A well-rested kid is a happy kid. If you don’t know what lack of sleep does to a young kid, you’re in for a surprise. I know that when it happens to my children, they become these grumpy little monsters which get irritated by everything and everyone.

How Lack of Sleep Affects Your Kid’s Learning 

Parents agree that not getting enough sleep results in drowsy, whiny kids who you don’t really want to be around (although you’d never admit it). Late bedtimes can contribute to hyperactivity and acting out. But it’s not only about their lack of cuteness the next day. Short-term sleep deprivation can negatively affect learning and school work.

According to a study conducted by the Center for Educational Neuroscience, just one hour of sleep deprivation each night in 6-8 year olds over the course of one week, results in changes in brain activity during simple tasks of attention and speech perception.

So going to bed early is essential not only for peace at home and the kids’ overall health and well-being, but also for their academic excellence. So, why do we allow late bedtimes, and how late is too late?

How Much Sleep Do Kids Need?

Even though no parent needs a reminder on how important sleeping habits are for children as they transition from baby to toddler to child and adolescent, we all tend to loosen the reins sometimes and let them stay up late.

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) recommends the following age-appropriate bedtimes (and sleep needs, naps included):

0-3 months old: No recommended bedtime (14-17 hours of sleep)
4-6 months:       7pm-8pm (12-16 hours of sleep)
7-11 months:      6pm-7.30pm (12-16 hours of sleep)
1-2 years old:     6pm-7.30pm (11-14 hours of sleep)
3-5 years old:     7.15pm-8.30pm (10-13 hours of sleep)
6-13 years old:   7.15pm-9pm (9-11 hours of sleep)

If you think this schedule is impossible to follow, you’re not alone. With kids having after-school activities and homework and the sun being up until 8pm, going to bed at 7pm is quite unrealistic. So how important is sticking to a consistent bedtime really? Dr. Yang Ming, Chair of Pediatrics at Beijing United Family Hospital says “The overall sleep times listed are accurate but parents don’t need to worry so much about the bedtime as some kids will take naps during the day and kids will usually wake up at different times.”

Here’s What Parents Say About Their Kids Sleeping Habits…

For S.W., a Beijing mom of two little girls, sticking to a bedtime routine and early bedtime is essential: “My kids are 2 and 4 years old. Usually, I get them ready at around 7ish and they are sleeping by 8pm. It takes about thirty minutes to get the teeth brushed, the hair combed, and both girls into their pajamas. Then I read two books of choice and the big one falls asleep while reading. The little one loves some extra one-on-one time with mommy and keeps awake, so usually I rock and nurse her to sleep.”

When things don’t go according to the plan, the kids get fussy and tired: “I am quite right about bedtime and keeping to the schedule. When we don’t, which usually only happens during special events, the evening is fine, but the day after they are just too tired to be able to be in a good mood.”

For Jean-Mare Kuipers, another Beijing mom, deviating from the routine is allowed on weekends: “I allow my daughter to stay up later on Fridays and Saturdays because then she can sleep in the next morning, but on school nights she needs to be in bed by 10pm latest, otherwise she will be moaning a lot the next day and be more prone to throwing tantrums. If she goes to bed late, I have to wake [her]up in the morning, and she gets really irritated. I prefer her waking up by herself, ’cause when she wakes up by herself she’s also much happier.”

Dr. Paul Rochon, Director of the Sleep and Mental Health Department at Raffles Hospital Beijing, agrees on the importance of wake-up time: “It’s not about early or late, it’s about being consistent in their wake-up time. Indeed, morning “time-givers” such as sunlight, food, and exercise are the most important for the daytime energy and for the next night sleep. Our body needs to be synchronized every day, so by waking up at the same time and using those time-givers, it will fix the biological clock and make sure that the next 24 hours will be perfect.”

“We start our bedtime routine around 8.30pm and he’s in bed by 9, 9.15pm,” says Tijana Nedeljkovic, a mom of a seven-year-old boy. “Sometimes it takes 10-15 minutes longer to make him go to bed because he’s trying to delay going to sleep by asking questions, asking for more water and such. But everything later than 10pm is too late.” She continues: “Later bedtimes usually only happen when he naps during the day on weekends and he’s not tired at his usual bedtime. If he goes to bed late during the week, waking him up for school is nearly impossible and he’s tired the whole day.”

Even though we know that good quality sleep helps our children deal with emotions, focus, think, and grow healthy, sometimes we can’t help but let them have that extra hour watching their favorite cartoon or playing with their new toy.

So, what time is your kid’s bedtime? Let us know in the comments!

Images: Pexels

When I was pregnant I had a number of questions, most of which centered about the topic of baby’s sleep. Sleepless nights are to be expected when expecting and when a newborn arrives in the home. However there are definitely tried and tested practices that new mothers can put in place in order to soothe baby to sleep faster and extend sleep time for both mommy and baby.

Neglecting sleep cues

Newborn babies cry to communicate a need. When my little one first arrived, I would run havoc anticipating and figuring out what his every need was. Babies often provide different signals that can let mommy and daddy know that they need feeding, changing, and of course when they need to sleep. For a tired baby, signals for sleep can vary from sucking on fingers, to rubbing eyes, and yawing. Observe your baby and get familiar with their particular cue for sleep.

