Having a good night’s sleep is very important for a child's physical and mental wellbeing and affects all the other activities that your child will do. Children under the age of five should have between 11-14 hours of sleep a day. Not allowing enough rest or letting your child go to sleep later in the evening, as an attempt encourage them sleeping longer in the morning, will only make them upset and restless. this will also result in them waking up much earlier than they should. It is often thought that by restricting children’s nap time, they will be tired in the evening and fall asleep quicker. However, by doing this we will achieve the complete opposite effect, as the child who doesn’t have enough sleep throughout the day will only be cranky, unhappy and struggle to settle down for a good night’s sleep. Sticking to consistent sleeping times is essential, and napping during the day can help children sleep well at night. The sleep duration times below are recommended by the Millpond Children's Sleep Clinic, and provide you with guidance on how much sleep you child should have per day: 1 week daytime: 8 hours night time: 8 hours 30 minutes 4 weeks daytime: 6 to 7 hours night time: 8 to 9 hours 3 months daytime: 4 to 5 hours night time: 10 to 11 hours 6 months daytime: 3 hours night time: 11 hours 9 months daytime: 2 hours 30 minutes night time: 11 hours 12 months daytime: 2 hours 30 minutes night time: 11 hours 2 years daytime: 1 hour 30 minutes night time: 11 hours 30 minutes 3 years daytime: 0 to 45 minutes night time: 11 hours 30 minutes to 12 hours 4 years night time: 11 hours 30 minutes 5 years night time: 11 hours Night Time Ritual Steps Developing a night time ritual with your child should be an important part of your child’s daily routine. There are several activities and steps that can help you make bedtime a lovely experience - one that your child will look forward to and enjoy, which in turn, will help them sleep better and longer. As every child is different, what you include in your child's routine is up to you. However, you should make sure that you choose activities that help calm your child, rather than excite them. Here are some ideas for you to try: Prepare for transition from current activityMake your child aware that their current activity time is coming to an end, and that soon you will start preparing for bed time. You should encourage your child to put away their current activity by giving them lots of praise. You should also model what needs be done by joining in tidying up with your child. Remember to praise your child for specific actions i.e. ‘Well done for putting the train in the right box’. Relaxing bath / washing routinePrepare a nice, warm bath that will help to soothe your child. You can put some bath oil suitable for children, such as lavender oil or eucalyptus bath soak, which will help your child to unwind and relax. If your child does not have a bath every day, then you can shorten this ritual to the basic bed time washing routine. Your child’s routine should always include brushing teeth. It's important to start the habit of brushing as early as possible, so that your child learns to look after their teeth properly. Put on Pyjamas Change your child into a fresh nappy, or encourage them to use the toilet if they are already potty-trained. Then help them get changed into their pyjamas. You can offer them a choice of two pyjamas, so that they can exercise some of their growing independence. Play a quiet game Avoid over-stimulation as this will affect the sleeping routine that you are trying to establish, and will make it very difficult for your child to fall asleep. Having a calm game on the floor of your child's bedroom is a great way to spend some nice time together before bed. Have a chat Bedtime is a perfect opportunity to have a quiet chat. Of course, if you have a young toddler, you'll have to do most of the talking yourself, but they will still love getting your full attention. Talk about everything you have both been doing throughout the day, and how it may have made them feel. If your child's old enough, ask them to tell you about the best and worst things that happened to them, as well as anything that's worrying them. This may help them to work through any anxieties or fears, so that they get a better night's sleep. Read a bedtime story Cuddle up for some cosy story time. Having a regular story time together will help them learn new words, and encourage a lifelong love of reading. However, limit the number of stories that your child chooses to read before bedtime to maximum 2 shorter stories, or 1 longer one, as often children use bedtime story time as an opportunity to delay going to sleep. Sing a song A soothing lullaby is a classic way to help your sleepy toddler drift off. Say goodnight Say goodnight and have a kiss and cuddle. Things to remember when putting your child to bed: Sleeping environment Creating a cosy sleeping environment for your child is essential. If your child is big enough to make their own decisions, you should involve them in choosing their own bed linen, cushions, blanket or a toy that they would like to hug at night. Avoid objects that can provide distraction or over-stimulation such as loud mobiles in their cot or bed, noisy objects that they choose to sleep with, or simply too colourful and fast moving displays on the ceiling. You should think of the environment as being more tranquil, without lights turned off (if your child is scared of the darkness, then you could use a night light with a dimmer so that you could adjust the light in their bedroom). You might also choose to use background noise or relaxing music, which works very well especially when your child is a very light sleeper - it ensures that all background noises that can be heard in the house are drowned out. However, you should avoid playing any songs with lyrics, as your child might find it too difficult to wind down and fall asleep. You should also ensure that your child’s bedroom is kept at the right temperature for the season and that the sleeping bags or duvets that your child uses are appropriate tog for the room temperature. Feeling cold or overheating may cause your child to have a restless sleep and wake up at night. Have milk or food before bedtime Some children might wake up at night due to feeling hungry if they hadn’t had enough food in the evening. Observe your child and offer a snack before you begin your bedtime routine. Avoid overfeeding your child before going to bed as this may make them feel uncomfortable and delay them from falling asleep easily. Avoid screen time If you allow your child to use any electronic devices or watch TV in the afternoon, you should aim to turn off at least 60 minutes before the beginning of the night time routine. This is to ensure that your child has enough time to wind down from the stimulation that the light from screens causes. Avoid active play before bedtime This can be difficult especially when you return late from work and cannot resist having a little play and fun with your child. While it may be tempting to give your child a tickle and playing chase around the house, it's best to have a calming cuddle and a quiet chat instead. Avoid delaying bedtime Delaying bedtime in order to encourage your child to sleep longer disrupts their sleeping pattern and cause over exhaustion, which disrupts your child’s sleep. Instead, try to stick to regular sleeping times, i.e. always put your child to bed at the same time. We recommend no later than 7:30 pm - even though your child might not fall asleep immediately, this will allow enough time for them to wind down and relax. It is important to also always try to wake them up at the same time. Even if they are sleeping peacefully, and the last thing that you would like to do is to wake up a sleeping child. Sticking to sleeping times have long-term benefits and ensures that your child will be getting adequate sleep for their needs and age.
