Toddlers need a good amount of sleep to grow and develop properly. A toddler who is not getting enough sleep may exhibit some of the following signs: cranky, irritable, lethargic, and not wanting to eat or drink. If your toddler is not sleeping well, it is important to get him or she checked out by a doctor.
How to Tell If Your Toddler is Getting Enough Sleep?
Consider your child and ask yourself the following questions in order to avoid problems with your toddler’s sleep:
- Does he become cranky, whine, or scream when he wakes up in the morning or after naps?
- Does he start to become emotional, difficult, or sensitive at least half an hour before he goes to bed?
- Does he have trouble staying awake during even brief car or stroller rides?
- Do you ever have to jolt him awake in the morning because he just won’t get out of bed in time for you to go wherever you need to go?
- Does it appear like your youngster is getting into fights or is very busy throughout the day?
- Does it appear as if your kid is sleepy or “out of it” when they are awake?
There might be a problem with your toddler’s sleep if you responded “yes” to any of the questions presented above. It’s possible that your youngster isn’t getting enough sleep.
How much sleep do children need?
Your child’s requirement for sleep will gradually decrease after he or she has beyond the infant stage. A brand-new baby may sleep up to twenty hours per day, including naps; an infant requires about sixteen hours of sleep per day; and a toddler should sleep around fourteen hours per day, including naps. This equates to twelve hours of sleep at night and a two-hour nap during the day for a kid who is two or three years old. For your knowledge, preschoolers should obtain around 12 hours of sleep every night, elementary school children should get 11, and middle school students should get 10 hours of sleep.
How important is sleep?
It is essential for your child’s overall health that they get an adequate amount of sleep each night. A chronic lack of sleep may cause major behavioral issues, as well as developmental and emotional deficits in children. A certain amount of sleep is required for healthy functioning. This is not to say that you are damaging your child’s development if you need to wake your child up early a couple of days a week to go to daycare; however, it is a caution that interrupting your child’s sleep needs on a regular basis could be detrimental to both his intellectual and emotional development.
What can I do about it?
Observe how your kid typically falls asleep and stays asleep. Does he nod off in less than ten minutes every night, and do you have to be the one to wake him up in the morning? If this is the case, you need to advance your child’s normal time for going to bed. It is quite OK to tuck your youngster in at eight o’clock in the evening. It is unnecessary and maybe irresponsible to let him remain up until 9:00 or 10:00 in the morning.
It is quite OK to tuck your youngster in at eight o’clock at night.
Do not rush into your child’s bedroom the moment he or she starts crying after waking up from a nap. Children who wake up throughout the night sobbing will often go back asleep on their own if they are left alone. Parents who are trying to be helpful have a habit of going into their kid’s room as soon as they hear the first noises of waking, but this might prevent the youngster from getting the essential amount of sleep.
If you find that your kid is not getting enough sleep, you may have to adjust the routine that the whole family follows. For instance, the typical sleep time for toddlers is between 1 and 3 in the afternoon. If you are often out doing errands or attending meetings during this time, it is possible that your child’s sleep will be limited to twenty minutes of being disrupted while riding in the vehicle. Adjust your routine so that you can better accommodate your child’s slumber requirements.
It is of the utmost significance that your kid gets a sufficient quantity of sleep each and every day. Frequently, difficulties that are perceived to be “behavioral” concerns are really problems that are caused by a lack of sleep on the part of the individual. You should examine the customs and patterns that your kid follows to determine whether or not you need to make any adjustments for the benefit of your family. You should give every method a go to avoid child sleep problems.