Children & Sleep
The secret to your child's good night? You.
You tuck them in. You read them stories. You sing them lullabies.
Children rely on parents for many of their sleep needs. Some you may not be even aware of. To help you understand why sleep is so important to your child and how you can help him or her sleep better, we've assembled a variety of information that you can review on your own, or together with your young one.
Helpful articles - developed in conjunction with the National Sleep Foundation.
- Establishing Healthy Sleep Routines
Instilling good sleep patterns at an early age is critical. See what you can do to make sure your newborn or infant establishes healthy sleep habits.
- Overscheduled Kids
As most children grow so do their schedules. Which can add up to difficulties falling asleep. So how does a child find balance? It starts with some small compromises.
- Avoiding Bedtime Battles
Resisting going to bed and nighttime awakenings are normal for toddlers. But, there are some actions you can take to ensure they avoid these bedtime struggles.
Establishing Healthy Sleep Routines
Sleep is one of the most important requirements in early childhood development. Which is why it is important to understand your child's sleep and how you can help him or her develop good sleep habits.
Understanding your child's sleep habits
By the age of two, most children have spent more time asleep than awake, and, overall, a child will spend 40 percent of his or her childhood asleep. Sleep is especially important for children as it directly impacts mental and physical development.
Circadian rhythms, or the sleep-wake cycle, are regulated by light and dark, and these rhythms take time to develop, resulting in the irregular sleep schedules of newborns. The rhythms begin to develop at about 6 weeks, and by 3 to 6 months most infants have a regular sleep-wake cycle.
There are two alternating types or states of sleep:
- Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) or "quiet" sleep. During the deep states of NREM sleep, blood supply to the muscles is increased, energy is restored, tissue growth and repair occur, and important hormones are released for growth and development.
- Rapid Eye Movement (REM) or "active" sleep. During REM sleep, our brains are active, and dreaming occurs. Our bodies become immobile; breathing and heart rates are irregular.
Babies spend 50 percent of their time in each of these states, and the sleep cycle is about 50 minutes. At about 6 months of age, REM sleep comprises about 30 percent of sleep. By the time children reach preschool age, the sleep cycle is about every 90 minutes.
Helping your newborn develop good sleep habits
For newborns, sleep during the early months occurs around the clock, and the sleep-wake cycle interacts with the need to be fed, changed and nurtured. Newborns sleep a total of 10.5 to 18 hours a day on an irregular schedule with periods of 1 to 3 hours spent awake. The sleep period may last a few minutes to several hours.
Sleep Tips for Newborns (1-2 months)
- Observe baby's sleep patterns. (During sleep, newborns are often active: arm twitching, smiling, etc.)
- Identify signs of sleepiness. (i.e. some fuss, cry or rub their eyes)
- Put baby in the crib when drowsy, not asleep.
- Place baby to sleep on his or her back with face and head clear of blankets and other soft items.
- Encourage nighttime sleep.
Helping your infant develop good sleep habits
By 6 months of age, nighttime feedings are usually not necessary, and many infants sleep through the night; 70-80 percent will do so by 9 months of age. Infants typically sleep 9-12 hours during the night and take 30-minute to 2-hour naps, one to four times a day - fewer as they reach age one.
When infants are put to bed drowsy but not asleep, they are more likely to become "self-soothers," which enables them to fall asleep independently at bedtime and put themselves back to sleep during the night. Those who have become accustomed to parental assistance at bedtime often become "signalers" and cry for their parents to help them return to sleep during the night.
Sleep Tips for Infants (3-11 months)
- Develop regular daytime and bedtime schedules.
- Create a consistent and enjoyable bedtime routine.
- Establish a regular "sleep-friendly" environment.
- Encourage baby to fall asleep independently and to become a "self-soother".
Overscheduled Kids
School-age children, ages 5 to 12, require 10-11 hours of sleep. During this age, most children are also experiencing increasing demand on their time from school, in the form of homework, sports and other extracurricular and social activities. They also become more interested in TV shows, using computers, the media and Internet as well as caffeinated products.
This all can add up to difficulties falling asleep, nightmares and disruptions to their sleep. For example, watching TV close to the bedtime hour has been associated with bedtime resistance, difficulty falling asleep, anxiety around sleep and sleeping fewer hours.
Recognising when your child is overscheduled
Kids who spend more time in extracurricular activities at the expense of sleep time simply do not perform as they should. It should be clear that lack of sleep compromises many of the skills that make for academic success - attention, organization, creative thinking, and efficiency. It also erodes the motivation that kids have to do well in the first place.
Furthermore, without some wind-down time in the evening, the expectation that kids can easily go from full-throttle, 100km-an-hour-active to all-of-a-sudden-fast-asleep is not only unrealistic but may contribute to some serious difficulties in their ability to fall asleep.
Make compromises when it comes to your child's extracurricular activities instead of when it comes to sleep. There are no easy choices. Ask yourself if you might be giving a subconscious but nonetheless crystal-clear message to your child that (a) getting enough sleep is optional, (b) you would be willing to sacrifice sleep for the possibility of long-term academic gains and (c) you don't get a lot of sleep so they don't need to either.
Sleep Tips for School-age Children
- Teach school-age children about healthy sleep habits
- Continue to emphasize the need for a regular and consistent sleep schedule and bedtime routine.
- Make your child's bedroom conducive to sleep - dark, cool and quiet.
- Remove TV and computers from the bedroom.
- Avoid caffeine in all forms.
Avoiding Bedtime Battles
Sleep is a vital need, essential to a child's health and growth. Sleep promotes alertness, memory and performance. Children who get enough sleep are more likely to function better and are less prone to behavioral problems and moodiness. That is why it is important for parents to start early and help their children develop good sleep habits.
Toddlers (1-3 years) need about 12-14 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period. Many toddlers experience sleep problems including resisting going to bed and nighttime awakenings. Nighttime fears and nightmares are also common.
Many factors can lead to sleep problems
Toddlers' drive for independence and an increase in their motor, cognitive and social abilities can interfere with sleep. In addition, their ability to get out of bed, separation anxiety, the need for autonomy and the development of the child's imagination can lead to sleep problems. Daytime sleepiness and behavior problems may signal poor sleep or a sleep problem.
Here's a look at ways to help your child overcome his or her sleep problems:
Make bedtime the same time every night. Bedtime should be a positive and relaxing experience without TV, videos or DVDs. According to one recent study, TV viewing prior to bed can lead to difficulty falling and staying asleep. Save your child's favorite relaxing, nonstimulating activities until last and have them occur in the child's bedroom.
Encourage your child to fall asleep on his or her own. Have your child form positive associations with sleeping. A child should not need a parent to help him or her fall asleep. One recent study demonstrated that having your child sleep in your bed puts them at risk for suffocation or strangulation. The child who falls asleep on his or her own will be better able to return to sleep during normal nighttime awakenings and sleep throughout the night.
Discourage nighttime awakenings. When you go to your child's room every time he or she wakes during the night, you are strengthening the connection between you and sleep for your child. Even babies who are held and cuddled when they wake in the middle of the night soon learn to expect this and do not learn to go back to sleep on their own. Except during conditions when the child is sick, has been injured or clearly requires your assistance, it is important to give your child a consistent message that he or she is expected to fall asleep on his or her own.
Help your child develop a nightly routine. A bedtime ritual makes it easier for your child to relax, fall asleep and sleep through the night. This is a good example of a routine you might want to help your child develop:
- Have a light snack
- Take a bath
- Put on pajamas
- Brush teeth
- Read a story
- Make sure the room is quiet and at a comfortable temperature
- Put your child to bed
- Say good night and leave
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