One of the most important rules that all sleep experts seem to be in agreement over is the need for a routine. By putting your baby to bed at the same times both at night and during the day you help him build a sleep routine. This is something I'm working on with my 3 months old. As he was premature they kept him in the hospital for 10 days post-part and he mixed up his day and night for quite a while. Things are now improving but he still often wakes during the night meaning I'm still only dreaming of those 6 or more hours in a row that I've read most babies his age are starting to do.

My eldest is 4 years old this month and has never needed much sleep. As he goes to playschool during the day now and no longer has a daytime nap, he normally gets tired pretty early in the evenings. This past week I've tried cooking dinner a bit earlier, so I can get him ready for bed sooner and it seems to be doing the trick. Even  on days when he says he's not tired, it doesn't take him long to fall asleep once his under the covers.

Do you keep to a sleep routine? How many hours sleep does your little one get?

Image via daichang34 on Flickr