Frequent sleep is a massively important part of life – for the little ones and their parents! At LEYF we really want to delve right into the reasons why sleep is so important for your children!
Early on in life, a lot of children will sleep frequently but fleetingly. New-borns sleep a few times daily in 2-4 hour stretches. It’s important that you strive not to wake your child up as this is detrimental to their development – they’re sleeping for a reason! Ensure that your little one and yourself are in a quiet, comfortable environment and that you are able to watch over them. This is to make sure that nothing happens to them during their visit to dreamland!
When they get a little bit older – 6- 8 Weeks – your child will start to consolidate their sleeping pattern and sleep less frequently but for longer time periods. Although they will still need to nap, it should be less frequent than before.
At 3- 4 months of age, their sleeping should finally start to have some sort of discernible pattern. Try and develop a schedule for them to follow as it will help to give your little one some structure and give you time to catch up on your life!
Right around 6 months old your child should have settled into a noticeable pattern of taking 2- 3 naps per day. It’s still important for you to watch over them and make sure they’re comfortable and secure!
When your child gets to around a year old they will probably be on around 2 naps per day – morning and afternoon. Don’t we all wish we got to sleep that much?
This is just a rough guide to how your children will progress on their sleep schedule. Of course every single child is different so if yours doesn’t play by these rules then don’t worry. Get in touch with us on Twitter and Facebook to share your experiences with little ones and sleep!
About London Early Years Foundation