Remember that keeping a baby awake during the day in order that they get a better night sleep is a myth. Naps are extremely important for baby’s development and keep them from stints of overtiredness, making it easier for them to settle on an evening.

Not having a sleep routine

This one is for the little ones and us! Having a sleep routine winds the body down and prepares it for deep slumber. This one I was pretty good at putting into practice, but not so much for myself. I would start baby’s bedtime routine, with a warm bath, a warm bottle, a classical or jazz playlist (courtesy of Alexa and her baby sleep time playlists), and some white noise in the bedroom once the music is turned off.

Doing something similar on a regular basis sets your baby’s internal clock, helping them to fall asleep much easier. Try not to let baby fall asleep before all of these activities are done. Encourage baby to form the habit of sleeping asleep on their own by sitting him down in the crib, or if you’re co-sleeping, in the bed, just as he becomes drowsy. My personal tip is to buy a diffuser and use essential oils like lavender to help soothe baby and associate sleep time with particular fragrances, which also have holistic benefits for baby’s mind and body.

Turning the crib into a playroom

We are always told not to eat where we work and if like me, you often work from home, the golden rule is to separate your workspace from your leisure or rest areas; the same goes for babies for better play and sleep association. Try not to do other activities such as play in areas where your baby should sleep. The crib should be void of toys and other stimuli that will keep baby occupied with other than sleep. Consistency is key and don’t forget to turn off the TV; the flashing lights, color, and noise is a distraction for you and baby.

While my mom was staying with my family to help with my little one while he was a newborn, she would constantly remind me not to tiptoe around, once baby was asleep. Your baby is perfectly equipped to become familiar with the usual sounds at home and sleep right through them. I go in and out my baby’s sleeping area with ease while he sleeps and continue the evening as normal.

Relying on sleep crutches

I am still trying to get to grips with doing better when it comes to depending on a number of sleep crutches. Mine happens to rocking and used to be combined with nursing.  Other objects like pacifier, bottled milk, or stuffed animals can also become crutches dressed up as hacks. It’s no good in the long run because they cultivate a habit of dependency.

Try and phase out these sleep crutches and replace them with sleep associations like the ones I mentioned above. Set the tone and ambiance for your baby’s sleep environment – darken the room, play music or white noise, diffuse essential oils, and even thumb sucking can help baby, even when awoke during the middle of the night, to sleep on his own. This will help baby and you have a good night’s sleep. Here’s to pleasant dreams and sound sleep for mommies and daddies!

Photos: Pixabay

Bedtime is one of those memorable activities that children and parents cherish for years to come. Moms and dads go out of their way to get just the book to make bedtime reading a special bonding time and ritual. So here is a list of five books that are more geared for dads and have some exciting features to them.

Not A Box by Antoinette Portis
Age: toddler

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
Age: 5-9
Note: Watch the animation on YouTube.

Something Big by Sylvie Neeman
Age: 4-8

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Age: 10-15

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Age: 12+

Source: www.parenting.com

Photos: Gary Pauslen. com, Wikimedia commons, Harper Collins Children’s Book.

One of the great scientific truths of the nautical realm is displacement. Essentially, whatever goes in the water moves aside an equal volume of water. This is a fun one to do with kids in the bathtub (not recommended for parents of teens). However, the displacement we are discussing today is Einstein’s Law of Parental Displacement (LPD).

The formula is a tricky one but it basically shows that the greater the number of children in a family, the more frequently a parent (typically the father) will be displaced from his or her position in the bed chamber. You can Google the formula on the interweb.

I confess that with the birth of our first child, I had little faith in LPD. Indeed, Reina frequently slept between the two of us and merely caused us to move over a tad bit so that she had the cushy 75 percent of the mattress in the middle, and Savvy and I split the remaining 25 percent between the two of us, each comfortably balancing ourselves on the opposite edges. As you can imagine, this can hardly be considered LPD as we were clearly both still sleeping on the edges of the same bed.

With the twins, however, the bedroom did take on some noticeable displacement. This was particularly the case while on holiday, when Savvy or I would sleep with both babies while the other parent slept in our daughter’s bed, since she still had no effect on our sleeping habits whatsoever, even at age six.

As time passed, the boys became more comfortable with their own cribs and spent less time in our bed, unless one of them did not feel well. On those occasions, I completely gave up fighting the physics of LPD. I found myself adrift in the home, cast about on the sofa, in the spare bunk of my daughter’s room, and lately on a mattress pad on the office floor. I am adrift, but slumbering nonetheless.

That is unless both boys are feeling unwell. Then I find myself even further displaced with a baby in my “spare” quarters. At such times I have awoken with a start. huddled in the fetal position on the cold floor.

LPD – it’s nature’s way of telling us to buy a bigger bed.

 Photos courtesy of superFantastic (Flickr)

Researchers are warning that irregular bedtimes may be doing more harm to your toddler’s mental functions and development than meets the eye.

According to a report in The Guardian, scientists at the University College London have stated that the "lack of routine might impair early development by disrupting the body clock, or through sleep deprivation, which affects the brain’s ability to remember and learn new information."

The researchers based their study on test scores of reading, number and spatial relationship skills that were taken from a pool of children who are now in their early teenage years. They found that regardless of how early or late their bedtimes were, those who had set bedtimes during their younger years tended to have higher scores.

More info here and here.