Better understanding your child's sleep

Categories: Advice , Baby's Room

Sleep is absolutely essential for a child's well-being and growth. Regardless of age, it is therefore important that your child can get the right number of hours of sleep daily, and quality nights and naps. Despite all your good intentions, sometimes the sleep issue can be a bit complicated for parents. Discover our advice to better understand your child's sleep.

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What are the most common sleep problems?

It's not uncommon for children to experience sleep problems, and these can manifest in the following ways:

  • Difficulty going to bed: Between 2 and 5 years old, children can find any excuse to delay bedtime or get up in the evening.
  • Difficulty falling asleep: Generally, it takes about 30 minutes for a child to fall asleep. However, this can vary depending on the individual and context. To facilitate falling asleep, it's important to choose a schedule that respects the child's natural rhythm and stick to it.
  • Difficulty falling back asleep at night: Night wakings are completely normal. However, some children have trouble finding sleep again, cry, and call for their parents. This often happens when the child falls asleep with their parents. It's therefore important to let them find sleep on their own, so they can fall back asleep more easily at night.

There are obviously other sleep problems such as bedwetting for example. Generally, each problem has its solution depending on the child and only lasts for a time.

How many hours of sleep are needed according to age?

The number of hours of sleep varies according to age group and therefore the child's needs. Generally, we can consider that a child needs (the number of hours includes naps):

  • 14 to 17 hours of sleep from 0 to 3 months
  • 12 to 15 hours of sleep from 4 to 11 months
  • 11 to 14 hours of sleep from 1 to 2 years
  • 10 to 13 hours of sleep from 3 to 5 years
  • 9 to 11 hours of sleep from 9 to 13 years

Between 4 and 18 months, a child takes one to two naps per day lasting 1.5 to 2 hours. After that, the morning nap is often dropped around 18 to 24 months.
It's generally between 3 and 5 years old that a child stops napping.

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What solutions for sleep problems?

There are small tips that can be implemented to promote falling asleep and more peaceful sleep in children.

petit garçon qui dort dans son lit

A well-designed and adapted children's bed

The choice of children's bed can affect sleep. It is indeed important to choose a children's bed suitable for their age. Up to 6 months, it is recommended to favor a cradle or co-sleeping bed. Then, your child can be placed in a crib with bars (more advice on how to get baby to sleep in their room here). Then, around age 2, you can opt for a classic children's bed. This can take several forms such as a trundle bed, a high bed or a mid-height bed for example. Your 3-year-old's bed should adapt to the room and your child's needs.

We recommend choosing a wooden children's bed for greater durability. At Chambrekids, our models are eco-responsible, made in France, and respectful of your child's well-being. If you're short on space, why not opt for a convertible bed, a children's loft bed or an OPUS trundle bed with storage for example. Moreover, pay attention to ensuring that each bedding change is done gently so that your child feels reassured.

A healthy environment

It is important that the child has a healthy environment to find sleep. More than quietness, it is also important to put them to bed in a room with the right temperature and humidity level. For humidity, we're talking about a range from 30% to 70%, ideally 40% to 60%. Regarding temperature, it should be between 18°C and 20°C if possible (in summer, do your best to cool the room without ever using air conditioning in the child's presence, or a fan directed straight at them).

Good lifestyle habits

Lifestyle habits will also impact children's sleep. It is recommended to encourage activities where the child moves during the day and limit screen time.

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Using the services of a sleep consultant

If you're running out of solutions to support your child's sleep, you can call upon what's known as a sleep consultant. This professional is a child sleep specialist. After discussing with the parents, they can offer recommendations to help the child fall asleep more easily and truly rest. The advantage is that while these specialists are still few in number today, they can work remotely through video consultations.