How Much Sleep Does Your Child Need?
How Much Sleep Does Your Child Need?
How Much Sleep Does Your Child Need?
The lack of sleep is one of the most discussed topics of new parents. Pediatricians realize there is no magic number in terms of required hours of sleep. Adequate rest is vital for a child's first few weeks of life. For new parents, finding a happy balance can be challenging, as parents are often sleep deprived because of the new baby in the house.
Developmentally, sleep is essential for infants and young children. The struggle of transitioning a child from crib to bed can make the job even more daunting. Moods and behavior change. Instead of crying, babies and toddlers plead and refuse to sleep. Instead of a 3 a.m. feeding, it moves to a request for a drink of water or to sleep with Mom and Dad.
Making the Transition to a Good Night's Rest
The big question for new parents is: How do you get your child to bed through the crying, screaming, tactics and pleas so the whole family can get some sleep? Doctors who specialize in the care of children from birth to pre-kindergarten would agree that it all depends on your child's age. Charts that outline the hours of sleep likely to be required by a baby or a two-year-old may cause concern when individual differences are not taken into account. Many pediatric physicians say that these numbers are basically averages reported for large groups of children of particular ages.
There simply is no magic number of hours required by all kids in different age groups. A two-year-old girl may sleep from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., whereas an 18-month-old boy might sleep from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Getting your child off to bed at a reasonable hour is often accompanied by tenacious whining. Your child may cry, "But, I'm not tired! Why do I have to go to bed so early?" Some children even young toddlers think they can negotiate bedtimes each year, as though it was a topic that was up for discussion and debate.
Here's an example of their reasoning. Kindergarten bedtime is 7:30 pm; so first grade should be 8:00 pm. You agree to give it a try. At the start of 2nd grade, your child announces that 8:30 pm should be permitted. And by 3rd grade your precious angel isn't hitting the sack until 9:00 pm. At this rate, your 6th grader will have lights out at 10:30 pm. That's way too late! If you continued in that mode, your high school senior wouldn't go to bed until 1:30 a.m.
The Link Between Behavior and Sleep Deprivation
The relationship between a child's lack of sleep and his or her behavior is not always obvious. When adults are sleepy and tired, they can either be grumpy or have a low energy level. But children can become hyperactive, disagreeable or exhibit extreme behavior. Most kids' sleep requirements fall within a predictable range of hours based on their age, but each child is a unique individual with distinct sleep needs.
As people get older, they tend to want to go to bed early. Once you become a parent, you can count on always being tired. Yet children never want to sleep. Perhaps they're afraid they'll miss out on something. The behavior is a mystery.
In a study of 74 six- to 12-year-olds, researchers found that the children generally had more trouble with their schoolwork and more attention problems during the week when they stayed up late each night. The study, which was published in the December 2005 issue of the medical journal Sleep, included healthy grade-schoolers without sleep or academic problems. During one week, they followed their normal sleep routine, with younger children getting about 10 hours each night and older children getting 8 to 9 hours. On another week, the children stayed up later than usual and got only 6.5 to 8 hours of sleep, depending on their age. On a third week, all of the children followed an optimized sleep schedule and got no fewer than 10 hours of sleep per night.
According to this study, an optimized sleep schedule consisted of no fewer than 10 hours of sleep per night.
Most parents can tell if their child is not getting enough sleep. Some kids will sleep more or less than this. The important thing is that your child feels and acts well rested. The next time your child tells you that he's not tired, you know that regardless of how he feels, his young body should be in bed.
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