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. When children don’t get enough sleep, they don’t get the most out of school. Mornings also can become a hassle as you try to get a tired child out of bed. Therefore, it is important for parents to start early and help their children develop good sleep habits.
Each child is different and has different sleep needs. This chart presents recommended hours of sleep. Naps are included in the totals for children up to five years of age.
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How Much Sleep Should My Child Get? |
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Age: |
Hours of Sleep: |
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0 – 2 months |
101⁄2 – 18 hours |
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2 – 12 months |
14 – 15 hours |
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1 – 3 years |
12 – 14 hours |
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3 – 5 years |
11 – 13 hours |
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5 – 12 years |
10 – 11 hours |
Remember, sleep affects every aspect of a child’s daytime functioning:
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Mood – irritable, cranky, fussy
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Cognitive Ability – attention, memory, problem-solving
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Behavior – overactive, increased noncompliance
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Family – sleep problems in children affect every member of the family
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The link between a child’s lack of sleep and his/her behavior isn’t always obvious. When adults are tired, they can
either be grumpy or have low energy, but kids can become hyper, disagreeable, and have extremes in behavior.
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Sleep Deprived Children
Sleep deprivation in children can seriously affect their health. Sleep deprived kids get sick more often, don’t learn as well, are less happy, and even don’t grow as tall! These are good reasons to make sure your child gets enough sleep.
Kids that are starting school can be hit particularly hard. Their brains are trying to absorb more information, they may be stressed, and they have to get up on time every morning. In addition, they may have been able to nap during the day before, but now they can’t.
Getting Your Kids to Sleep
Parents should establish positive sleep habits with their child at an early age. Make sleep a priority and keep a strict schedule with the same bedtime and same wake time seven days a week. If you need wiggle room on the weekends, try to keep it within an hour. It is important to know how much sleep is appropriate for your child’s age.
Bedtime routines are critical to help your child fall asleep easier and stay asleep. A bedtime routine should be 30-45 minutes and the exact same three to four activities every night. You also want to include enough time for every possible (reasonable) request that your child may have, such as one last trip to the potty and kissing the dog goodnight. Possible things to include in your routine include: bath, cuddle time, discussing the day, and reading (kids who are read to or read at bedtime get better sleep). Things that you should not include are: wild time (bedtime should be a wind-down time), television, video games, computer time, and caffeine.
Bedtime Tactics
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If you have trouble getting your child to go to sleep, make a bedtime chart that shows every part of the bedtime routine. The idea is to illustrate each step of the bedtime routine with a picture. For example, bath, pajamas, brushing teeth, bathroom, two books, kisses and hugs, and sleep. You can cut pictures out of a magazine or take pictures of your child doing these activities. Younger kids will look at the pictures, because kids are very literal. If you have two books in the picture, that means just two books at bedtime.
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Institute a bedtime pass – a card that your child can turn in for “one more thing” at bedtime. Start with one or two cards. Each time a child makes a request, he or she has to hand over a card. Once all the cards are turned in, no more requests.