How Much Sleep Does My Child Need

Babies and children look extremely cute when they are sleeping. There can nothing be more delightful that seeing your munchkin’s angelic face in a deep state of rest, accompanied by steady breaths. It is like looking at the most peaceful picture. Fortunately, this is the only time when parents can rest. Seeing kid sleep becomes an even more fun when they fall asleep in the most ridiculous poses or in funny places.

Impact of Sleep Deprivation

Kids can take a nap anytime and anywhere. However, children of different age groups need different amounts of sleep for healthy development. According to a Millennium Cohort Study, sleep has a direct impact on a child's brain development. Among children who do not get sufficient and uninterrupted sleep, reading skills, math skills and spatial awareness is severely affected.

In fact, you cannot afford your child missing even as little as 30 minutes or an hour of sleep. There are multiple studies that show that sleep deprivation can lead to the child displaying symptoms similar to attention deficit-hyperactivity disorde (ADHD). Sleep deprivation makes a child irritable, inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive. They have a hard time concentrating too, as published by the National Sleep Foundation.

Here is a chart that will tell you how much sleep kids of different age group need.

Child's Sleep Requirements in Different Ages

While every child is slightly different in terms of how much sleep they need, most require the following to be fully rested:

Age                        Recommended sleep

0-1 year                          12-17 hours

1-2 years                          11-14 hours

3-5 years                           10-13 hours

5-6 years                           9-11 hours

Signs of a Sleep Deprived Child

1. They Get Moody: When kids don't get enough sleep, they are unable to manage their emotions well. As a result, they experience negative mood swings, giving their parents a really hard time. They become less patient, stay cranky and gets frustrated in the blink of an eye.
2. They Become Hyperactive: Contrary to adults, who tend to lose energy when their tired, kids show symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In simple words, when kids are sleep deprived, they tend to be more excitable, disagreeable and hyperactive. Their tantrums in these situations can be no less than a nightmare for parents.
3. They Become Impulsive: Kids belonging to the age group of 3-6 years are like cars with "all accelerators and no brakes" especially boys. When the child hasn’t slept well, their instinct to take risks rises to a level where they might put themselves at a high risk of getting injured.

Getting the child into bed at the right time for the said hours can be a tough task. But it is important for their physical and mental development.

Other than the right amount of sleep, they also need the right nutrition for the child's brain development. Make sure you give them a daily dosage of a fortified mild powder like Enfagrow A+ that contains DHA to give their brain development a boost.