A child aged between four and 11 needs 10 hours sleep every night. Children aged between 12 and 16 need at least eight or nine hours sleep every night.

Bedtime routine

When your child is one year old, it's important they have a routine before bedtime.  The routine should last about 15 to 30 minutes. Before going to bed, they should do the same things in the same order at the same time every day.

We suggest including at least 15 minutes of reading during this bedtime routine.  Starting with picture books for your younger children to listening to them ready a page or two and progressing to independent reading of chapter books each evening.