During infancy
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The sleep patterns of an infant varies with each child. The first three or four weeks, outside the womb, your infant will have intervals of long times of sleep and short. Your infant hasn’t made the distiction between night and day so he or she will wake in the night just the same as the day; only to wake to nurse and take care of hunger pains.
As your infant grows, you will notice, he or she will sleep less and stay awake longer. The periods of sleep will increase in length. Your child will be learning the difference between night and day as well.
This tendency to rest during his or her early days of life must not be disrupted; however, as your infant grows it is important to develope the practice of regular sleep schedules. Thus, encouraging good sleep habits during the night. In the young years, your child should nap for about two hours, give or take, during the day to regenerate their system. If the nap is taken later than dinner it could result in a bad nights sleep.
Do to your infants size, he or she will have a difficult time generating and amintaining his or her own body heat. Sometimes it is recommended the infant sleep with the parents. However, if your infant experiences disturbed and restless nights it is best to have him or her sleep in their own bed. Sometimes placed in the care of a nanny or relative staying with you, to be brought to you to nurse.
Taking these steps will help your infant get a good nights sleep, also this will ensure you get enough rest to preserve your health. In which case, if you lack in sleep, you could suffer from deragement, stress and tension, concluding your infant could also suffer from the affect such unstable health would put upon your milk.
At the age of one month to six weeks your child, if healthy, can sleep in a cradle or cot. Take care to dress your infant according to the temerature. The room should be around 60 degrees, position to cradle or cot so it is not exposed to cold currents of air. Sufficent blankets should be used to help maintain your babies body temperature. Until your child has developed the ability to produce and maintain his or her beat.
During sleep the the body slows, therefore he or she can become more susceptible to colds and viruses that can be injurious to your child. It is common for infants to develope inflammation of inner organs when exposed to drastic temperature changes. Not always will the true cause be connected to the illness.
However, great care should be taken. First, not to cover your infant with too many clostes or blankets that can inevitabily crowd your infants face. Your object is to provide your infant with plenty of warm pure air with nothing, such as blankets, to block access to your infants nose and mouth. Your goal is to provide the best atmosphere, of the whole room, should be kept warm and allow for free breathing. Taking extra care in the winter for good temperature control.
Some recommend your infant sleep on a feather bed until he or she is two years old. At the six month tombstone the pillow should be changed to horsehair. This is the time he or she begins teething and it is recommended to keep your infants head cool due to fever from teething.
During childhood
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At age three or four, your child should be encouraged to rest for about an hour beforedinner, after this period you can slowly discontinue the rest period. Keep in mind, that from infancy, all throughout childhood your child needs more sleep then at the adult age. Keeping your child on a regular sleep schedule, will ensure basically healthy life style.
There is no defined rule as to the specific number of hours is required; each child requires a different amount of sleep. The regularity of the rest period is the chief point to tend to, permitting nothing to interfere and when your child recieves this undisturbed sleep, waking in the morning on his or her own accord, will he or she get sufficient rest.
What state of health your child’s body is in, determines the amount of sleep required to preserve, heal and care for their body. Infants will pass a larger part of their day sleeping. Infants and young children will spend twelve to fourteen hours sleeping in a day, this includes naps and all night. Schoolage children can average about ten hours, as a youth will average a third of twenty four hours sleephing. As we age we require as little as four hours and as many as six sleeping, sometimes a little more.
A selfish and cruel act on a mother or father’s part is to indulge in her or his pleasures at the risk of the child’s health. Surprisingly, this happens often in relation to the sleep habits of children. For example; if there is an evening party, some parents will choose to keep their child up long after their bedtime so the parents can show him or her off. With this kind of excitement and disrupted sleep, the child will be extremely tired the next day.
Once your child awakes for the morning, he or she shouldn’t be permitted to linger in bed. this is the good habit of rising early to enjoy the day, and stopping the many serious issues which could effect their health. This also promotes good mental and physical health, and encouraging good habits of sleep will be most productive to longevity.
You should refrain from waking your child, except for in an emergency, do to the effects caused. The brain gets excited, the heart begins to quicken; if disturbed sleep continues, serious consequences could occur. The course of sleep and wake should be gradual.
There are two styles of beddings to consider; feather beds and mattress supporting bedding. Some experts feel it is best for infants to sleep on feather beds; however, as they grow move your child to a mattress. The reason being as the infant will benefit from the feathers providing the warmth he or she cannot generate yet. The young child will generate too much heat and will cause a dchain reaction and weaken his or her system causing hour child to be more susceptible to colds and viruses.
A good practice to incorporate is to change your habit to making the bed as soon as you climb out of it. Instead, while bedding is still saturated withsweat and dead skin cells; remove the bed covers, hanging them over chair backs. Shake the mattress if possible and open windows breifly to allow fresh air into the room and proper ventilation.
It is also a good practice not to allow your child to sleep with someone in ill health or with someone advanced in years. If, and when, it is possible your chld should occupy his or her own sleep space. Always remember to keep your child’s health and well-being first.