With the summer holidays at an end and children back to nursery, pre-school and school we thought we would write a blog post on the importance of a sleep routine for our little ones. Over the summer, so many families break away from routine to enjoy different activities but it is important to ensure that upon returning to normality, our routines also return. We hope you find this useful and please follow Sleeping Wonders a sleep consultancy based in Essex, UK for more information, tips and advice.
Sleep is crucial. Without adequate sleep, our bodies and brains cannot function correctly. Lack of sleep can impair our abilities to think clearly and can leave our bodies open to illness.
While we as adults require between 7-9 hours of sleep a night, our children need much more, especially those younger than 5 years old. Anything from holidays, work schedules, life stressors and medical conditions can impact on quality of sleep for the whole family.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends the following amount of sleep per day for each age group:
- 0–3-month-olds: 14-17 hours
- 4–11-month-olds: 12-15 hours
- 1–2-year-olds: 11-14 hours
- 3–5-year-olds: 10-13 hours
These amounts incorporate both day time naps as well as nightly sleeps.
So, what can you do at home to promote sleep?
- Ensure there is a regular ‘bedtime’ from a young age. Here at Sleeping Wonders, we can advise on the best time for your child to go to sleep dependent upon their age and stage of development.
- Make day and night different. In the day keep it light and airy, with every day noises such as the radio to signal that it is daytime. If your child wakes at night, keep light minimal and talking to a minimum.
- From as early as possible, put your child down sleepy and awake. This will help children to develop good sleeping habits.
Please leave a comment below and tell us about your experiences.
For more information on how we can help improve your existing sleeping routine, or establish one, please visit: Sleeping Wonders