Establishing Nap or Rest Periods for Your Child

When babies are born everyone knows they spend the majority of their time sleeping, but as they grow their need for sleep decreases. By the age of two, most children sleep between 11 to 12 hours at night with a 1 – 2 hour nap during the day. The cycle of taking naps usually occur until the age of three, but some children continue to nap even at the age of five years old.

Infants are individuals and each will develop their own sleep patterns. Some babies develop a consistent sleep pattern earlier than others do, but that is o.k. Parents sometimes try to compare how a previous child was as a baby and often times are very much in shock when the new baby seems to have other plans for their nights. By the time the infant is about 6 months old a sleep pattern becomes more predictable, and you can count on about 2 or 3 naps a day. However, by the age of one the frequency of taking naps are down to about one a day.

Some older toddlers when in daycare settings simply do not sleep during the middle of the day. Have these children lay down on a cot at quiet time for some relaxation, they do not have to go to sleep but they have to be quiet. Some providers and parents will allow the child while lying down to have a book to browse over quietly. In a setting where there is more than one child, the non-sleepers need to be away from those who enjoy their naps.

In order to encourage nap time, developing a pre-nap routine would be very beneficial as a sort of wind down time. For example, allow children to get comfortable, pick a favorite stuff toy or blanket, take off shoes and settle down for a short story. Dim lights while story is being read or you can use this time to play some soft music. Doing this or something similar on a daily basis will program their little minds to calm down and get ready for quiet time. Never try to put children down after a high-energy activity such as coming in from outside play or even music time. Make sure the room temperature is comfortable, relatively quiet and your mood must be one of calmness as well.

Remember, that even though sometimes we may feel our child needs a nap, they may not require one. If this is the case just encourage them to lay quietly every day for relaxation and this will make both of your day go smoother and who knows, eventually he/she may start to fall asleep on their own.