The question of how old children sleep during the day is of interest to all parents who are faced with the problem of refusing daytime rest at an early age of the baby. Sleep is an important component for the full development of the child in physical and psycho-emotional terms.
The Importance of Sleep
The younger the child, the more important it is for him to have a full sleep, both day and night, as well as observing a clear daily routine. The nervous system needs rest and "reboot", which is why it is so important to observe the regimen. The younger the baby, the more he tends to get tired during the day. Some children have to be taught to sleep in order to clearly develop the correct and strict daily routine of the child, which must be followed. A full-fledged sleep helps children not only relax, but also continue to work the nervous system to the fullest, which means that the new information and knowledge acquired are much better absorbed.
When problems arise
When a small child sleeps little, it is very difficult to observe the regimen. Often, due to the immaturity of the nervous system, as well as due to the influence of external factors, it can be difficult to fall asleep during the day. As a result, this leads to the fact that the children do not want to go to bed strictly according to the regime characteristic of their age. If you manage to put the baby in the afternoon, then there is a huge problem of night sleep, since by the evening the child becomes too active, and he simply does not have time to sleep.
How old do children sleep during the day?
As was written above, the younger the baby, the more he needs time to sleep. A newborn sleeps up to 20 hours a day. Accordingly, on average, he wakes up every 3 hours to eat, and goes to bed again. In the daytime, sleep cycles are usually shorter in contrast to the nighttime. After 5 months, a clear understanding of the phases of sleep is established in children, and night sleep becomes longer, and daytime rest is shorter.
After 5 months, the children switch to two daytime sleeps.
How much should a child sleep during the day per year? A baby at this age also needs two daytime sleeps, and by one and a half years, children go to one sleep in the daytime, lasting from 2 to 3 hours. Such a rest schedule should be maintained for up to 6 years. After six years, it is advisable for the child to rest at such a time, not necessarily to sleep.
According to numerous studies, children who observed the regime of daytime sleep up to 6 years, have the most calm and balanced disposition. In addition, they have a well-developed concentration of attention. They fall asleep better in the evening, unlike their peers who did not observe sleep patterns.
Refusal of daytime sleep
The child does not want to sleep during the day! According to recent studies, most children aged 1.5 to 3 years are actively protesting against sleep during the daytime.
Often this state of affairs is associated with families living in big cities where parents lead a very active lifestyle, in addition, they allow children to watch cartoons on tablets, and do not consider observing the daily regimen as an important aspect in the life of crumbs. In addition, the early rejection of crumbs from daytime sleep may be due to the fact that:
- In the life of a child, one of the important stages of development occurs when the baby learns to say no, thereby expressing his desires and conveying this information to parents.
- The world around them has become so interesting for the crumbs, but around it there is so much new and exciting that the crumbs simply do not want to spend time on a nap.
- Children after 2 years tend to get involved in games, which significantly distracts from daytime sleep.
- Some children tend to check the boundaries of permitted actions. They monitor the reaction of their parents, and if they make at least one concession, then it will be much more difficult to restore daytime sleep.
What to do?
Earlier, we examined the question of how old children sleep during the day. But what if the child refuses day rest before the established age norms? It is important to know that the peak of rejection of daytime sleep falls on the age from 1.5 to 2.3 years, and it is considered false. Accordingly, the baby stops sleeping in the daytime, not because his body no longer needs additional rest, but because the baby is undergoing a crisis directly related to the period of development and growing up. Such a protest lasts from 2 to 4 weeks on average.
The task of parents is to stand their ground during such a difficult period. The child should see that no one canceled the time of daytime sleep. Soon, he will understand that although he does not sleep during the daytime, the rest time remains the same. Once the growing crisis has passed, the baby will start sleeping again during the day.
Children from 3 to 6 years old do not sleep during the day. Possible reasons
Most often, children of this age category stop sleeping in the daytime due to the following reasons:
- Kids attend extra classes, such as dancing, clubs, sports sections and more. Most often, classes occur in the afternoon, that is, during daytime sleep.
- Parents often want their children to go to bed in the evening as early as possible, so they cancel daytime sleep. Since most often rest in the daytime pushes the night's sleep by 10-11 hours in the evening.
- The stress associated with moving, quarrels of parents, the birth of another child in the family, etc. can affect sleep disturbance in the daytime.
How to determine that the baby does not need a daytime sleep
- Your child at the age of three sleeps from 11 to 13 hours a day. Accordingly, he fulfills his daily rate of rest per day.
- He is awake during the day without overworking the nervous system. Plays without tantrums, aggression and irritation.
- The child is in a good mood, he is cheerful and active.
Despite information related to how old children sleep during the day, there are exceptions. If all three conditions described above are met, then most likely your baby is included in the category of children who no longer need a daytime sleep. But such a change should occur no earlier than the achievement of a tiny three-year-old.
Attention! Sometimes children who previously abandoned daytime sleep may again return to this habit. If the baby goes to kindergarten, then sleep in the daytime can also be improved. The reason is that in such an environment, the baby will be tired, and he will simply need rest.
Schedule
Consider an example mode for a child aged 1 to 2 years.
- 7: 30-10: 00. Awakening. Washing, brushing teeth. Breakfast.
- 10: 00-12: 00. Daytime sleep.
- 12: 00-15: 30. Stroll. Dinner.
- 15: 30-16: 30. The second afternoon dream.
- 16: 30-20: 30. An afternoon snack. An evening walk. Dinner. Bathing.
- 20:30. Night sleep.
The approximate daily routine for children from 2 to 3 years.
- 8 a.m. - 12.30 p.m. Awakening. Washing, brushing teeth. Breakfast. Stroll.
- 12:30 a.m. Dinner.
- 13: 30-15.30. Daytime sleep
- 16:30. High tea
- 17: 30-20: 30. An evening walk. Dinner. Bathing.
- 20:30. Night sleep.
How to put a two year old baby to sleep in the afternoon
Parents of babies who are faced with the problems of organizing daytime sleep, not without reason, worry about the mode of rest of the crumbs. The crumb really needs to get enough sleep in the afternoon, so that in the future the lack of rest does not affect the full-fledged physical and psycho-emotional development. It is very important to ensure that the baby sleeps the prescribed time at night and daytime.
It is important to note that after 2 years, children may experience serious difficulties with laying for the following reasons:
- A lot of new experiences for the day.
- The emergence of a variety of fears and experiences.
- Overexcitation from active games, the arrival of guests and more.
All this can interfere with the full rest of the crumbs. After all, all the children who actively played during the day for a long time do not really want to go to bed. And parents in such a situation very often go on their way and miss a day's sleep, referring to the fact that you can put the child early in the evening. As a result, lack of sleep for a long period leads to problems associated with the behavior of the crumbs.
Advice
Experts recommend trying the following recommendations.
- If your baby belongs to the category of children who sleep at night all the norm for a day, then he simply will not want to relax during the day. It is important for you not to make the child go to bed, but just to wake him up early in the morning. Thus, you can easily restore daytime sleep, which, on average, takes about 2 hours at the age of 2 years.
- Adjust your baby's day routine yourself. Do not let him sleep for a long time in the morning, so in the daytime he himself will want to relax. This is especially important for children who do not yet go to kindergarten.
- If you notice that the time for daytime rest is approaching, and your baby is passionate about active games, try to switch him to a quiet activity. You can read books, discuss pictures or draw.
- A joint sleep with mom acts well on a child. Often children follow the example of their parents, calm down and fall asleep.
- Sometimes you can shift the time of daytime sleep by about 1 hour in order to find the optimal time for rest.
Following these simple tips will help establish a crumb mode.