All children, up to the age of 4 years, should have daytime sleep as well as night sleep. Daytime sleep is as important to small children as night sleep.
Every child has a sleep requirement which we can calculate by looking at the age and stage of the child and the parents own sleep requirements. This is true because sleep is partly genetic and partly learned.
Newborn babies sleep an average of 18 to 20 hours a day. As they grow and develop they have periods when they can be happily awake, aware of their surroundings and interested in the stimulation this provides.
At 3-4 months babies can usually cope with 1-1.5 hours of alert wakefulness. As they get to the end of this concentrated stimulation they become restless and signal a need for sleep. To achieve a sucessful nap parents have a very small window of opportunity to get baby settled in a warm and comfortable place so that the baby will use the nap opportunity and sleep.
What are the basic requirements for successful naps?
1) Daytime sleep in normal ambient daylight; Obviously direct sunlight on baby's face may be too strong to allow the baby to go to sleep, other than shading baby's face no attempt need be made to completely darken the room.
2) Keep houshold noise at normal daytime levels; Baby has heard noise all the time inside mum. Silence is more concerning and makes sudden loud noises more startling.
3) Recognise your baby's sleepy signals and act quickly to give your baby the opportunity to relax and sleep.
4) Ensure that the room baby naps in is a comfortable temperature and that baby's temperature can be comfortable too. When we sleep our temperature naturally drops a degree or two. Sleep is more easily accomplished when we are comfortably warm and out body temperature can be maintained.
5) Offer regular opportunities for naps. Space them according to the age and stage of your child and make them part of the daily routine.
6) Do not try and eliminate naps in order to improve night sleep. This does not work and will leave you holding a very cranky baby.
Children who do not have enough sleep are irritable and confrontational. They can go into "overdrive" as they get beyond tired and struggle to remain awake. Although every child, just like the adults, have slightly different sleep requirements, the minimum length of time for a nap should be 45 minutes as this allows completion of 5 stages of sleep.
Naps shorter than 45 minutes are "catch up" sleep. A short "catch up" in the car or stroller should not interfere with the normal sleep routine.
If you miss the opportunity to get your child down for a nap, or if they resist your attempts, don't persist longer than 30 to 45 minutes. If you have been trying for 30 minutes or longer to settle your child for a nap, abandon that nap time and offer another opportunity later.
Most children will settle within 5-20 minutes. If this doesn't happen it is usually because there was too great a delay or the opportunity was offered too early.
If you struggle to get your child to nap contact us here at; Dream-Angus.com We will be happy to help support you in improving your child's sleep.
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