Sleep is integral to a human’s life, especially for babies and young children. It helps babies grow steadily, and as they step into toddlerhood, sleep becomes foundational to their body, brain, and behavioural development. This is why parents often worry whether their little ones are getting enough sleep, and what can do to establish a better bedtime routine.
To make things a tad bit easier for you, we have collated an age-by-age guide for bedtime for kids that ensure your munchkin is well-rested and in a happy mood when they wake up the next day. This guide is appropriate for newborns to kids aged 11 and will help you establish healthy nighttime habits.
Bedtime For Babies (Newborn To 1-Year-Old)
Newborn-3 Months
Your newborn baby will sleep for about 16-17 hours a day. During this stage, they have little regard for day or night and only wake up to feed every 2-4 hours. You will notice a more regular sleep cycle emerge between 6-8 weeks when your baby sleeps more at night and stays awake for longer hours during the day. You can help establish this pattern by ensuring your little one is exposed to sunlight during the day and remains in a darkened room at night.
3-4 Months
By 3-4 months, your baby will have active sleep (rapid eye movement) and a deep sleep cycle. Both stages are critical to your little one’s development. The active sleep cycle is crucial for learning and development, and during deep sleep, the human growth hormone is released, which aids in the physical development of your baby.
By four months, your baby develops mid-morning and mid-afternoon nap routines, and their total sleep time will decrease to 15 hours. The best way to establish their nap routines is by carefully noticing their body cues, recognising when they are sleepy, soothing them, and then putting them down for a nap.
5-7 Months
As your child reaches the 5-month mark, they may wake up several times during the night, crying, and needing you. But this usually happens as a learned behaviour, which stems from their newborn stage when they would wake up every 2-3 hours for feeding. So don’t be so quick in taking them out of their bed and feeding them. Give your child the opportunity to soothe themselves back to sleep. This will gradually put them in the habit of soothing themselves back to sleep, without needing your help.
8-12 Months
During this stage, some children go through a sleep regression, where they wake up in the middle of the night and cry for their parents to come and soothe them. If you notice this pattern in your child, then you can try opting for a sleep training method to establish a healthy nighttime routine. You can go for training methods like the cry-it-out method, the fading method, the pick-up, or the put-down method. However, ensure you only start sleep training after consulting your child’s doctor or a sleep consultant.
Bedtime For Toddlers (1-3 Years Old)
By 18 months, some babies give up their morning naps, and some will even be ready to quit their afternoon naps as well. Toddlerhood is an exciting stage in your munchkin’s life, and you may find it difficult to wind them down at night, even when they are exhausted. Moreover, if you notice that your toddler is getting cranky toward the end of the day, then it indicates that they need to have an earlier bedtime routine to be well-rested and healthy.
Bedtime For Preschoolers (3-5 Years Old)
During this age, nightmares and night terrors might strike your child, and cause disturbance and resistance to their bedtime routine. If your child keeps waking up, besides these reasons, or just for fun, then you can try putting up a set of sleep rules and a system of rewards and consequences. For every night they follow the rules, they earn a star, and when they accumulate a certain number of stars, they earn a reward. If your child fails to follow the set sleep rules, they lose their privileges the next day.
Bedtime For Kids (6-11 Years Old)
Insufficient sleep is one of the most common problems among older children. Hence, you must emphasise good sleeping habits in them from a young age. Keep screen time minimal before bed, and avoid any over-stimulating activities or exercises. Put forth a fixed sleeping routine, and make sure your child follows the time consistently and diligently. This will ensure that they are well-rested and also aid in their overall physical, and mental development. A well-rested child is also happier in general and can time learning and interacting with peers and teachers at school.
We hope that this age-by-age guide can help you fix a better bedtime for your kids. Keep in mind that sleep is foundational to your little one’s overall development at all stages, and hence, you must instil good sleeping habits right from the beginning. If your child has difficulty falling asleep even after following a sleep routine, then speak to their healthcare provider to understand the possible factors affecting their slumber.
Also read:
Newborn feeding chart: Here’s exactly how much your newborn needs to eat in a day.
Best baby sleep songs: These relaxing sleep songs can put your little one into a deep sleep in no time.
Feature Image: Freepik.com
