Does a 2 year old child need naps during the day? Baby's daytime sleep

The human body is a truly amazing thing: everything in it is interconnected and nothing in it happens “just like that.” So napping in babies plays many important roles, which mothers should be aware of in order to make the child’s rest a priority when organizing the schedule for a specific day.

During their first morning sleep, children actively learn - they memorize new skills, words, phenomena, and after such sleep they show much better results in reproducing what they were taught before bed. This fact has been described in many studies of children's sleep and this is why it is important to provide children with morning sleep for as long as possible - this is how they literally become smarter! In the first year and a half, children absorb such a flow of information that we simply must give them the opportunity to get the most out of it, and adequate sleep is much more useful than going to a developmental club (or better if there are both of them: first the circle, then sleep).

Lunchtime naps allow babies to grow and develop physically. During this period (and only during sleep!) growth hormone is released, which not only helps the baby become taller and bigger, but also actively participates in the processes of tissue regeneration. Remember how your baby gets sleepy when he's sick? One of the reasons is the need to increase the production of this particular hormone and, thus, help the baby recover faster.

Organization of daytime sleep

Daytime nap- fragile and very dependent on external factors process, especially if you are just starting to work on good sleep skills. To help your baby fall asleep faster and sleep longer, it is very important that you put him to bed in maximum darkness (as close as possible to nighttime). No, the baby will not learn to sleep in the dark during the day - this is a physiological need, remember yourself - where is it more comfortable for you to sleep during the day: in a darkened room or in bright light of day?

The sound background in the sleeping room should be smooth. There is no need to strive for silence - any sudden burst of sound (a telephone call, children on the playground under the window, an ambulance siren on the highway) will sound much brighter in it. Ideally, you can use white noise and an excellent source for its reproduction is the DOHM-DS sound conditioner.

Physiology of daytime sleep

Daytime sleep is controlled by a different part of the brain than night sleep, and serves in to a greater extent for the emotional recuperation of the baby. Daytime dreams are finally formed and mature much later than nighttime dreams. Therefore, in a baby up to 4 months old (from PDD), you can see a rather chaotic duration of sleep - either 20 minutes or 2 hours. This is normal and in most cases does not require intervention. The main thing is that a certain balance is maintained and, as a result, the baby sleeps approximately equally long and short naps during the day.

The duration of one sleep cycle in children is shorter than in adults. Our cycle lasts from 90 to 120 minutes, and for babies it lasts from 30 to 50. When the cycle ends, any person wakes up - and, if he knows how to fall asleep on his own, he immediately falls asleep again (and by the morning there is not even a memory of this left) . Babies who cannot fall asleep after 40 minutes are always dependent on your help to fall asleep initially, which means that after waking up between sleep cycles, they will not be able to fall asleep on their own.

How to fix this? Start teaching your baby to fall asleep on his own - without breastfeeding, rocking on a ball or in a stroller, without a pacifier, a swing, or any actions that the baby cannot reproduce for himself without your help.

When to wake up your baby

Sometimes you really need to wake up the baby, although your hand doesn’t rise to do it. And therefore you must be sure that the child really needs to be woken up for his own good:

• if the baby is less than 8 weeks old (from PDD) and sleeps more during the day than at night. Wake up every 2 hours and be sure to take it out into the sun - this will help adjust the internal clock and return the most long sleep at night;
• if a baby aged 4-8 months sleeps for more than an hour in the third nap after 15-30. Such sleep will provide very little recovery, but will almost certainly mix up the hormonal rhythm of nighttime sleep;
• If a child sleeps for more than 3 hours on one nap, then it is worth waking up the baby so that night sleep The baby did not start too late and came easier.

How much, when, how?

Every mother at some point wonders whether her baby sleeps enough during the day? How many times does he need to sleep, and how long should at least the minimum period of sleep last to give the baby at least a little rest.

• After 4 months, the minimum sleep should last at least 75 minutes;
• By 5 months, most babies develop a 3-nap schedule;
• By 8 months, the third nap disappears in 95% of children. This happens literally in 2 days: the baby simply violently protests against being put to sleep and refuses to fall asleep. If by 8 months the baby still has three sound sleeps, then it is worth carefully assessing whether the previous two were of sufficient duration;
• Between 15 and 18 months, children give up the second nap and switch to one;
• Between 3 and 6 years of age, daytime naps go away completely (and around 25 they return again, but now we can’t afford them).

