Children Need Sleep And You Need A Sleep Routine

Parents are driven to distraction by sleep issues. Does bedtime have to be a battle? Is it a battle that really matters?

Let's deal with the last question first. You can judge importance of sleep by the fact that infants and pre-school children will spend over 40% of their lives sleeping. Recent studies linked inadequate sleep and childhood obesity. While children sleep, chemicals are produced that regulate appetite and weight. Of course, children can experience mood swings and small frustrations turn into crying fits. This is too little sleep. And, study after study shows sleep helps us mentally. Children need sleep to help them learn, concentrate and explore new concepts.

How much sleep is enough? Newborns won't really fit a pattern until around 6 months, but they need between 11 and 18 hours of sleep. As infants, they'll need around 14 hours. Toddlers might sleep a little less, but still need at least 12 hours of sleep. By preschool, your child will need to sleep between 11 and 13 hours per day.

The way to get your child to go to sleep is establishing a bedtime routine. It teaches that the time for sleep is coming and is something to be welcomed. As parents, we find ourselves rushing around trying to get everything accomplished at the end of day or maybe that is when we have the chance to enjoy our children and the games begin. This is exactly what we should avoid. We can still enjoy our time with our children, but it needs to be in an ordered and quiet manner.

As bedtime approaches, make sure toys are put away, dim the lights and engage in quiet activities such as storytelling or reading. Don't continue until the child actually falls asleep, but place them in the crib as they become drowsy. Children need to recognize sleep coming on and drift off on their own. There's nothing specific that you have to do, but you need to be consistent.

So what if you've got a toddler or pre-schooler and experience nightly battles? Even though it can be difficult, you can create a routine and it can work. The rules are the same: quiet and consistent. Eventually, your child will perceive the pattern and follow it.

It's just as important that you get enough sleep yourself. You will be a smarter and more creative parent because of it.

By: paul w hardy

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