Bedtime Tips

How much sleep does my child need?

The American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Your Child's Sleep provides some helpful guidelines regarding just how much sleep children need at different stages in their development. Keep in mind that these numbers reflect total sleep hours in a 24-hour period.

• Birth-6 Months: Children need 16-20 hours.
• 6-12 Months: Children need 14-15 hours.
• Ages 1-3: Children need 10-13 hours.
• Ages 3-10: Children need 10-12 hours.
• Ages 11-12: Children need about 10 hours.
• Teenagers need about 9 hours of sleep per night.

It is important for children to get an adequate amount of sleep. When a child is over tired, the behavior exhibited can be challenging. They display frequent irritability, overreact emotionally, have difficulty concentrating, forget easily, wake often during the night, and may even display hyperactive behaviors. Establishing a bedtime routine that is consistently followed will help children get the sleep they need to wake in the morning rested and ready to start their day.

Tips for Successful Bedtimes:

• Choose a bedtime and stick to it.
• Start the bedtime routine 35 to 45 minutes before bedtime. This should include enough time for brushing teeth and going to the bathroom. Plan two quiet activities to do with your child.  You could read a book or two, sing a lullaby, give a back rub, or tuck in a favorite doll or stuffed animal. (Remember children love repetition and some may choose to read the same book or sing the same song night after night.)
• A child’s room should not have a TV or a computer. Watching TV or playing on the computer are stimulating and do not help children relax.
• Make sure the routine ends in your child’s bed.  Children love ritual tuck-in practices such as a special saying that is repeated every night, or a special kind of hug or kiss. It is now time for you to leave and allow your child to fall asleep on her own.
• Once you have said goodnight do not give in to further requests from your child, such as going to the bathroom again or having another drink of water.  It is best to never let these power struggles begin.

Remember that children will be well rested and feel good about themselves for mastering these bedtime skills and once your child is asleep you will have some quiet time for yourself!