Recommended Sleep for Kids

Early childhood is a special time for both kids and parents. It is widely held that during the first few years of a person’s life, some of the most important physical and emotional aspects of development are set in place. Young children are dependent upon their mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, and grandparents to meet their needs during this time. To grow into healthy, happy adults, kids require many things, including safe surroundings, a good diet, peer interaction, a variety of experiences, and someone to take care of them when they’re not feeling good.

In this free video series, learn tips for keeping your children healthy. Our expert, Denise, shows you some simple things that you can do to build your child's physical and mental health. Learn the importance of sleep and good nutrition for children. Also, learn how to inspire kids to be creative and show emotions. With Denise's help, you can teach your children empathy, curiosity, and more. She also shares with you tips for family bonding and building independence. There is no doubt that your kids are the most important thing in the world to you. So, learn how to help them grow healthy in mind and body.

"A regular sleep routine is very important for your child. Children need to have adequate number of hours of sleep every night, it helps them to be able to have enough energy during the day, to be able to concentrate during the day when they're in school and it also helps with mood stability, there bodies need a certain amount of sleep every night. What I like to do with my son and daughter is to have a particular type of ritual we do every night right before we go to bed that is comforting to them and that is familiar. Depending on the age of the child they're going to need different amounts of sleep. A baby from 0 months to 12 months, 15 to 20 hours average, ages 1 to 3, 10 to 13, preschoolers more like 10 to 12 and children age 6 to 9 about 10 hours, where adolescents are more like 9 hours per night. But the actual amount of sleep that they get does not have to necessarily all fall in the night time hours, it's going to depend on your child. Some children will sleep less at night and do better with a nap. The other thing I like to do at the end of the night is to be able to use this time as I'm tucking Bailey in is to spend some quality time with him. Talk a little bit about his day, perhaps read a book, help him pick out his favorite stuffed animal, favorite pajamas. You want to make sure that they're involved in activities that are winding them down for the day, calming and helping them to be more open to be able to crawl into their bed."