Switch to one nap during the day

This is one of the most difficult and protracted moments in children's sleep, so the mother must make all decisions regarding the reorganization of the regime very carefully.

When?

Many children show their first attempts to give up daytime sleep, starting at 10-12 months, but the body’s actual readiness almost never occurs before 15 months, and ideally it should be delayed until 1.5 years.

The child must refuse one nap at least 14 times in a row to decide to switch to one nap

How?

If it becomes difficult for your baby to fall asleep during one of his dreams, it is important to start separating the dreams from each other. This is perhaps the only stage in which I agree with leaving dreams at 9 and 13.

Limit your morning nap to an hour if you see that it is difficult for you to take a second nap later. Protect the lunchtime nap first of all - if the baby sleeps only in the morning, then until the evening he will accumulate excess fatigue and then the night will be difficult.

Offer alternating days with one and two naps.

Don't forget about going to bed early in the evening. Switching to one nap is a huge adjustment and the baby will need time to adapt.

How much?

For another 2-3 months after switching to one nap, babies sleep “as before” for only 75-90 minutes. And only after a few months, sleep itself lengthens to 2-3 hours. Only after this can you return to bed later in the evening

It takes 4-6 months from the first signs of the transition to the final lengthening of sleep, do not rush this process, and remember, the later you make this transition, the easier it will be for the baby.

It would seem that we put so much effort into prolonging a child’s sleep, what could be contradictory about this? good sleep? However, here are a few points to consider:

• Prolonging sleep by breast/pumping/pacifier will not give a lasting effect and will only solve today’s problems, leaving tomorrow’s dreams in the same form as today;
• Sleeping while on the move greatly reduces the restorative effect of such a period of rest. Even if your baby slept for 2 hours in a rolling stroller/fitball, you can safely divide that time by 3 to get an idea of ​​the actual effect of that sleep. Remember how well you slept last time, falling asleep in a car/plane/bus?
• The baby will not sleep with maximum effect at any time. Numerous studies of children's circadian rhythms (internal clocks) have shown that highest quality sleep is achieved when the baby falls asleep between 8-10 am and 12-14 pm local time;
• Even a short nap during the day is better than that complete absence;
• Getting quality sleep during the day will ensure a more restful night's sleep and a more restful night's sleep.

The child’s nervous system is not able to withstand being awake all day long; if the child’s emotional and physiological strength is not restored during daytime sleep, then not only his mood, but also his well-being worsens.

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In order for young children to get used to the rhythm of life, to get used to many events and constant stress, it is necessary certain time and strength to strengthen the body. That is why a newborn sleeps a lot, and only with increasing age does the time of wakefulness increase, and the need for baby's nap time disappears.

Until about 4 years old, children sleep during the day. To protect them further, nap are necessarily introduced into the routine in the vast majority of kindergartens.

Children's daytime sleep after a year lasts approximately 3 hours, at 1.5-2 years - 2.5 hours, from 3 years and up school age(6-7 years old) the duration of daytime sleep for children usually recommended by experts is 2 hours.

Should children sleep during the day?

The natural need for daytime sleep in a growing child is not the same and depends on the activity of the baby, on the intensity of his day, on what time the child goes to bed and gets up. It is possible to put a child to sleep during the day if he is not hostile to this, but there is no need to force the child to sleep during the day. However, it is worth replacing children’s nap time with some other calm, relaxing activities or inactive games.

Many mothers worry that children need to be taught to sleep in the middle of the day so that there are no problems with this kindergarten. Don't worry too much about this. Quite often it happens that in a group setting - in a sanatorium, camp or kindergarten - a child easily accepts a daytime sleep schedule, despite the fact that at home at the same period of his life he does not seem to feel the need for it or cannot fall asleep.

If the child does not sleep during the day, he also feels normal good mood, then there is no reason to worry, your baby simply does not feel the need for daytime sleep. Night sleep also plays an important role here; in the absence of daytime sleep, it should be strong and calm, and there should be fewer problems with falling asleep.

