verb (used with or without object), bifurcated, bifurcating. 1. to divide or fork into two branches. adjective. 2. divided into two branches.
Advertisement. By the Numbers. According to the National Sleep Foundation, newborns should sleep 12 to 18 hours out of every 24 (every new parent hopes), with a gradual reduction to 12 to 14 hours for toddlers ages 1 to 3; 11 to 13 hours for preschoolers 3 to 5; and (yes!) 10 to 11 hours for schoolchildren ages 5 to 10.
As he gets older, your child will probably stop napping and start doing all of his sleeping at night. Children in daycare and preschool still need about 11 hours of sleep a night, but that amount will gradually decrease. By the time he's a teenager, your child will need only about nine or 10 hours of sleep per night.