Is Your Child Sleeping Enough, or Too Much?

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Do you always have the dilemma where your kids wake up too early? Do you sometimes wish that your children will sleep a little longer in the mornings? If so, this article is perfect for you.

Kids who wake up very early in the morning tend to feel tired early during the day and may become cranky. This is a bad thing for most kids because tired kids are the most difficult type of kids to handle and they are most likely the unhappiest kids.

How Sleep Is Essential for Children

Sleep is very important for growing children, however, a good night's sleep is the most important sleep a kid should have. Teaching kids how to sleep early and lead them into good sleeping patterns. This will benefit your growing child not only in his current age but also in the future. Having a good sleeping pattern contributes to positive effects on physical, emotional, and mental health. 

Also, getting enough sleep equates to having a healthier child. A night of good sleep will result in a happier, and more focused children. However, if your child tends to wake up in the middle of the night or too early in the morning, it might cause your child to act grumpy the whole day and might end up having bad behavior. Another fact that you need to know about kids who wake up too early is they can be overtired by bedtime. Being overtired can make it hard for them to sleep at night. Falling asleep when you're being too tired is as hard as falling asleep when you are not feeling sleepy at all. 

If your child wakes up too early in the morning, you can always tuck them back to bed and let them sleep later in the morning. This is for kids who still don't go to school yet. However, for school-age kids, you can always opt for a more effective bed time at night so they wake up at the right time the next morning. 

To be more aware of how many hours a child should be sleeping at their age, here are the appropriate hours of sleep a child should get:

• Newborn to two-month-old babies require 16-18 hours of sleep in a 24-hour time frame

• 2-4 month-old babies need 14-16 hours of sleep

• 4-6 month-old babies need 14-15 hours of sleep 

• 6-12 month-old babies need 14 hours of sleep

• 1-2 years-old kids need 13-14 hours of sleep

• 2-3 years-old kids need 12-14 hours of sleep

• 3-5  years-old kids need 11-13 hours of sleep

• 5-12 years-old kids need 10-11 hours of sleep

A sleep chart will also help kids and parents alike to monitor their sleeping hours at night. This is one of the most effective ways of tracking your kid's sleeping hours and can help you determine if they lack sleep or sleep too much. 

Also, if your kids happen to wake up early before their waking time, let's say their wake up time is 7 A.M, you can always set a rule that no one will leave their room or bunks before that time. This is also for safety reasons for kids to not play around the house without adult supervision. It is also effective if you teach your children what time should they wake up for them to make it a habit.