If a child is clearly tired during the day, but cannot fall asleep and is very worried, if he has difficulty falling asleep in the evening, and often wakes up at night, then parents should pay close attention to this situation. Try going for a walk before bed fresh air. When I send the child to bed both in the evening and during the day, offer to read a fairy tale or turn on an audiobook or a CD with lullabies for the little ones. Analyze how comfortable the sleeping place is. Make sure the room is darkened (and have a night light for getting ready for bed in the evening), ventilate the nursery, make sure there is freshness bed linen. Please pay attention Special attention mattress. Orthopedic children's mattresses help not only with the formation of posture, but also provide a comfortable sleep. For children under 4 years of age, hard mattresses based on coconut coir are recommended; they have waterproof covers and do not absorb foreign odors. After 4 years, a new bed is usually purchased for a child to grow into; select an orthopedic spring massage to match it. Taking into account the fact that the models in stores are designed for ages from 4 to 16 years, the price of an orthopedic mattress for a child is more than affordable, especially since health and its basis - restful sleep - are priceless. If you don't see external reasons for problems with sleep, and your baby does not rest fully either day or night, it makes sense to seek advice from a child psychologist.

Why you shouldn't force your child to sleep during the day

If your baby resists naps, the time you wanted to give him rest will turn into a time for regular conflict, tension and mutual misunderstanding.

By putting your child to sleep during the day against his wishes, you can invite another “trouble-problem.” Children who have difficulty falling asleep during the day often have difficulty going to bed in the evening. First of all, it is difficult for them to fall asleep not because they are capricious, but because their body really does not want to sleep. In the second, a negative associative series is triggered. Dislike of daytime sleep extends to nighttime sleep.

Putting your child to sleep in the evening is often difficult, so you shouldn’t create additional difficulties for yourself because nap. If you notice your son or daughter’s need for rest or increased fatigue long before bedtime, then suggest trying to sleep during the day, read aloud, if the child does not fall asleep, then this time when he lies quietly will still be an opportunity to recuperate .

Hope

Sleep on demand: why can’t a child decide for himself whether to sleep during the day?

Can you imagine that a baby who has just learned to walk decides for himself what to wear to go outside? Without a hat in winter - why not, the child feels what is more comfortable for him. He determined his diet “on demand” in the first months of his life, why not give him the freedom to determine the pattern of his own dreams.

It sounds absurd. But in our practice we, baby sleep consultants, we often hear that some baby HIMSELF switched to one daytime nap at 10 months, or completely abandoned daytime sleep at 2 years. Most often, it is more correct in such a situation to say that the parents cannot, or do not consider it necessary, to put the baby to bed during the day according to what is optimal for him. age chart and ignore the benefits of daytime sleep.

How much sleep do children of different ages need during the day?

3-4 or more dreams (depending on their length) from birth until about 4 months

3 sleeps until 6-9 months of age

2 sleeps up to 15-18 months

1 nap until at least 4 years of age

Why is regular daytime sleep so important?

Why is it important for children to keep naps for as long as possible? A child's body from birth to 4-5 years is not physically adapted to being awake throughout the day. With a certain frequency, depending on age, the child experiences a loss of strength. And if he does not get rest with the same frequency, then the biological functions of his body are disrupted, which is expressed in emotional, physical and behavioral disorders.

The benefit of napping is to give the child's nervous system a break and briefly limit the flow of incoming information and have the opportunity to process it. It is known that impressions and new information are structured and formed in memory precisely in sleep. Children have a huge number of such impressions. Daytime nap allows the brain to assimilate everything useful that happened in the first half of the day, get rid of unnecessary information and free up memory capacity for the following knowledge. Thus, the ability to perceive in the afternoon after sleep increases significantly.

Sleeping when overtired is not the best quality sleep.

A very common misconception: the child will fall asleep on his own when he wants to sleep. But starting from pretty early age It is much more interesting for children to stay awake and communicate with their mother than to go to bed and switch off from active life for a couple of hours. If you don't put him to bed Having created the appropriate environment and with certain rituals, he will fall asleep on his own only when he is extremely tired - on the floor among toys, in a stroller, or in a high chair during meals.

