ABOUT OUR KIDS 3

How much sleep is enough for my child?

"I'll go this time."

With relief, Mary rolled over in bed when her husband got up to answer their newborn's cries. "Will I ever get to sleep through the night again?" she thought.

Sleep - or lack of it - is probably the most-discussed aspect of baby care. New parents discover its vital importance those first few weeks. The quality and quantity of an infant’s sleep affects the well-being of everyone in the household, and it's the difference between having cheerful, alert parents and members of the walking dead.

And sleep strife rarely ends with a growing child's move from crib to bed. It simply changes form. Instead of cries, it's pleas or refusals. Instead of a feeding at 3 AM, it's a nightmare or request for water.

It sounds like parents don't get a good night's sleep until their kids have left home. Well, actually, it's not all that bad. But how do you get them to bed through the cries, screams, avoidance tactics, and pleas? How should you respond when you're awakened in the middle of the night?
And how much sleep is enough?

It all depends on age.

How much is enough?

Charts that list the hours of sleep likely to be required by an infant or a 2-year-old may cause concern when individual differences aren't considered. These numbers are simply averages reported to be slept by large groups of children of particular ages. There is no magical number of hours required by ALL kids in a certain age group. For example, 2-year-old Sofia might sleep from 8 PM to 8 AM, while 2-year-old Yadiy is just as alert the next day after sleeping from 10 PM to 5 AM.

Most children's sleep requirements fall within a predictable range of hours based on their age, but remember that your child is a unique individual with distinct sleep needs. Here are some approximate numbers based on age, accompanied by age-appropriate pro-sleep tactics.

The first 6 months
Newborns generally or drowse for 16 – 20 hours a day equally divided between night and day. Their longest sleeping period is about 4 to 5 hours because this is how long the small bellies can go between feedings. However, some may go on to 10 hours in a stretch or some just about 2 hours at a time. As long as they are healthy, anything goes.

6 – 12 months
At 6 months, an infant may nap about 3 hours in the day and 11 hours sleep in the night. If your baby cries at night, give him about 5 minutes to go back to sleep on his own. If he doesn’t, comfort him without picking him up (rub his back or talk softly to him), then leave, unless he is sick. Sick babies need to be picked up and comforted.

1 – 3 years
Most toddlers will sleep between 10 to 13 hours. Separation anxiety or desire to be up with Mom and Dad could motivate a child to stay awake. Note when the time your child shows signs of sleepiness and try to establish that as his regular bedtime. Don’t force him to take a nap during the day unless he appears to be cranky and overly tired. This will enable him to be more ready and relaxed for bedtime. For toddlers or preschoolers, this routine may take up 15 to 30 minutes. Include activities like story telling, warm bath or listening to soft music.

Allow him to make bedtime choices within the routine: which pyjamas to wear, which stuffed animal to take to bed and what music to listen. This gives a sense of control over the proceedings.

(Adapted from the article written by Kim Rutherford, MD and Rhonda Walters, MD.)