SlumberBlog - Better Pillows

Sleep is vital to a child’s development and most children aren’t getting the correct amount of sleep each night. Here are the recommended hours of sleep a child should get:

Infants (3 to 11 months): 14 to 15 hours

Toddlers: 12 to 14 hours

Preschoolers: 11 to 13 hours

School-age children: 10 to 11 hours

The average child will have no difficulty sleeping through their recommended hours, however, if they do their may be a problem with their sleeping habits. Here are some signs that their may be a problem:

You spend too much time helping your child fall asleep.

Your child wakes up repeatedly during the night.

Your child snores very loudly or struggles to breathe during sleep.

Your child’s behavior, mood or school performance changes.

Your child who used to stay dry at night begins to wet the bed.

You lose sleep as a result of your child’s bedtime and sleeping patterns.

These are some tips to help your child sleep better:

Follow a consistent bedtime routine. Set aside 10 to 30 minutes to get your child ready to go to sleep each night.Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.Interact with your child at bedtime. Don’t let the TV, computer or video games take your place.

Keep your children from TV programs, movies, and video games that are not right for their age.

Do not let your child fall asleep while being held, rocked, fed a bottle, or while nursing.

At bedtime, do not allow your child to have foods or drinks that contain caffeine. This includes chocolate and sodas. Try not to give him or her any medicine that has a stimulant at bedtime. This includes cough medicines and decongestants.”

It is important to monitor the amount of sleep a child is receiving and to address any problems, after all the better the child sleeps the better the next day will be.

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