Every parent should know that sleep is crucial for the overall health and development of a child. This is why it is important to start a Baby Sleep Routine from an early age. Like adults, children can experience serious health problems if they don’t catch enough Zs. For example, obesity and depression are known to be associated with a lack of sleep.
However, children of different ages need different amounts of slumber. So let’s see How Much Sleep Kids Need from their infancy to teenage years.
Newborns (1-4 weeks old)
According to experts, newborns are expected to get between 15 and 18 hours of sleep every day. Although this seems like a lot of hours, parents will find out that a round of sleep for newborns usually lasts for just an hour or two. This can either be during the day or night.
This irregular sleeping pattern is due to the unregulated biological clock. Without a regulated biological clock, newborns are unable to differentiate between day and night. For this reason Sleep consultants, GP’s, obstetric and midwifery practices, recommend the use of a Blackout Blind to help to artificially create a safe and peaceful sleep environment for your baby whether at home or away. These Sleepy Sundays BLACKOUT BLINDS are quick, easy and portable and actually promises you 100% blackout.
Babies (1-3 months)
According to experts, the recommended sleep requirements at this age for most babies are 16 to18 hours daily. At this point in the life of a child, adaptation is beginning to take place. A baby starts to become familiar with its surroundings outside of the womb. During this period, mothers are expected to encounter some form of night disturbances. You can use soothers to emulate sounds that babies are used to in the womb.
Babies (3-6 months)
Babies are expected to get a minimum of 13 hours of sleep during this period. At this point, a baby has fully accustomed to the surroundings and can now differentiate between day and night. Also, parents are expected to establish a sleeping pattern for the baby at this stage, and a round of sleep would usually last for 3 hours max.
Babies (6-12 months)
At this age, the hours of sleep kids need during the day usually drastically reduce. But, each round of sleep is expected to last longer when compared to previous ones. At this stage, parents must try and teach their babies how to get night sleep on their own. This will allow them to get the needed rest as well. Some of the ways to achieve this are listed below.
- Parents can spend time with their babies before bedtime by cuddling, singing, or humming
- Maintain a constant bedtime routine
- Dim the lights in your kid’s room at bedtime
- Put your child to their bed before they fall asleep
- Maintain a consistent nighttime feeding pattern, as well as wake up time.
Children (1-3 years)
Children/toddlers within this age bracket have a sleep need of about 12 to 14 hours. They usually sleep 2 to 3 hours during the day, and the rest at night. Research has shown that this is the best age for children to develop sleep habits.
That way, it becomes easier to get them to either take a nap during the day or get a good night’s sleep. It is also essential to reduce daytime naps for your toddler as it can hinder their nighttime sleep, which is crucial to them at this stage.
Research has shown that at this age, implementing a good bedtime routine that enables your toddler to meet their sleep needs can go a long way to ensure proper development in all areas of their daily lives.
Children (3-6 years)
Preschoolers is the age when kids tend to phase out all sleep problems. Ideally, sleep time of 10 to 12 hours should be just fine at this stage. However, parents will need to phase out daytime naps completely to enable their kids to sleep through the night.
Every kid is different, so there’s no strict rule when a child should completely drop their daytime naps. It will depend on a child, but most kids stop napping by age five.
Children (7-12 years)
At this age, school age children become more active and are involved in school activities.. This sometimes can hinder the sleep time of children within this age range. Nevertheless, experts recommend that children within this age bracket sleep 10 to 11 hours.
Bottom Line
Sleep plays a critical role in the overall development of children, and at different stages of their lives, their sleep needs will differ. Although it can be quite tricky to determine the precise amount of sleep needed by kids, experts’ recommendations can go a long way to provide useful insights for parents. These insights can help them manage sleep hours for their children effectively, and according to their unique needs.
Teaching your kids a proper sleep routine from Birth onwards is essential and necessary in providing a quality life for them. With the right techniques mentioned earlier in this article, parents can easily teach their kids how to fall asleep at the right time on their own.
