How the National Sleep Foundation and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine independently arrived at nearly identical recommendations for children's sleep
"May be appropriate" zone (National Sleep Foundation only)
Three of five shared age groups have identical recommended ranges (toddlers, preschoolers, and teenagers). Where they differ, the gap is just one hour at the upper bound. Two independent organizations, different review methods, different article pools — same core answer. Note: the two panels define some age groups slightly differently (e.g., "teenagers" begins at 14 for the National Sleep Foundation but 13 for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine).
National Sleep Foundation dark bars show the recommended range; light gray extensions show hours that "may be appropriate for some." American Academy of Sleep Medicine lighter bars show the recommended range only (no equivalent "may be appropriate" zone was published). The National Sleep Foundation included newborns (0-3 months); the American Academy of Sleep Medicine did not, citing insufficient evidence. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine specifies "including naps" for ages 4 months through 5 years. Age group boundaries differ for three rows: the National Sleep Foundation defines infants as 4-11 months (vs. 4-12), school-aged as 6-13 years (vs. 6-12), and teenagers as 14-17 years (vs. 13-18). Both age ranges are shown in the left-hand labels where they differ.
Hirshkowitz M, et al. (2015). National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations. Sleep Health, 1(1), 40-43. | Paruthi S, et al. (2016). Recommended amount of sleep for pediatric populations: a consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. J Clin Sleep Med, 12(6), 785-786.