As a parent, you know that it’s important for your children to get enough sleep—it helps them grow, develop, and thrive. It also helps them learn. More importantly, the sleep habits your kids develop when they’re young can set the right example for the rest of their lives.
Just as adults can find it difficult to get a good night’s rest, it can be challenging for kids to sleep well at any age.
The ideal amount of sleep a child needs varies by age. This guide will provide tips to help kids of all ages meet their sleep needs.
Infants and Babies
We often hear jokes about babies not sleeping through the night and the toll it takes on their exhausted parents. Sleepless nights are somewhat of a rite of passage for new parents, but there are ways to help your baby sleep through.
Even though most newborns sleep in excess of 16 hours each day, they do so intermittently and not in one great chunk.
Here are some general things to know about newborns and their sleeping patterns to help you know what to expect:
- Up to three months old, newborns need anywhere from 14 to 17 hours of sleep.
- From three months to a year old, newborns need anywhere from 12 to 16 hours of sleep per day—this includes naps!
- As they have tiny stomachs, newborns need to eat around the clock. If your baby sleeps for five hours, they consider that a full night’s rest.
- Because most of their sleep is in the REM (rapid eye movement) phase, it’s normal for newborns to move around and be restless when they sleep—as your baby grows older, they will have longer, deeper periods of sleep.
How to Help a Baby Sleep
There are a few things you can do to encourage better sleep for babies up to a year old. However, remember that you still may face times when your baby wakes up during the night. Some effective ways to help your baby sleep are:
- Gently lull your baby to sleep. Your baby became used to the feeling of you walking around when you were pregnant. This movement can still be soothing, even to babies when they’re born and are living outside the womb. To get your baby to sleep, you can walk around with them while rocking, swaying, or gently patting their back.
- Just as a massage relaxes adults, a pre-bed massage can be good for babies—some evidence suggests it can boost melatonin production.
- Just like being in the womb, babies often like to feel snug and cozy when asleep—learning how to swaddle your baby could help.
- A quiet room is best for a baby’s sleep—but not too quiet! Some babies respond well to a white noise machine if they have trouble sleeping. Babies can find white noise or even that from a gentle fan sound can be soothing.
- This may sound strange—but hear us out! Your baby might find too much eye contact while you’re trying to get them to sleep overly stimulating, which might overly excite your baby up and keep them awake.
- Just like with adults, a bedroom’s temperature can impact your baby’s sleep. You should aim to keep their room anywhere from 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit (20 to 22 degrees Celsius). If it is too cold, babies might wake up during the night more frequently. On the other hand, a room that’s too hot can increase the risk of SIDS.
Every baby is different, so listen closely to their sleep whispers! They’ll start showing you their own natural rhythms, and you can follow those leads to make those nights a breeze.
Just remember: It’s best to wait until your little one is at least 3 months old before setting a strict sleep schedule.
By 6 months, some babies might be sleeping through the night (seven or eight glorious hours!), but every little one develops at their own pace.
Toddlers
By the time your child becomes a toddler, you’ll likely find that you’re getting a lot more sleep—as is your child—but there may still be some bumps along the way.
Between the ages of 1 and 5, children need 12 to 14 hours of sleep daily, including naps.
Despite this need for sleep, toddler sleep has declined by 3 to 40 minutes a night over recent years. This is due to bedtimes becoming later and later.
It can be difficult for toddlers to fall asleep or stay asleep for certain reasons. One of the big ones is over-excitement. Teething, itchy pajamas, or general discomfort can prevent a toddler from sleeping well. Many toddlers also find it difficult to fall asleep without the routines they developed as babies, such as being fed and held.
Putting a child to bed at the wrong time—either too early or too late can also cause sleep problems.
How to Help a Toddler Sleep
Looking for ways to turn your tiny terror into a sleep champion? We’ve got you covered!