Sleeping when overtired- not the best quality sleep. Cortisol, which is secreted by the child's adrenal glands in response to too long, stressful wakefulness, activates the flow of blood to the muscles. Cortisol complicates the processes of inhibition in the nervous system, prevents the body from completely relaxing for rest, simultaneously reducing immunity, inhibiting brain function and impairing memory acuity. Regular naps reduce cortisol levels, relieve stress from the nervous system, and allow children to better control their emotions and behavior.

Daytime sleep is inextricably linked to the quality of night sleep.

First, naps are beneficial because they help make up for sleep deprivation after a bad night, which happens to all young children from time to time, regardless of their temperament or ability to sleep continuously. Without the opportunity to sleep during the day, the baby runs the risk of accumulating sleep debt, and then temporary difficulties with sleep can become chronic. And there will be significantly more tears and whims during wakefulness.

And secondly, it is sufficient regular daytime sleep that allows the child to approach evening rituals in a relatively calm state, without stress and overwork. A well-rested child during the day falls asleep easier and sleeps more calmly and deeply at night, giving his parents the opportunity to recuperate and be fully prepared to face a new beautiful day.

The results of studies by pediatricians, psychologists and a neurologist have proven that daytime sleep is simply necessary for a child, as it ensures proper mental, intellectual and physical development.

According to Dr. E. Komarovsky, in modern pediatrics the following average daily need for sleep for children is accepted as the norm: up to 3 months - 16-20 hours; 6 months - 14.5 hours; 12 months - 13.5 hours; 2 years - 13 hours; 4 years - 11.5 hours; 6 years - 9.5 hours; 12 years - 8.5 hours.

But if, nevertheless, the duration of your baby’s sleep clearly does not reach the recommended norm, and at the same time he remains cheerful, cheerful and inquisitive, it means that he has individual norms.

The quality of a child’s daytime sleep directly depends on nutrition, activity during the day, comfort of a sleeping place, clothes for sleeping, cleanliness of the room, etc. So don’t waste your time proper nutrition, playing in the fresh air, cleaning and ventilating the room, making sure that the child’s bed is soft, dry and clean.

1. Sleeping during the day helps babies cope with emotions and impressions. Children's nervous system more susceptible to emotional overload. Daytime naps are considered the main method of preventing neurological and behavioral problems in children.

2. Daytime naps promote longer concentration. The baby becomes calm, maybe for a long time play independently and does not require special attention.

3. You should not hope that if your child does not sleep during the day, he will fall asleep faster in the evening and sleep longer at night. Quite the contrary: an overexcited baby cannot fall asleep for a long time, and then sleeps restlessly, which is a consequence of overworked nerve cells.

4. Regular daytime sleep has a positive effect on the quality of learning. The child is more inclined to accept new knowledge.

5. Daytime naps help strengthen the immune system.

6. Growth hormone is produced during sleep. It would be superfluous to explain how important this is for the child’s body.

If the child does not want to sleep during the day

1. A child’s categorical refusal to sleep during the day means that the baby is not physically tired or is emotionally excited. Increase the duration of walks in the fresh air in the first half of the day, play sports, take care of quiet activities and games before bed - drawing, reading a book, etc.

2. A child is not a wind-up machine that can be turned off with one movement by putting it to bed. The time to fall asleep depends on the age criterion: children aged 3-4 years fall asleep in half an hour, and children more than younger age This sometimes takes a whole hour. So don’t worry, and especially don’t be annoyed that your child is tossing and turning and doesn’t fall asleep for a long time. Adults are required to have calm persistence, patience and love.

3. To avoid disrupting your child's positive relationship with naps, never use the bed as a punishment.

4. Let the child have a toy that “sleeps” with him. Her presence will eventually help the baby fall asleep. If you are interested in renting children's clothes and toys, follow the link to view the information.

5. Make it a tradition to do certain things before bed. For example, eat, wash your hands, take your favorite toy, go to bed and listen to a fairy tale.

