As a parent, one of the most challenging and frustrating things I have experienced is helping a child sleep. Sleep is essential for children. Their rapidly growing bodies need rest more than we needs as adults. How much sleep do kids need in a 24 hour period?

• <1 years old: 15 hours
• 1-3 years old: 12-14 hours
• 3-6 years old: 10-12 hours
• 6-12 years old: 10-11 hours
• 12-18 Years old: 8-10 hours

Parents regularly report frustration to me regarding the sleep schedules, or lack thereof, that their children follow. There are several things parents can do to help their children sleep better. These suggestions are most helpful for younger children.

1. Establish a consistent bedtime. If a child goes to bed a 8pm one night, 10pm the next, 9pm the next, etc. the child’s body will not be conditioned to sleep at a consistent time. This can lead to grumpiness, and difficulty falling asleep. Set a firm time that you follow unless there are rare extenuating circumstances.
2. Follow a firm bedtime routine. This is especially important for younger children. Follow the routine each day for the 15-30 minutes before bedtime. The child’s system will become more ready for bedtime when the routine is followed. The child will generally have an easier time falling asleep at the established bedtime.
3. Parents call the shots. The most common reason I have parents report struggles is related to their child not wanting to go to bed, coming out of their room, etc. Set age-appropriate boundaries with your child regarding bedtime. If they break the boundaries, don’t let it slide. Get them back in bed. You might need to create positive and negative reinforcement strategies to help the boundaries be followed.
4. Don’t let your child sleep in. If your child has a tendency to sleep in, it may be necessary to wake the child up. Sleeping late can have a huge impact on the child’s ability to fall asleep at the established bedtime.
5. Avoid late naps. If a child takes a nap late in the day the child may struggle to fall asleep that night.
6. Use a white noise machine. Children can often wake up early in their sleep due to noises from those still awake in the house. It can help a lot to get a white noise machine to turn on in the child’s room. This can effectively mask the sounds that might wake them up. The noise machine can also soothe the child to sleep.
7. Avoid hunger and over-eating near bedtime. Don’t send a child to sleep hungry, or overly stuffed with food.