Sleep Requirements of Children

From WikiParenting

How much sleep a child requires is a frequently asked question for new parents. It is important that your child get enough sleep for his health and the health of the family as a whole. Below are guidelines for how many hours of sleep a child requires at various ages.

Remember that they are only guidelines, and that children may require as much as two hours more or less than average. And that as your child grows, his sleep patterns will change. It is important to establish, from the very beginning, healthy sleep habits that will last your child a lifetime.

[edit] Signs of too little sleep

Children who have poor sleep habits may not display their tiredness the same way that adults do. Some children who are thought to not need very much sleep are in fact sleep deprived. Watch for the following clues that your child is not getting enough sleep:

• He falls asleep frequently in his car seat.

• You have to wake him every morning.

• He seems grouchy and overly tired during the day.

• He occasionally falls asleep much earlier than his usual bedtime.

Children who have poor sleep habits will need help establishing an appropriate bedtime and bedtime rituals so that they may get all the sleep they require for good health.

[edit] Requirements by age

[edit] Newborns

Newborns up to three months old generally sleep for most of the day, somewhere between 16 and 20 hours. The sleep periods are divided evenly between night and day. The longest time they usually sleep at stretch is about 4 or five hours, and then they will wake up because they are hungry. If your child is able to sleep through the hunger, make sure that you offer extra feedings when he is awake to make up for it.

At around three months old your baby will begin sleeping more at night. Ten hours of sleep at night and five hours of sleep during the day is average. The nighttime sleep will be interrupted for a feeding, and the daytime sleep will probably be in the form of three naps. The majority of babies at this age will sleep through the night, meaning that they will have a long stretch of five hours or more of sleep before waking for a feeding.

When your child wakes in the night and it is not time for his feeding, make sure to wait a few minutes before you go to him. He may be able to go back to sleep by himself, so let him try. If he does not go back to sleep within a few minutes, go ahead and see what he needs, but do it quickly and quietly. Do not play with him or talk to him unnecessarily. Have a low wattage light to use for night time feedings and diaper changes. He should learn right from the start that nighttime is for sleeping.

Establish a nighttime routine as early as possible. Plan nightly activities that allow your child wind-down time. A bath, book and a lullaby work well, or whatever fits your lifestyle. Place him in his crib when he is drowsy, but not yet asleep so he learns to fall asleep on his own. Never allow your child to go to sleep with a bottle. This may get him to go to sleep, but it can also cause baby bottle tooth decay.

[edit] Six months to one year

At around six months of age your baby should move towards sleeping about eleven hours at night and three hours during the day. The day sleep will probably be two or three naps.

After your baby is six months old you should change how you react to your baby in the middle of the night. Try waiting about five minutes before you go to them. He may be able to go back to sleep on his own. If he does not, check him to see if he needs a diaper change or if he is sick. Change him if he needs it, but no bright lights. If they are dry and not sick, comfort him without picking him up to get him to go to sleep. Try rubbing his back or a soft lullaby. After a short time, leave and give him the opportunity to go to sleep on his own. If he continues to cry after another five minutes, repeat the process. After a few nights of this, he should get the hang of it and go back to sleep if he rouses in the middle of the night. Call your pediatrician if your six month old baby still wakes up five or six times a night.

[edit] One year to three years

Children at this age should sleep about ten to thirteen hours a night. One year old babies will still take naps, but as they get older, they may or may not have a nap during the day. Try it both ways and determine which works best for your child, making sure that the total sleep your child gets at least ten hours. Set a bedtime routine fifteen to thirty minutes before your child normally gets sleepy on an average night. Again, bath, book and lullaby work well, or pick something that fits your lifestyle as long as it is relaxing and consistent. Try not to let the routine become too long or complicated though or your child will eventually make it so long and complicated that it defeats the purpose. If your child is hard to get down for the night, do not try to keep him up late to make it easier. A child who is overtired releases stress hormones that make it even harder for him to get to sleep. Older children at this stage who rouse in the night may have had a nightmare. Go ahead and hold your child and encourage him to talk about his dream. When he has calmed down, leave him to again go to sleep on his own. Some tears at this age are inevitable as your child grows from baby into a toddler and they learn healthy sleep habits.

[edit] Three years to six years

Your child may stop taking a nap as early as age three, or may still need a nap as late as six years old. If he is getting enough sleep at night, ten to twelve hours, he probably can forego the nap. Children this age often wake up from nightmares. Give them a kid friendly flashlight, a special stuffed animal or storybook that they can access in the middle of the night to help them get back to sleep.

[edit] Six years to nine years

This age group should be getting ten hours of sleep a night. You should set aside quiet time with children of this age so that they may have private time with you to talk without any brothers or sisters around. Keeping the lines of communication open will benefit your relationship for years to come.

[edit] Ten years to twelve years

As your child matures he requires less sleep. Children at this age need around nine hours of sleep a night. If your child has behavior problems like hyperactivity, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) , or just plain cranky during the day, try increasing the amount of sleep he gets a night to see if his behavior improves.

[edit] Twelve to adult

Your child should get between eight and ten hours of sleep per night, but this age group does typically not get that much sleep. Children who are going through adolescence may require even more sleep. Children in their teens have busy schedules filled with school and activities. They also experience a change in their sleep patterns, they want to stay up later and rise later. Unhealthy sleep patterns and sleep deprivation can affect your child in many ways.

• They may be inattentive.

• They may have short term memory problems.

• Their school work may show inconsistent performance.

• They may have a delayed response time, which is of great concern when they begin to drive.

• They may be bad tempered and develop problems in school.

Missing just an hour of sleep each night is equivalent to missing an entire night of sleep each week. Help your teenager by insisting that they go to bed and wake up at a set time each day, making sure that they get at least eight hours sleep.