What?! Does this mean I’ve been fighting my child to go to sleep during the day for NOTHING? Apparently so, according to an article on www.kidspot.com.au.
According to the article, napping after the age of two could be impacting the quality of sleep our kids are getting at night – which in turn can affect things like behaviour, cognition and physical health.
The article goes on to say this: “For many parents a nap can mean later night time bed times. New guidelines from the National Sleep Foundation suggest that toddlers (aged three to five) need between 10 and 13 hours of sleep a day. But does it make a difference what time they are catching that sleep? Maybe.
Generally, children start getting most of the sleep they need at night by the age of two. Now US research claims that a daytime nap after the age of two may actually cause poorer sleep quality in young children.”
“Parents should not assume that day sleep and night sleep are the same and therefore by giving them a nap they’re getting more sleep, because that doesn’t happen,” says Professor Thorpe from the Queensland University of Technology.
“It’s up to parents to know if each individual child really needs a sleep on any given day. It should not be forced or regulated. By the age of three, the majority of children no longer need naps at all!”
Well that’s a relief… I’m still not convinced though. My three-year-old fights his daytime sleep but when he doesn’t have it he’s grumpy as anything and falls asleep in the car on the way home! I guess you can’t win either way!
By Sarah Mackintosh.