{"id":31973,"date":"2024-04-02T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-02T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.saatva.com\/?p=31973"},"modified":"2024-03-25T15:11:20","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:11:20","slug":"when-do-kids-stop-getting-naptime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/when-do-kids-stop-getting-naptime\/","title":{"rendered":"Children and Naps: A Primer for Parents"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There\u2019s an interesting contradiction when it comes to sleep and babies<\/a>: While infancy is a time of acute sleep deprivation for new parents, babies actually need lots<\/em> of sleep all throughout a 24-hour period; in fact, they sleep more hours than they don’t sleep in a 24-hour window. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For new babies, sleep comes in the form of naps\u2014and lots of them\u2014and kids continue to take naps through the toddler years and, for some, the preschool years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But why do kids need to nap, when do they stop napping, and how can you help them nap (and adopt healthy sleep practices in those first few years of life)? Below is a primer with insights from a pediatrician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do kids need to nap?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNaps are essential for a child\u2019s proper development, mood, and physical health,\u201d says Ashanti Woods<\/a>, MD, a pediatrician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In part, children need naps to meet their sleep needs<\/a>\u2014which is essentially the amount of sleep they need in a 24-hour window. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meeting childrens’ sleep needs is important. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) notes<\/a> that regular sleep deprivation in children can contribute to everything from irritability to depression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cNaps are essential for a child\u2019s proper development, mood, and physical health.”<\/p>\nAshanti Woods, MD, a pediatrician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The group also states that \u201cchildren who get enough sleep have a healthier immune system and better school performance, behavior, memory, and mental health<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, proper sleep is crucial for brain development and physical growth beginning in infancy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many naps does my child need?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That depends a lot on how old they are! The number of naps your child needs and the duration of their naps changes as kids grow older. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there are various resources out there that provide education around (and even guidelines for) infant and toddler sleep, baby\/toddler sleep is not one size fits all, nor can it be prescriptive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, there are<\/em> some general basics worth understanding. \u201cAs a rule of thumb, the younger the child (including infancy), the longer the sleep requirement,\u201d says Woods. \u201cAs children get older, the number of naps and the length of naps decreases.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why? Small babies, for example, have tiny stomachs and need to eat (pretty much) around the clock, meaning that they wake every few hours (or more frequently) to feed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is developmentally normal, healthy, and necessary. As kids grow (and their stomachs grow!), they can go longer and longer without feeds, which helps them sleep longer overnight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infants also don\u2019t begin to secret the sleep hormone melatonin<\/a>, which helps cue the body for overnight sleep and helps the circadian rhythm<\/a> determine between day and night,\u00a0until about 3 to 4 months of age<\/a>, meaning that before then, their bodies do not know the difference between night and day, so they sleep on and off around the clock.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As children\u2019s bodies adapt to the world around them and melatonin production kicks in, children\u2019s circadian rhythms strengthen and they begin to know the difference between day and night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, part of figuring out how many naps your child needs comes down to knowing how many hours of sleep they need\u00a0in general\u00a0<\/em>each day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>\u00a0notes that babies of different ages have different sleep requirements in 24 hours throughout their first few years of life:<\/p>\n\n\n\n