Everyone needs sleep. It is a need that you cannot stop or influence. It is impossible to say how much sleep a person needs. That is different for everyone. One person can easily get by with seven hours of sleep, while another needs ten hours.

Sleep needs in children

This also applies to children. Even for very small children. Some babies sleep twenty-two hours a day, while others need fifteen hours. Parents can do little about the amount of sleep a child needs. The individual differences are too great for that.

Coercion is counterproductive

Since a child only falls asleep when he is really tired, there is no point in forcing a child to sleep. Coercion has the opposite effect and often prevents a child from falling asleep. There is also no point in sending children to bed earlier because it will be late the next night for some reason. A child sleeps as much as necessary to get rid of the tiredness of the past day.

Tension and sleep

It is necessary that a child can start his night’s sleep relaxed. Tension is one of the common causes of sleep problems in children. That tension can be generated by very ordinary things, for example by a first sleepover, an exciting movie on television or a birthday. Sometimes parents unintentionally keep their child awake by checking to see if he is already asleep. This way the child hardly has the chance to fall asleep peacefully.

A fixed bedtime ritual

Most children find it uncomfortable to go to bed and try to postpone the time. To make the transition from day to night go a little smoother, a fixed bedtime ritual can help, such as: first taking a bath, then brushing your teeth, reading a story and saying hello to the toy animals.

Waking up at night

Waking up by a bad dream or a scary sound is no fun for a child. He doesn’t do that on purpose. It just happens to him and he can’t help it that it happens just at night when his parents are sleeping. Children who wake up often during the night sometimes grow to hate their bedroom. They no longer feel safe there. Playing with him in his bedroom during the day can help a child get rid of that unsafe feeling. He then notices that his bedroom is also a place where fun things happen.

Bedtime and sleep needs

Parents usually want their child to go to bed at a regular time, not only because they think it is good for their child, but also because they need some rest or time for themselves. That time does not always suit the child’s sleep needs. However, that does not have to be a problem, because children can be put to bed at a fixed time without having to go to sleep immediately. For example, they can first read or play for a while. A bedroom is not just for sleeping. It can also be a place to enjoy yourself alone.