This month, Sleep Sisters is focused on bedtime. We thought it best to start off with a review of age-appropriate bedtimes. As certified infant and child sleep consultants, we are often asked what time kids should be going to sleep and whether it really makes a difference. The answer is YES, the time your child goes to sleep does make a difference. We all have a biological clock and our circadian rhythms can help us sleep if we honor them by getting to bed at the right time. In addition, maintaining a consistent bedtime (and wake time) helps keep our internal clock “set” and is a critical part of healthy “sleep hygiene,” according to Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine. Granted, all kids are different and you know what your child is like if he doesn’t get enough sleep. Many of us have been duped into thinking, “If my child stays up late, he’ll just sleep late and make up for it in the morning.” How’s that worked for you? A too-late bedtime may lead to:
Difficulty getting to sleep. Once your child passes her natural “sleep window” her body will produce cortisol and even adrenaline (hormones that stimulate the body). Parents sometimes notice their child’s “second wind.”Often when children go to bed too late, their sleep will not be as sound and they often wake during the night. Cortisol causes poor sleep quality.It seems counter-intuitive, but often when kids are waking very early in the morning, a late bedtime is the culprit.Research has shown that kids with a late bedtime get cumulatively less sleep than kids who have earlier bedtimes, showing they don’t make up for the missed sleep by sleeping later or napping longer. So when should your little one go down for the night? It depends a bit on your child’s sleep during the day. But here are some general guidelines by age: New babies don’t yet have any circadian rhythms, and they typically sleep in short spurts of two to four hours throughout the day and night.
These babies are still developing and feeding often throughout the night. Bedtime starts moving earlier by four months. Circadian rhythms are emerging. Regular naps (ideally around 9, 12, 3) and an earlier bedtime help these babies get the sleep they need for significant physical and mental development. Bedtime may be on the early side of this range if naps are missed or short. Babies this age may only take two naps (9am, 1pm). Bedtime should be no later than 3.5 hrs after second nap ends. Bedtime may move earlier to compensate for lack of third nap. Babies may be transitioning to only one nap in the afternoon, so bedtime may need to move earlier for a while. Bedtime should be no later than 4 hours after waking from nap. 15 months – 3 years Naps may end during this period, or be inconsistent. Move bedtime earlier to help adjustment to no nap. 3 – 6 years Your child will likely drop the afternoon nap. Once your child is no longer napping, he will need an extra hour of sleep at night, so adjust bedtime accordingly.
7 – 12 years School age children are still experiencing enormous growth, are very active, and require a lot of sleep. Adequate sleep helps with school performance, behavior, attention, memory, and more. Many teens need to be up early for school. Count backwards from wake time to find the bedtime that ensures they are getting enough sleep. Keep in mind it takes kids an average of 15 minutes to fall asleep, and likely more if they have a lot on their minds.What time is a good bedtime for 5 year old?With the start of school, parents everywhere are struggling to get their kids back on an earlier schedule after a summer of free rein. And a certain chart that has gone viral isn't helping to make them feel less anxious about it. Based on your child's age, it tells you when you should put them to sleep so they get enough rest for the next day — and a lot of parents are pretty surprised at how early the bedtimes are.Stacy Karlsen, an educator from Wilson Elementary in Kenosha, Wisconson, posted the chart on August 28 because she thought it would be helpful to parents with children at her school.
Since then, it's been shared more than 380,000 times."To me, it was a shock [that the post was shared so much]. I didn't make it up. I found it coming across my personal page and I thought, Wow, this is super helpful," the first grade teacher told Fox6Now.But many moms and dads are finding the chart's rigid guidelines anything but helpful: "This isn't [the] military and if I was to send my kids to bed at 7 at night they would be up at 4 a.m., no thank you ... Plus I would never get to spend time with them after school," one mom, Erica Bodie, posted in the comments.Still, for others like Faith Meadows Longorio, it just confirmed what they'd been doing all along. "I have four kids — and I catch a lot of flack for their bedtimes," she posted. "I started out setting their bedtime years ago based on how much sleep they need ... Glad to see this chart justify the exact times we have already set!"Doctors recommend that children ages 3 to 6 need about 10-12 hours of sleep each day. And 7- to 12-year-olds do best with 10 or 11 hours.
Not getting enough shut-eye can lead to weight gain, as well as taking a toll on their physical, emotional, and social health.So using this handy chart could help ensure your children are getting enough rest. As for how to get them actually in bed and sleeping soundly, pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Shu recommends creating a nightly routine that helps kids wind down, like the "4 B's: bathing, brushing teeth, books, and bedtime." How Much Sleep Do Children Need? The amount of sleep a child needs varies depending on the individual and certain factors, including the age of the child. Following are some general guidelines: 1-4 Weeks Old: 15 - 16 hours per day Newborns typically sleep about 15 to 18 hours a day, but only in short periods of two to four hours. Premature babies may sleep longer and colicky ones shorter. Since newborns do not yet have an internal biological clock, or circadian rhythm, their sleep patterns are not related to the daylight and nighttime cycles. In fact, they tend not to have much of a pattern at all.
1-4 Months Old: 14 - 15 hours per day By 6 weeks of age your baby is beginning to settle down a bit, and you may notice more regular sleep patterns emerging. The longest periods of sleep run four to six hours and now tends to occur more regularly in the evening. 4-12 Months Old: 14 - 15 hours per day While up to 15 hours is ideal, most infants up to 11 months old get only about 12 hours of sleep. Establishing healthy sleep habits is a primary goal during this period, as your baby is now much more social, and his sleep patterns are more adult-like. Babies typically have three naps and drop to two at around 6 months old, at which time (or earlier) they are physically capable of sleeping through the night. Establishing regular naps generally happens at the latter part of this time frame, as the biological rhythms mature. The midmorning nap usually starts at 9 a.m. and lasts about an hour. The early afternoon nap starts between noon and 2 p.m. and lasts an hour or two.
And the late afternoon nap may start anywhere from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and usually varies in length. 1-3 Years Old: 12 - 14 hours per day As your child moves past the first year toward 18-21 months of age he will likely lose his morning and early evening nap and nap only once a day. While toddlers need up to 14 hours a day of sleep, they typically get only about 10. Most children from about 21 to 36 months of age still need one nap a day, which may range from one to three and a half hours long. They typically go to bed between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. and wake up between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. 3-6 Years Old: 10 - 12 hours per day Children at this age typically go to bed between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. and wake up around 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., just as they did when they were younger. At age 3, most children are still napping, while at age 5, most are not. Naps gradually become shorter, as well. New sleep problems do not usually develop after age 3. 7-12 Years Old: 10 - 11 hours per day