A Guide For Your Little One’s Ideal Sleep Time

Sleep is a human vital need, just like eating. Each age group certainly has different sleeping needs. Experts at the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) of the United States issued an age-appropriate sleep guideline, based on studies from cross-field specialists, such as anatomy, psychiatry, neurology, pediatricians, and elderly doctors. This proves that sleep plays an important role in maintaining a healthy body.

For the Little One, sleep is an important aspect of supporting growth and development. Check out the portion of sleep time of the Little One according to age group:

Age 0-3 months (14-17 hours)

The newborn has no biological clock. The Little One can sleep a few minutes to several hours. In fact, the Little Newborn can sleep for 15-18 hours nonstop. At the age of 6 weeks, the biological clock begins to form. And by the age of 3 months, he/she already has a regular sleep cycle. No longer confused between day and night.

Age 4-11 months (12-15 hours)

This period is the right time to create a healthy sleep habit. The Little One’s sleeping pattern is more like the Mommy. Ideally, at this age, the Little One sleeps 15 hours a day. In a day, the Little One will have 3 short sleeps and will become 2 short sleep when the age of 6 months. Short sleep duration is approximately 30-120 minutes per session. At the age of 9 months, about 70-80% of the Little One starts to sleep at night without waking up.

Age 1-2 years (11-14 hours)

The Little 1-2 year olds require 11-14 hours of sleep a day, with reduced nap time to only 1 time a day. Short sleep duration is between 1-3 hours. Short sleep should not occur near the time of night sleep, because it can shift nighttime sleep time. Generally, at this age, the Little One begins to sleep or wake up at night due to nightmares.

Age 3-5 years (10-13 hours)

At this age, the Little One usually sleeps for 10-13 hours every night. Most of the Little Ones no longer have sleep short in the afternoon after the age of 5 years.

Age 6-13 years (9-11 hours)

The Little One aged 6-13 years need to sleep about 9-11 hours. He/she has to divide his/her time for various activities, such as school, extracurricular activities, and social activities with his/her friends. Mommy should limit the time when he/she watches television, plays computer or game because those activities can cause trouble in sleeping.

Your Little One’s bedtime takes up 40% of the whole day. In order for him/her to get quality sleep, Mommy should teach or form a healthy sleep pattern. Make sure your Little One sleeps on time. Make the atmosphere of the bedroom to be comfortable to sleep (dim lights and minimize sound) and avoid the use of television in the bedroom.

In addition, give the Little One, nutrient that contains alpha-lactalbumin, which is rich in various amino acids that will support brain function, such as tryptophan and cysteine. Giving alpha-lactalbumin is proven to improve the quality of sleep and will have a positive impact on brain function. This was conveyed by Rob Markus, PhD, professor of neuropsychology at Maastricht University, Netherlands, in the results of his studies.