Sleep

There isnt a time when parents have'nt despaired because they are suffering for lack of sleep.
Sleep or lack of it is probably the most discussed baby issue, 'how can i get baby to sleep?'
'how much sleep should my baby have?' etc etc.
Mums and dads resemble the waking dead, and baby just keeps crying.

sleep dont always end with a growing child's move from the cot to the bed.
Instead of cries, it's pleas or refusals.
Instead of waking for a feed, it's a story request, or he wants a drink, or even had a bad dream.

So how do you get your child to bed without all the tactics, and pleas?
How should you respond when he wakes in the middle of the night?
And how much sleep is does a child need?

Most childrens sleep needs fall within a set number of hours based on their age, but each child is unique with individual sleep needs.
Here are some approximate sleep hours according to age, and some hints and tips on how to promote better sleep.

Newborns

There is no set sleep pattern for newborns, they have no internal clock in place yet.
They typically drowse for about 14-20 hours a day, equally spaced between night and day.
Newborns should wake every 3 to 4 hours until their weight gain is established,  which typically happens within the first couple of weeks.
After that, it's OK if a baby sleeps for longer periods of time.
new babies longest sleeps are generally 4 or 5 hours, their tiny tummys cant last longer between feeds.

3 months

Just when you think you are never going to have a full nights sleep again, babys sleep starts to shift more to sleeping at night.
At 3 months, a baby averages 5 hours of sleep during the day and 10 hours at night give or take, with feed breaks.
About 90% of babies this age sleep through the night, meaning 6 to 8 hours in a row.

But it's worth knowing that babies aren't always awake when they sound like they are; they can cry and make all sorts of other noises during light sleep.
Even if they do wake up in the night, they may only be awake for a few minutes before falling asleep again on their own.
It's best if babies learn early to get themselves to sleep, so let your baby try.

If a baby under 6 months old crys for several minutes, then it's time to respond.
Your baby may be genuinely uncomfortable: hungry, wet, cold or poorly
But waking at night for changing and feeding should be as quick and quiet as possible.
Don't provide any unnecessary stimulation, such as talking, playing, or turning on the lights.
Show him as soon as possible that night is for sleeping, not for play.
You HAVE to teach this because baby doesn't care what time it is as long as he gets everything he wants.

Ideally, your baby should be placed in the cot before falling asleep.
And it's never too early to put into place a simple bedtime routine.
A warm bath, cuddles and gentle calmness in the same order each night, can make up the routine.
Your baby will associate these with sleeping, and they'll help him or her wind down.
You want your child to fall asleep independently, and a routine encourages babies to go back to sleep if they should wake up in the middle of the night.

Try not to rock baby to sleep or he will associate this with being the way to fall asleep, and the aim is that he is put down awake to settle alone.

Six to twelve months

At 6 months, an Infant can nap about 3 hours during the day and sleep about 11 hours at night.
At this age, you can begin to change the way to respond to an infant who awakens and cries during the night.

You can give babies at this age 5 minutes to settle down on their own and go back to sleep.
If they don't, you can comfort them without picking them up (Pat or rub their backs, and make shhh sound), then leave — unless they appear to be poorly.
A sick baby will need to be picked up and given comfort.

If your baby doesn't seem sick but still cries, you can wait a little longer than 5 minutes, then repeat the pat,rub, shhh method.
After several days, your baby should find it easier to get back to sleep on his or her own.
But if your 6-month-old continues to wake up five or six times each night, talk to your doctor.

The rules for night time waking stay the same right through to baby's first birthday:
Don't pick baby up, dont turn on the lights, dont sing, talk, play, or feed your child.
All of these activities encourage repeat waking behavior, and breaking routine can feed an infant anxiety.

If baby wakes its ok to check nappy, make sure he isnt poorly then leave, if he keeps waking.. then go back to the 5 minutes routine,he will soon restart to happily settle alone.

1 to 3 Years

1 to 3 Years
From ages 1 to 3, most toddlers sleep about 10 to 13 hours.
Separation anxiety, can motivate a child to stay awake. So can simple toddler-style contrariness.

Note the time of night when your toddler begins to show signs of sleepiness, and try establishing this as his or her regular bedtime.
And you don't have to force a 2- or 3-year-old child to nap during the day unless yours gets cranky and overly tired.

Parents sometimes make the mistake of thinking that keeping a child up will make him or her sleepier for bedtime.
In fact, though, kids can have a harder time sleeping if they're overtired.

Establishing a bedtime routine helps kids relax and get ready for sleep.
For a toddler, the routine may be from 15 to 30 minutes long and include calming activities such as reading a story, bathing, and listening to soft music.

Whatever the nightly ritual is, your toddler will probably insist that it be the same every night.
Just don't allow rituals to become too long or too complicated.
Whenever possible, let your toddler make bedtime choices within the routine:
which stuffed animal to take to bed, what story to have read.
This gives your little one a sense of control over the routine.

Teething can wake your child at this age, or the first active dreams, in this case somfort the child, then allow to settle.
At this age be very careful about what tv shows the child sees, these can be the cause of nitemares.

preschool 3-5 years

Preschoolers sleep about 10 to 12 hours per night, but there's no reason to be completely rigid about which 10 to 12 hours they are.
A 5-year-old who gets adequate rest at night no longer needs a daytime nap.
Instead, a quiet time may be substituted.
Also have a bedtime pack ready in case of nitemares, something to settle the child.
a torch and drink and a book will help on the occasional wakeful night.

School-Age Children and Preteens

Kids ages 6 to 9 need about 10 hours of sleep a night.
Bedtime difficulties can arise at this age from a child's need for private time with parents, without siblings around.
Try to make a little private time just before bedtime and use it to share confidences and have small discussions,
which will also prepare your child for sleep.

Children ages 10 to 12 need a little over 9 hours of sleep a night.
But it's up to parents to judge the exact amount of rest their children need and see that they're in bed in time for sufficient sleep.

Lack of sleep for kids can cause irritable or hyper types of behavior and can also make a condition like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) worse.

Teens

Teens still need a good 8 hours sleep, the energy needed to cope with the stress of puberty/exams etc,
is taken from sleep and a good diet.
A lot of teens will fight against sleep thinking they are 'old' enough to decide alone what they need,
and in a few things this can be agreed, but not on sleep.
Over tiredness can lead to experimenting with drug use, alcohol and other destructive lifestyles.