Transparency

Methodology and sources

Little Sleep Planner deliberately distinguishes formal recommendations from practical schedule estimates.

Total sleep recommendations

The daily sleep calculator uses the American Academy of Sleep Medicine consensus recommendation: infants 4-12 months should sleep 12-16 hours per 24 hours, including naps; children 1-2 years should sleep 11-14 hours. The panel did not issue a recommendation for infants younger than 4 months because normal variation is wide.

Wake-window ranges

Wake windows are not AASM or AAP medical targets. The site's ranges are broad heuristics based on commonly observed age patterns. We use ranges rather than exact times, shorten the first period slightly, lengthen later periods only modestly, and repeatedly tell users to prioritize the child over the clock.

Schedule calculations

The schedule planner uses the midpoint of the selected age range and adds about 10 minutes to each later window. Nap duration is entered by the user. The output is arithmetic, not a prediction of sleep.

Safe-sleep content

Safety language follows current AAP and NIH/NICHD public guidance: back placement, a firm, flat, level infant sleep surface, a fitted sheet only, and a clear sleep space.

Primary sources

• AASM consensus recommendations for pediatric sleep duration
• NIH/NICHD Safe Sleep Environment
• AAP safe-sleep policy explained for parents

Review policy

Age profiles and safety language should be reviewed whenever major pediatric sleep guidance changes.