Ideal Nap Times: How Long Should Your Child Nap For?

New parents learn early on that a child requires a certain amount of sleep during the day apart from the rest at night, which depends on the age of the little one. A short nap can give the baby a proper amount of downtime so that he or she can remain active throughout the day. Another benefit of having a small session of sleep is that it helps them from being overtired, thereby improving the child’s mood. The parents, especially the mother, can recuperate while the baby takes a nap and get some rest on a high-quality mattress in Dubai. Given below are some advantages of a nap and how long the baby should get shuteye in the day:

Sleep Is Proportional To Age

According to medical sources, there is no hard and fast rule that governs the amount of sleep a kid should get during the day. It usually depends on the child’s age and how much sleep they have had over the night. Some children sleep 12 hours at night with a bit of napping during the day, while others get 10 hours of sleep at night and compensate with a long nap in the day.

Until Six Months: Small children under the age of six months require a large amount of sleep, which adds up to an average of 15 hours per day. Infants tend to wake up every 2 hours to eat and spend the rest of the time dozing. Babies usually take about two to three naps a day, each one totaling about 2 hours. Once the child grows to about four months, the sleep cycle becomes more regularized, and they wake up at set intervals to feed.

One-Three Years: The children belonging to this age group are called toddlers and are more active than their younger selves. These kids require about 12 hours of sleep, including a nap in the afternoon that lasts for about 2 hours. The toddlers take more than one nap, and it is essential to make sure that their nap does not interfere with the sleep they get at night.

Preschool Tots: The children in this group fall between the ages of three and five, and they require a steady night-time sleep of at least 11 hours. It is a good idea for them to get about 1 hour of nap during the afternoon so that they are active throughout the day. When the child reaches about five years of age, they tend to stop napping during the day and sleep at night alone.

School Going Kids: Those tots who are of school going age (5-12 years) need a minimum of 10 hours of sleep at night. These children may choose to nap in the afternoon, and if they don’t opt for this, it is a good idea to put them to bed earlier. Since they attend school, there is a chance that these kids are tired by the end of the day and sleep longer hours.

Know When It’s Time

Your toddler will give a set of signs when they are ready for a nap on a memory foam mattress in Dubai. Young children will begin to blink their eyes, and older ones will start to get cranky. As a parent, you must be aware of these telltale signals that indicate the need for a nap. If your kid rubs their eyes persistently or starts to cry even after being fed, then it may be time for them to start napping.

Napping Environment

It is a good idea to put the child in the same surroundings for each nap. Do not interchange the place of the nap from the crib to a bed as the toddler gets used to the area in which they sleep and can get a better quality nap. Parents can’t compel children to take a nap but half the job is done by providing the right environment.

Ensure Proper Napping

One of the things that a parent might do is stop a child from napping during the day to get a better sleep cycle at night. This is not an ideal habit as the child might become restless and stressed, which could directly affect their sleep at night. A good alternative is to start the nap at an earlier time or reduce the hours of napping. It is always best to get the right amount of nap for the toddler earlier in the day and not close to night-time.

The best way to ensure that your toddler gets a good night’s rest and enough time to nap is by buying a mattress in Abu Dhabi. At Magniflex, you can choose the perfect mattress for your child and ensure that they get to nap in comfort.