With a butterfly’s kiss,
And a ladybug’s hug,
Sleep tight little one,
Like a bug in a rug!

Sleep, a magical word – a necessity for all, and scarcity for parents. We all need sleep. Without enough sleep we all get cranky (even kids), and with time, unhealthy.

Agents Of Sleep

Regularity and routine are the two regulators of healthy sleep. Sleep is regulated by our 24-hour body clock during which it secretes melatonin to get us to sleep and cortisol to wake us up. The clock hits reset when we open our eyes every morning. Sleeping late can loop the clock out of sync.

During the early, years of a baby’s life, the brain is developing, physically and psychologically. It is normal to observe some transitions in sleep- wakefulness patterns in your child. As babies grow from toddlers to teenagers to adults, the 24-hour sleep cycle declines in its sleep- wakefulness ratio. The night-time and day-time sleep durations reduce as we grow in age.

In babies and adults, adequate sleep is extremely critical for memory consolidation, mood regulation, cognitive, behavioral, & physical functioning, and general well-being.

Sync Your Body Clock

Healthy sleep generally requires good quality, timing, appropriate duration, regularity, and most importantly the absence of any sort of sleep disorders and issues. Sleep related trouble could reflect through daytime sleep signs in your child such as falling asleep during the day or being extremely cranky, irritable, grouchy, or begin oversleeping when possible.
As adults, if we are sleep deprived, we keep yawning and dragging ourselves, children show more emotional dysregulation.

The ideal way to sync the body clock internally is for the child to be able to fall asleep when they want to. When children are able to do so without a parent being present, it is a positive sleep-onset behavior (with a pacifier, or a bunny). When children need the presence of a parent to fall asleep, even when they are wanting to sleep, is a negative sleep-onset behavior (such as rocking or feeding). It is in the scenario when a child needs a parent’s presence or interaction to fall asleep that insomnia could occur.

Sleepy Baby

Each night, people complete four to six sleep cycles. During each cycle the brain and the body go through a series of sleep stages of sleep and wakefulness. It is typical for everyone (adults and babies) after each cycle to experience partial waking.

During one of these normal wakings during nighttime, when a child can self-soothe (for example by cuddling a security blanket or toy or grabbing a pacifier), then they can sleep again on their own and start the next sleep cycle with ease. When the sleep-onset association isn’t established, a child does not easily fall back asleep following a night taking and needs to signal to a parent to soothe him/her to sleep.

Sleep deprivation can mimic symptoms of ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), as kids often struggle to concentrate or settle down, they tend not to listen to directions and display poor memory, and problem-solving abilities.

You Sleep When Your Baby Sleeps

When a baby turns 2 or 3 months old, they usually establish a regular rhythm in their pattern of sleep-wakefulness phases. During the ages of 1-4 years, babies and toddlers tend to take daytime naps and sleep during nighttime.

The number of naps decreases gradually from 2-3 to 1 by the time babies are 18 months old. When children are in the age group of 4-12 years, the sleep becomes largely nocturnal in nature (during night-time). As toddlers turn 5-6 years old, these daytime naps generally stop at number 1 or they go away altogether. Along with sleep duration, with age, sleep cycle and sleep architecture also change.

Sleep Hygiene

Among older children, packed routines – early school, extra-curricular activities schedules, social, and family life creates a sleep deficit. It is best and ultimately natural that the duration of sleeping time depends on the child. However, adequate hours of recommended sleep per day are mentioned below as a guideline, to function optimally:

• Infants (4 months – 1 year): 12 to 16 hours (including nap time)
• Toddlers (1-2 years): 11 to 14 hours (including nap time)
• Pre-schoolers (3-5 years): 10 to 13 hours (including nap time)
• Grade school-aged children (6-12 years): 9 to 12 hours
• Adolescents: 8 to 10 hours

These daily sleep requirements are ideal numbers, and the lower number is the absolute minimum that a child of that age group needs for efficient and healthy functioning.

The sleep needs undergo a change during the toddler and preschool years. By the time a child turns 2- 3 years old, most toddlers transition to sleeping on the bed from the cribs. They often do not look forward to bedtime as they don’t want to be away from their parents or guardian, or miss out on any fun family activities while they’re sleeping. As the child becomes a preschooler, the napping patterns slowly trail off. However, it is advisable to continue with at least an hour of relaxation or ‘quiet time’, even if not proper sleep, for the child at this age during the early afternoon.

Sleep Training

A highly effective, yet controversial concept, as parents as conscious of potential negative consequences of prolonged crying. Research evidence suggests that it is safe, however, the decision completely depends on the choice and comfort of the family.

Our holistic nocturnal sleep experience depends on our consistency, schedule, and daily routines. Establish appropriate and consistent sleep & wake-up timings for your children to create good sleep habits in the long term.

Parents must begin navigating self-soothing training for babies when they are 6 months old. It is essential to create a cool, calm, and comfortable environment for the baby to sleep in, play pacifying music, place a security object, separate feeding time from sleep time by moving the feeding session a bit earlier to the sleeping session. You can ensure that your baby is full and soothed at their own pace before they put themselves to sleep. Be present next to the and give occasional soothing rubs. Fulfill all of the babies’ physiological needs and distractions before preparing to sleep, like feeding, changing, and cleaning.

Bedtime Wishes

When I go to Sleep at Night
Bathed in Stars and Palest Light
I know an Angel guards my Room;
You might know Him as the Moon.
Without Fail, as Sun does Set,
My Dreams and I are gently Met
To be Looked Over all the Way,
Until We Meet Each Bright New Day.
-Ms Moem

One of the sweetest things is your baby falling asleep in your arms. Babies sleep and wake up with parents in the early months. Once your child begins to sleep in the crib, make it an early habit to put them to sleep directly in the crib. Stand next to the crib, sing to your child, pat your child, rub your child’s hand or leg, acknowledge them when they are going to sleep or when they wake up drowsy. Falling asleep in your secure arms and waking up alone in a crib is more jarring than crying to sleep during initial times.

Parent (as they turn on the night light): “I love you, it’s time to sleep and dream a little dream!”

Remember that this training means your baby ‘can’ sleep, not that they ‘will’ sleep.
It is a dream for parents to have their children all tuckered out by bedtime. Understanding the biology of sleep tells us a lot about how to manage our mind and body. You’re the expert when it comes to sending your baby to

dreamland. There is no model solution for all Abbies, every baby is different. In the next blog, we will talk about some recommendations for repeated trips to snooze-land!