All About Sleep

Sleeping Patterns

The amount of sleep a child needs varies depending on the individual and certain factors, including the age of the child.

Newborns (1-2 months)

Newborns typically sleep about 10.5 to 18 hours a day, on an irregular schedule with periods of 1 to 3 hours spent awake. Premature babies may sleep longer and colicky ones shorter. During sleep, they are often active: smiling, sucking and body movements. Their sleep patterns are quite irregular until about 6 - 8 weeks. The longest periods of sleep run 4 to 6 hours and now tends to occur more regularly in the evening.

Sleep Tips for Newborns

Observe baby's sleep patterns and identify signs of sleepiness.
Put baby in the crib when drowsy, not asleep.
Place baby to sleep on his/her back with face and head clear of blankets and other soft items.
Encourage nighttime sleep.
The crib should be safety approved
A quiet and dark room at a comfortable temperature is best for sleep

Infants (3-11 months)

Infants typically sleep 9-12 hours during the night and take 30 minutes to 2 hour naps, 1 to 4 times a day – fewer as they reach age 1.

When infants are put to bed drowsy but not asleep, they are more likely to become "self- soothers" which enables them to fall asleep independently at bedtime and put themselves back to sleep during the night. Those who have become accustomed to parental assistance at bedtime often become "signalers" and cry for their parents to help them return to sleep during the night.

Between 6 and 12 months, infants may also experience separation anxiety, a normal developmental phase. For night time awakenings: Try not to pick up your baby, turn on the lights, sing, talk, play, or feed your child. All of these activities do not allow your baby to learn to fall asleep on his or her own and encourage repeat awakenings.

Sleep Tips for Infants

Develop regular daytime and bedtime schedules.
Create a consistent and enjoyable bedtime routine.
Establish a regular "sleep friendly" environment.
Encourage baby to fall asleep independently and to become a "self-soother."

Toddlers (1-3 years)

Most toddlers sleep about 10 to 14 hours in a day. At 18 months of age, their naptimes will decrease to once a day lasting about 1.5 to 3.5 hours. Naps should not occur too close to bedtime as they may delay sleep at night.

Many toddlers experience sleep problems including resisting going to bed and nighttime awakenings. Nighttime fears and nightmares are also common since active dreaming begins at this age. Comfort and hold your child at these times. Let your toddler talk about the dream if he or she wants to, and stay until your child is calm. Then encourage your child to go back to sleep as soon as possible.

Preschoolers (3-5 years)

Preschoolers sleep about 10 to 12 hours per night and most do not nap after five years of age. As kids give up their naps, bedtimes may come earlier than during the toddler years. Like toddlers, they have difficulty falling asleep and waking up during the night. With further development of imagination, preschoolers commonly experience nighttime fears and nightmares. In addition, sleepwalking and sleep terrors peak during preschool years.

Sleep Tips for Toddlers & Preschoolers from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

Maintain a consistent bedtime and awaking. Aim for an early bedtime. Most children will sleep better and longer when they go to bed early.
Encourage regular daily naps.
Have a relaxing bedtime routine that ends in the room where the child sleeps. A good pre-bed ritual is story time.
Create a cozy sleep environment. The child should have the same sleeping environment every night. It should be cool, quiet and dark and without a TV
Encourage use of a security object such as a blanket or stuffed animal.
Encourage falling asleep independently
Provide the right nutrition.
Help your child to be healthy and fit. Too much TV watching and a lack of activity prevents good sleep. Children who get ample daily exercise fall asleep more quickly, sleep better, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling refreshed. Avoid activity in the hour before bedtime though, since exercise is stimulating
Try not to return to your child's room every time he complains or calls out. When your child calls out, try the following:
- Wait several seconds before answering. Your response time can be longer each time to give your child the message that it is time for sleep. It also gives him the opportunity to fall asleep on his own.
- Reassure your child that you are there. If you need to go into his room, do not stimulate the child or stay too long.
- Move farther from your child's bed every time you reassure him, until you can do this verbally without entering his room.

School-aged Children and Preteens (5-12 years)

School-age kids need 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night. Bedtime problems can arise at this age for several of reasons. Homework, sports and extracurricular and social activities, TVs, computers, video games and caffeine products might contribute to sleep deprivation.

Sleep problems and disorders are prevalent at this age. Lack of sleep can cause mood swings, behavioral problems such as hyperactivity and cognitive problems that impact on their ability to learn in school.

Sleep Tips for School-aged Children

Teach school-aged children about healthy sleep habits.
Continue to emphasize need for regular and consistent sleep schedule and bedtime routine.
Make child's bedroom conducive to sleep – dark, cool and quiet.
Keep TV and computers out of the bedroom.
Avoid caffeine.
Introduce healthy sleep habits, disease prevention and health promotion
The child's bedroom should be conducive to sleep: dark, cool and quiet. TV's and computers should be off and out of the bedroom
Set limits

Teens

Ideally, a teen should try to go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning, allowing for at least 8 to 9 hours of sleep. However, they become sleep deprived because of early school start times, homework, friends, and activities. An insufficient amount of sleep can lead to poor attention and inconsistent performance. Moreover, they develop a change in their sleep patterns — their bodies want to stay up late and wake up later, which often leads to them trying to catch up on sleep during the weekend. This sleep schedule irregularity can actually aggravate the problems and make getting to sleep at a reasonable hour during the week even harder.

Consult a doctor if you observe any of the following symptoms:

A newborn or infant is extremely and consistently fussy
A child is having problems breathing or breathing is noisy
A child snores, especially if the snoring is loud
Unusual nighttime awakenings
Difficulty falling asleep and maintaining sleep, especially if you see daytime sleepiness and/or behavioral problems

Sleeping Positions - Which To Adopt?

A safe sleep policy should include the following (from American Academy of Pediatrics – AAP):

The AAP recommends that healthy infants be placed on their backs to sleep. Because babies sleeping on their sides are more likely to accidently roll onto their stomach, the side position is not as safe as the back and is not recommended. It is now also recommended that premature infants sleep only on their backs.
Sleep only 1 baby per crib.
The AAP and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommend against bringing your infant to sleep in bed with you for safety reasons. Although many cultures endorse cosleeping, there is a risk that the baby can suffocate or strangle, and studies have shown that there's a higher incidence of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) in households where the baby slept in the parents' bed.
Use safety-approved cribs and firm mattresses
Keep cribs free of toys, stuffed animals, and extra bedding.
Don’t cover the heads of babies with a blanket or overbundle them in clothing and blankets.
If a blanket is used, place the child’s feet to the foot of the crib and tuck in a light blanket along the sides and foot of the mattress. The blanket should not come up higher than the infant’s chest. Sleep clothing, such as sleepers, sleep sacks, and wearable blankets, are good alternatives to blankets.
Dress the baby lightly for sleep. Keep the room at a temperature that is comfortable for a lightly clothed adult.
Do not use wedges or infant positioners, since there’s no evidence that they reduce the risk of SIDS.
Place the crib in an area that is always smoke free.
Have supervised “tummy time” for babies who are awake. This will help babies strengthen their muscles and develop normally.

If your baby has a medical condition, there may be an exception to these recommendations. Your baby's doctor can best advise you on the right sleep position for your little one.