Does your Toddler sleep well?

Sleep for toddlers is necessary and one can tell if they are not getting their required sleep from the fact that they become irritable, moody, unenthusiastic or lethargic during

the day or when it comes to play and learning.

Most parents do not worry about sleep when it comes to their toddlers. They think that as long the child does not get disturbed while sleeping; the child must be getting all that he/she needs. Toddlers need a good 10 hours of undisturbed sleep; and that does not include naps during the day in the afternoon etc. Sleep patterns eventually change as toddlers grow up; begin attending school and finally settles at 7 hours of sleep every night.

Toddlers are always involved in a lot of activity; whether at their nursery in Dubai or back at home, they will eventually feel sleepy at the end of the day thanks to the amount of play and learning involved at their age. But not all toddlers sleep well at night. Toddlers surface from sleep about five times a night. During these brief wakings they may mumble and turn over, sometimes banging their arms against the side of the cot or even sitting bolt upright, eyes wide open, before lying back down again. For those parents who sleep with their toddlers, it is wise to make yourself available when they need you because that’s about the only thing that will get them back to sleep. For those who are in the habit of letting their toddlers sleep in a crib in another room, it is wise to keep things that they associate with sleep close by or in sight. These may be comfort toys that help kids sleep. When your toddlers see these familiar objects around them when they wake, they feel comforted and then go back to sleep.

A child aged between 1-2 years would sleep a lot longer than the usual 10 hour routine sleep cycle that they eventually get used to. They may seem to be sleeping almost every time. This is normal and there is no need to fret. As long as toddlers sleep well during the night you simply don’t have to worry. If their sleep cycles change, and they seem to be sleeping less during the night and staying awake, then this would count as the one and only reason to wake up your child during his/her day naps.

Day naps are important as they give the toddler’s minds the necessary break along with the time to assimilate and store whatever they may have learnt so far. But there is a limit as to how much they should sleep once they grow older than 3-4 years, because if they do wake up in the night, you as a parent will find it as an interference with your daily sleep schedule.

Day care centres in Dubai know the importance of naps which is why after-school activities always involve a nap time; where children have to calm down and try to relax resting for at least half an hour.

Sleep for toddlers in the end is necessary and one can tell if they are not getting their required sleep from the fact that they become irritable, moody, unenthusiastic or lethargic during the day or when it comes to play and learning. This is why it is necessary for parents to keep track of their sleep cycles and help them sleep better in case they happen to be missing out on it.