6. It helps a lot to organize a child's daytime sleep by following a daily routine - waking up, eating, playing, walking, sleeping. WITH in a certain order actions during the day, the body more easily perceives the transition to sleep. It is highly not recommended to follow a daily routine with scrupulous precision. If the child looks tired and is ready to go to bed, put him to bed a little earlier than usual, but if the baby is interested in playing or watching a cartoon, give him the opportunity to linger so that he can go to bed without tears, whims and hysterics. You should not keep your baby in bed if he woke up earlier than usual, just as you should not persistently wake him up if his daytime sleep is very deep. Focus more on his behavior rather than on the watch.

In conclusion, I would like to repeat that children's naps are the key to harmonious development: both physical andmental. The child's body is not able to stay awake normally throughout the day; it needs rest in the form of sleep.

Prepared by Maryana Chornovil

We teach you how to meet and make friends.

Start with learning how to approach other children and start a conversation. Show your child how it's done. Choose the most sociable and friendly child in the kindergarten group or in the yard. Approach with a smile and say: “Hello, my name is Petya. Can I play with you?

To sleep or not to sleep during the day? If for the mother of a newborn baby such a question does not even arise, then for the parents of a two-year-old toddler it becomes a painful choice. The child has learned to speak and now resists and protests with all his might. And many mothers refuse daytime sleep, believing that the child knows better what he needs.

The baby, indeed, can say that he wants (or does not want) to eat, but with sleep everything is much more complicated, because he cannot understand for himself that he is tired. And then the situation becomes familiar when the baby refuses to sleep during the day, and in the evening he begins to be capricious, disturbing the ears of both mother and father, and the residents of three more neighboring floors.

The child will not fall asleep better in the evening if he does not sleep during the day. Sleep is not wheat that is stored in a dark closet; it cannot be put off “for later.” And if you give up daytime sleep too early, you risk not only having difficulty falling asleep, but also feeling unwell. Sleep disturbances lead to fatigue, stunted growth and frequent colds.

Daytime sleep improves immunity, improves the quality of night sleep, and helps to “digest” the emotions received in the first half of the day. Children living in big cities really need daytime sleep - at the current pace of life, strength is spent faster and takes longer to recover.

Children sleep much more than adults. Newborns sleep 20 hours a day, a one-year-old baby sleeps twice during the day, and by the age of one and a half years he has one daytime nap of 2-2.5 hours. And it would be good to maintain this regime until school.

Some mothers suffer because the child does not sleep during the day, others because they cannot wake him up. To wake up or not to wake up if the baby sleeps for a very long time during the day? It depends on how the child behaves when he wakes up. If he sleeps well both day and night, it means he has such a great need for sleep. But if in the evening he begins to be capricious when going to bed, then it is better to wake him up earlier in the day. He hasn’t had enough time yet, hasn’t received the necessary portion of impressions, and you are already returning him to his crib. You need to wake him up gently and gently, without harsh sounds. If you are worried that he is not sleeping enough, you don’t have to wake him up, but then you should definitely go for a walk in the evening, or try putting him to bed earlier in the day, so that between daytime and evening sleep there was more time.

How to organize a daytime nap?

• First, give up pajamas; let him sleep only in a T-shirt and panties or diapers.
• Secondly, leave the curtains open; in the dark, the body will decide that night has come, and the child will sleep for six instead of two hours.
• Third, walk normally, not on tiptoes. A child is part of the family, and not the center of the Universe around which the planets of adults revolve. Although, of course, there is no point in shouting.
• And finally, while the baby is small, let him sleep more often during the day in the fresh air - on the balcony or in the park. Just make sure that the direct sun does not fall on the baby; he always needs to stay in the “lace shadow”.

When laying down during the day, as well as during the night, you can use rituals - certain words, intonations, toys, quiet music, the main thing is that they differ from the evening ones.
Watch your child, he usually starts rubbing his eyes and sulks at the same time, this best moment to carry him to his crib.

Daytime sleep can be interfered with by a stuffy nose, hunger, uncomfortable clothes, or a mother’s long absence. All problems can be easily fixed if you remember them.

Don't worry if your child misses a nap to go to a show or visit grandma. You have a completely correct regime if the baby is calm, active, does not cry, falls asleep quickly, sleeps soundly and wakes up cheerful. But if the “unwilling” person persists in his reluctance to sleep, watch him for a couple of days, if his vigor is “at the level”, then your baby has grown and become strong enough to become one step closer to the world of adults.