It’s 8:00 am and the boys have already left for the bus stop. I’m enjoying my morning coffee and scrolling through my personal email before I jump feet first into work.
One of the emails I receive is a notification that “MrL” (names changed to protect the <not-so> innocent) was live on YouTube at 3:30 am. Um, he should have been sleeping…in his room (the PlayStation is not located there for a reason). It’s a school day. I remind myself to breathe.
Kids need their sleep. They are running around all day exerting energy whether at school, extracurricular activities, or playing with their friends in the neighborhood. Bedtime creeps up and next thing you know you’re hearing all of the reasons why they don’t want to go to bed.
“I’m not tired.”
“I’m in the middle of a game.” (This one is the bane of my existence.)
OR it’s bedtime and they all of a sudden realize that they didn’t do the homework that they either told you they didn’t have or already finished. (Or haven’t showered yet…the list goes on and on).
Why Sleep is SO Important
Sleep is downtime for their brains and bodies to take a mini-vacay and reenergize themselves for the next day. Aside from that, there are some other reasons why sleep is so important for our kiddos.
Growing Up, Literally
Ever notice those days when your kids were super tired and napped or slept longer than usual? More than likely it could have been during one of their many growth spurts. Growth hormones release when they are sleeping.
Less Boo-Boos
When you’re tired, you are more likely to be less aware (translation: clumsy) and more likely to unintentionally injure yourself. Same with kids!
Moody Blues
Getting enough sleep helps our children to better manage their moods and impulsivity. I can attest to that. When they don’t get enough sleep, they are more apt to be fidgety in class, act out, and/or have a way lower attention span. (Sometimes sleep disorders get confused with ADHD, as these situations mentioned above are both resulting actions of each.)
No More Bedtime Battles
There are a variety of ways to make bedtime less of a battle while instilling an acceptable amount of sleep time.
Give “Time” Warnings
Our boys love their downtime after dinner. It’s the time they connect with their gaming friends and slide into that world of technology. We have learned to give “warnings” – not the bad kind though.
Thirty minutes before they need to get their pajamas on, brush their teeth, put their super sweet (and hopefully showered) self to bed, we pop our head into the Bonus Room (or yell upstairs) and tell them that they have 30 minutes until the WiFi goes off.
IMPORTANT: Put a clock in the room. Even though their computer/gaming system/phone has the time right there, I can’t tell you how many times they tell me that they didn’t know what time it was.
I was a little obnoxious and got a BIG digital clock for their Bonus Room. I’m not playing.
We give them “warnings” at the 15 or 10-minute mark, and then at the 5.
Promote Quiet Time
I’ve read that it is important to unplug from any electronics, including TV at least 30 minutes before bedtime. The electronics’ lights have been linked to keeping your brain up and alert when you should really be slowing down.
This is the perfect time to read a book, listen to calming music, or in my case once my head hits the pillow I am OUT like a light.
How Much Sleep is Enough Sleep?
Great question! That is actually the main reason why I started this post because I was curious as to how much sleep my little men needed (on average).
These numbers below are from the National Sleep Foundation (yes, there is such an organization!).
0 – 3 months = 14 to 17 hours
4 – 11 months = 12 to 15 hours
1 – 2 years = 11 to 14 hours
3 – 5 years = 10 to 13 hours
6 – 13 years = 9 to 11 hours
14 – 17 years = 8 to 10 hours
Adults = 7 to 9 hours
Based on those numbers above, does your child get the required hours of sleep? We had to make some changes in our household (including WiFi access)! Do you?
Rhonda Albom says
I think I was really lucky to have two kids who always went to sleep on their own. I rarely ever had to remind them of bedtime, and now they are young adults who insist on getting their sleep. Even when younger, my daughter would only have sleepovers with one of her friends, because the others liked to talk, and she wanted to sleep.
Dana says
I love that your children knew the importance of sleep! I was very much like your daughter. When it was bedtime, I wanted to go to bed!
Cristina Petrini says
I am monitoring my sleep and learning how much sleep is actually worse than we think. Sleep has many phases to monitor and understand where to intervene …
Romeo says
Thank you for sharing this. Sleep is really important especially for our kids. Glad I was able to learn this, Honestly, I didn’t know how many sleep hours should my 18months old baby need.
Dana says
It’s interesting when you actually see the number of hours of sleep recommended, right?!
Kara says
Apart from the odd issue of getting the kids off their consoles we have quite good sleepers……sadly they are also early risers, but they take after me
Becca Wilson says
Sleep is so very important for all of us! I know that children need so much rest to have their little bodies ready for the day ahead!
Jasmine Hewitt says
great points on the importance of sleep. i dont think anyone actually gets enough
Dana says
Thanks, Jasmine! I agree with you – I could sleep all day if allowed 😉
Ashlee says
You have amazing points in the importance of sleep for kids and let’s face it adults too. My twin niece and nephew are the worst at sleep time. They fight with all their tiny might, so I think promoting quiet time and sticking to a good routine will help ALOT!
Dana says
Ashlee, the routine is hard to instill at first, but once they are used to it – it’s a game changer. They know what to expect and what needs to be done before bedtime.
Catherine says
When my kids were younger I always made sure to have nap time during the day. Sleep is so important at that age.
Kimberlie says
We are literally facing this battle right now. My 3 year old wants to stay up and watch tv and hollers he’s not tired when it’s time for bed. We’ve been standing our ground to make sure he gets enough sleep, but it is tiring to repeat this cycle every night. We keep telling him why sleep is important and hoping he’ll catch on sooner than later, though from accounts of all our friends with older children that won’t be the case.
Chelle Dizon says
My son just turned thirteen this year and it’s kinda challenging to keep him away from his laptop. Good thing he’s still getting enough sleeps for his age.
Dana says
Chelle, it is super hard to get the teens away from their electronics. As long as he’s getting the sleep he needs, right?!
Heather says
This is a great reminder that children need rest, thanks for sharing!
Alex Vitte says
Sleep is so important! With my son we always make sure he showers and reads a book before bedtime.
Dana says
Alex, I love that you have a schedule for your son. That helps a lot!
Brianna Watson says
Quiet time is something I use for myself lol I always try to be the most active at night so I give myself a time to just turn off all tech devices and read or meditate.
Dana says
That sounds perfect, Brianna! I love quiet time 😉
Jackline A says
Great article. It is so important for child to get their sleep for development reasons.
Kiwi says
its so true kids needs sleep or you will have some cranky moody kids. Also for health and growing well…they need as much sleep as possible for productivity too.
Elizabeth says
A thought-provoking post, this! I just realised, that despite my kids staying up later than I wish they would, they are still getting the amount of sleep they need. Yay!
Dana says
That is awesome, Elizabeth!
view says
Studies have shown that kids who regularly get an adequate amount of sleep have improved attention, behavior, learning, memory, and overall mental and physical health. Not getting enough sleep can lead to high blood pressure, obesity and even depression
Desiree says
Excellent read! And thank you for the tips! I need to try this with my kiddo. I love the time count down and clock. I need to get one for his playroom.
Kam K says
Thanks for sharing these awesome points about why kids (and adults) need their sleep and how much sleep we all actually need. As you said, a good routine is very important to set up early on, it goes a long way.
Faith says
Great tips especially for new parents! Thanks for sharing!