Sleep Children Sleep

Researchers report that sleep deprivation is impacting not only adults and adolescents but also children from infancy through elementary school. At three and a half years of age, a child needs somewhere between eleven and fourteen hours daily. We know that few family's schedules allow for a 7:00 p.m. bedtime followed by the 7:00 a.m. wake-up of a well rested child. Rather it is more common for children to get between nine and ten hours of sleep a night; making up for the other two to three hours during the day. If that time is not made up for and the child misses two hours of sleep a night, that amounts to one sleepless night a week. Imagine the exhaustion you would feel if you missed a night's sleep on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, drowsiness in young children often shows up as hyperactivity and difficult behavior which compounds the problem by diverting parents' attention from the sleep issue. A Colorado sleep institute observed that toddlers who miss a nap show more anxiety, less joy and poorer problem-solving skills. In other words, as most parents can attest, tired children tend to be cranky, and ironically, they often resist the medicine they need. However, something can be done. St. Luke's Hospital Sleep Research Center put it succintly: "The increase in evening activities combined with a child's resistance to going to bed place a significant emphasis on the parent's ability to be firm, consistent and organized about bedtimes and the importance of sleep." Hence, it boils down to making a decision, getting organized and following through. These are the same skills required to succeed in any given task but often parents have trouble with bedtime, largely due to fallacies about sleep. It's not true that if children stay up later at night or skip a nap, they will sleep better at night. Nor is the idea that riding in a car makes a child sleepy. A well-rested child will not fall asleep when sedentary. Also, if an infant or toddler wakes up at night, it is not an indication that the child needs more attention during the day. All infants wake up periodically and if the behavior is not reinforced with attention, the child will outgrow it. Basically, children can learn to fall asleep and then when they wake up, go back to sleep on their own. Last spring, I met a parent who trained his toddler to go to sleep on his own by 7:00 p.m. every night. When his son woke up at night as young children routinely do, he would put himself back to sleep. The father explained that his methods were unpopular amongst his peers but he and his wife enjoy their evenings together and his well-rested son is a happy child. At the Rose Garden Early Childhood Center, we create an environment every afternoon in which children sleep. Just like adequate exercise and proper nutrition, we know that the young child needs sleep in order to be healthy. Therefore sleep rhythms are a part of the culture we create. We often see little ones yawning at the lunch table. Their bodies know that once the bowls are finished and their teeth brushed, they will be on their cots in a darkened room, covered by a warm blanket, snuggling a soft toy. If they don't fall asleep, they at least rest on their cots. Most sleep. We know that in many ways it's easier for us since this is our work, we study pedagogical philosophy and methods and have the support of colleagues. However, the fundamentals of creating a family culture are the same. Parents decide to meet the children's needs for sleep, then organize the evening dinner, bath and bedtime rituals, and follow through consistently. If a well rested child is less cranky and overall healthier, isn't it worth the effort?