First up, routines are your best friend! Set a consistent sleep schedule for your little one, including bedtime and wake-up time, and stick to it like glue—no matter what naptime adventures may arise.
Next, nix those late-day naps! Make sure there’s plenty of time to wind down before dreamland.
Now, let’s create a calming pre-bed haven. Think warm baths, cozy cuddles with a book, and activities that lull, not rev, like avoiding screens and high-energy games close to bedtime.
Speaking of screens, banish them from the bedroom altogether!
Keep nighttime snacks and drinks to a minimum too, a full tummy might make snoozing tricky.
Finally, while it’s okay to offer comfort for bad dreams or anxieties, remember, your little superhero needs to learn to conquer bedtime solo. That way, they can drift off to dreamland on their own, like a total sleep star!
School-Aged Children
School-aged kids might not need quite as much shut-eye as little ones, but sleep is still their superpower! For these mini-champions, aim for 9 to 12 hours of sleep every night between the ages of 6 and 12.
When sleep gets skimped, it can be a real buzzkill. Here’s why: not enough sleep can lead to cranky mornings, trouble focusing in school, and even feeling down or stressed. Yikes! The National Sleep Foundation even says that sleep-deprived kids are more likely to pack on extra pounds.
Wondering if your little hero is missing out on their sleep quota? Here are some signs to watch for: early morning battles, repeat performances of the wake-up routine, yawning marathons, and a sudden urge to take a siesta in the middle of the day (even ditching fun with friends!). A weak immune system (hello, more sniffles!), mood swings, blurry vision, forgetfulness, and trouble learning new things can also be clues.
Teenagers
Teen sleep? It’s a battlefield! Stanford Medicine even calls it an “all-nighter epidemic.” Here’s why catching enough sleep is super important for our teen titans:
- Forget superhero focus—sleep deprivation can be a total drag for concentration, leading to low grades. Ugh!
- Feeling anxious or down? Not enough sleep can be a real mood-wrecker, upping the risk of anxiety and depression.
- Drowsy driving is no joke! Sleeplessness can make them a danger on the road.
Sleep is their secret weapon during these crucial teen years. Their bodies are basically rebuilding themselves, and sleep fuels this epic transformation. Plus, it helps them manage stress, which, let’s face it, is pretty much a teen superpower.
The tricky part? Their natural sleep schedule wants to shift later. Falling asleep before 11 p.m. might feel impossible, but they still need 8–10 hours of shut-eye every night. Weekends can also be a total sleep schedule disaster zone, messing with their sleep quality during the week.
How to Help a Teen Sleep
Teen sleep battles? We’ve all been there. Between their “no way!” attitude, jam-packed schedules, and those crazy early school start times, getting your teen to catch enough sleep can feel like an uphill battle. But fear not, sleep warriors—here’s your battle plan!
- Doc Talk: Team up with your teen’s pediatrician! They can explain the importance of sleep and maybe even convince your teen to listen (sometimes parents just have to lose the cool factor!).
- Banish the Bedroom Box: Phones in the bedroom are a sleep no-no. The blue light affects their sleep cycle, and social media can stress them out. Make them charge their devices elsewhere.
- Nap Attack? Not Today: While afternoon naps might seem like a good idea, they can wreck nighttime sleep. Fight the urge!
- Homework Hustle: Encourage them to tackle that homework beast as soon as they get home. Less stress later means a smoother bedtime routine.
- Operation: Sleep Sanctuary: Work together to create a bedtime routine that works for everyone.
- Caffeine Cutback: Ditch the afternoon lattes! Caffeine late in the day can make falling asleep a mission.
- Sleep = Driving Privileges: Tie their driving freedoms to their sleep habits. Not getting enough sleep? It’s time to park the car until they catch up on their sleep. Their safety (and everyone else’s) is on the line!
Remember, parents, you’re the ultimate sleep advocates for your teen. Even if it feels like a struggle now, these steps can help ensure your teen gets the sleep they need to be healthy and happy.
