What amount of sleep for kids is the best? Well, it can change a lot based on the age of your child. We’re going to cover how much sleep your child needs, how to make sure they get it, and why they need it.
Why is Sleep Important for Kids?
Sleep is one of the most crucial parts of a healthy lifestyle. It is the natural way your body gets the energy to grow and repair. Kids that get a full night’s sleep develop better, learn more, and achieve a better quality of life. They have more productive attitudes, and they even get sick less.
Beyond regular health, lack of sleep can contribute to obesity, high blood pressure, and depression.
Can You Get Too Much Sleep?
There is such a thing as too much sleep. However, the problem often comes from other health issues, including depression. If you think your child is getting too much sleep, discuss your concerns with a health professional before changing a sleep schedule.
How to Get a Child to Sleep Easier
We all know it’s essential to get a child to sleep, but there is something in children that drives them to stay awake and interact with the world. How do you get a kid to fall asleep when they want to keep their eyes open? Here are some tricks you can try.
Make a Schedule
Every kid is different. Find out if your kid is an early riser or a late nighter, and then try to tailor their routine as close as you can to their natural rhythm.
Start a Bedtime Routine
Make a relaxing routine that will help your kid get ready for sleep, in the same way every night. You can include nightly activities like brushing your teeth, going to the bathroom, reading a book, or drinking a glass of water.
As long as the routine stays the same, it should help.
Reduce Stress
Start helping your child calm down a few hours before nighttime. Don’t plan any high-stress activities or events right before they should start getting ready for sleep.
Start slowing down playtime, and create an aura of calm in the house.
Turn off Distractions
All distractions will give your kid something to focus on to stay awake. These include tablets, computers, TV, and radio. The items with a screen can be terrible. Studies have shown that blue light from screens can cause people to stay awake longer.
Discuss Anxieties
Monsters and the dark aren’t the only problems kids have with going to sleep; they also don’t want to miss out on your midnight candy parties. Talk to them about what you do after they go to bed, so they understand that all they are missing is you scrolling through Facebook.
What is the Perfect Amount of Sleep
The perfect amount of sleep for kids is going to change for your child at multiple different phases. As your child grows, their need for sleep will change. If you want your kid to thrive, learn, and get the most out of every day, you will want to make sure they get enough sleep.
Here are the times your child needs to sleep during every phase of development. These are averages. Specific conditions like illness or injury can change these suggestions. Watching your kids’ behavior will help you dial in their particular time better.
Newborns: 15 to 18 Hours
Newborns need a lot of sleep, but unfortunately, they don’t get it all simultaneously. For their first four weeks, they will sleep in 2 to 4 hour periods. As they get a little older, they will only need around 15 hours, and they can sleep for up to 6 hours.
By 6 months, they should start getting full nights of sleep. At this point, they should sleep about 15 hours during the whole day.
Toddlers: 12 to 14 Hours
Toddlers between 1 and 3 years old should be getting over 12 hours of sleep. They will sleep through the night, and they should be getting a nap during the day. They need at least an hour, but they could be napping for as long as 3 hours a day.
Preschool: 10 to 12 Hours
From 3 to 5, your little one will take fewer naps. They still need a good night of sleep. They just need a little less of it. Napping will start to tail off during this time, and eventually, they may not need a nap at all.
Grade School: 10 to 11 Hours
They are going to need a lot of sleep still as they enter grade school. Between 6-12 years old your child will want to stay up later because they think they are old enough, but it is imperative to make sure they are still getting a full night’s rest.
Naps will not be necessary, but if your kid still wants to snooze after school, it’s not a problem as long as they get a full night’s sleep.
Highschool: 9 Hours
Teenagers still need more sleep than adults, but often they are starting to get more responsibilities and activities that cut into their sleep schedule. The average teen between the age of 13-18 only gets 7 hours of sleep. That’s not enough.
Try to help make sure that your teen is home early enough to wind down and start their regular sleep routine. Remind them that they deserve to feel well-rested, even if they can’t do quite as much.
Adults: 7 Hours
Even though this is a list of how much sleep kids need, it helps to know how much you and your over 18-year-old kid needs. Just because they’re legally an adult doesn’t mean you stop looking out for them.
Final Thoughts
Getting the right amount of sleep for kids can be difficult. They don’t always want to work for you, even when it’s in their better interest. However, getting sleep is so crucial that it is worth focusing on to ensure your kid can make the most out of every day.
