It is important to remember that toddlers need to rest and sleep in order to concentrate on all that they are doing. They are generally inquisitive, argumentative, and very imaginative, and are very good at dramatizing situations. They are developing tactics to hold parents' attention. Observing toddlers tired signs is crucial in helping them to establish good sleeping patterns. Research has highlighted the importance of sleep in the development of a baby's central nervous system and general baby development. There's also an indication that a healthy immune system is in part dependent on a baby having a sufficient amount of sleep.
Some interesting facts that relate to toddler sleep:
Sleep is a critical part of your toddler’s development.
Toddlers process what they have learnt during the day while sleeping.
Rest and restoration is crucial for the child and their caregiver.
The growth hormone is released from your child’s brain while they sleep.
A newborn needs a total of 17 hours sleep in a twenty four hour period;
a five year old needs 10-13 hours sleep.
Toddlers start to cut down the number of sleeps during the day from two
to one, to just having a quiet rest time during the day.
A sleep cycle increases from 40 minutes at two years to 60 minutes at
five years.
Toddlers generally stir and wake during their sleep cycles. If
they are used to their parent patting, rocking or feeding them to sleep, they
may not be able to resettle themselves when they wake.
This skill of self-settling is a learnt skill; some children learn this
easily while others struggle and take longer to master this it.
Your child’s behavior is often a guide as to whether they are
getting enough sleep.
Toddlers all show tiredness
in different ways, some common tired signs may include staring, yawning, whining
or crying, clumsiness, lethargy or increased irritability. Toddlers may also display
tiredness by getting over excited and running rampant around the house,
sometimes until they are almost hysterical. Tired signs are unique to each
individual child.Babies need twice as much sleep as adults. Brain development takes place during sleep. The amount of sleep a baby has will affect his moods, alertness, and ability to concentrate and participate in his environment. The number of hours babies sleep is essential for brain development. Quality periods of sleep are just as important to your baby as the nourishment he gets.
Bed time this is a great way to let dad be involved with the child more. It’s a great time for bonding and will bring them closer together
Here are some reasons why giving Dad bedtime is a good idea:
Breakdown. Many men have a hard time getting in touch with their own intuitive
ability to parent. Bedtime is the perfect time to break down these internal
barriers. The feeling of your child cuddling next to you while you read a
picture book out loud is powerful enough to soften the hardest heart (that
would be mine).
Big body. Over time I’ve realized that having more surface area on which to lay a
sleepy head is a big advantage. If you learn to sway your hips or rock in a
chair, a baby will sleep in Dad’s arms like no place else.
Male bonding. Kids need “alone time” with their dads. Moms have unique gifts to bestow
on children, but so do dads. Let them. Dad won’t do it the way you would, but
that is the whole point.
Doing instead of feeling. As dads we really like to do stuff, and we tend to like the
structure of routines. At bedtimes there is a lot to be done, and the routine
gives a child of any age a sense of comfort that allows him or her to get to
sleep. The routine is something that we as dads can make up on our own and then
hide behind when we aren’t ready to feel too much. The day will come – or at
least it did for me – when there is a deep stirring in the soul, an “Oh, yeah
now I get it!” moment with tears of love and joy dripping down our pathetic
faces in recognition of how much we adore the very feeling of our children. But
until then, we have a chance just to get to work.
Carryover. If Dad develops a bedtime routine, the bonding that happens during that
hour is likely to spill over into the next day. The feeling of looking down and
seeing my son and realizing I always wanted to be a father and was missing it
changed me forever. I know many
men who feel the same way.
So now you
know how why in later blogs I will tell you how to set up a bedtime routine which can help put your little one to sleep like a baby
