Kansas City,
12
April
2016
|
12:47 PM
America/Chicago

Giving up naps

A child's sleep patterns can change and develop just as fast as they do

Dr. Kevin Smith

From birth, a child progresses at an individual pace on a continuum of sleep, moving from many hours of sleep to naps and then to only nighttime sleeping. Deciphering what is best for a child regarding sleep and naps can be difficult.

Sleep time and naps will decrease as a child gets older. “Most children are napping at age 3, 60 percent around age 4 and 25 percent around age 5,” says Dr. Kevin Smith, pediatric psychologist at Children’s Mercy Sleep Disorders Center.

According to Dr. Smith, infants will nap two to five hours per day, with a single nap lasting from 30 minutes to two hours.

“Poor sleep can negatively impact most aspects of a child’s functioning, which include mood, focusing attention, interpersonal relationships, learning, physical health and development and weight,” Dr. Smith says. 

Dr. Smith notes that if the trend turns to playing during naptime, or you encounter a repeated struggle or increasingly more difficulty getting a child to nap, then it might be time to forgo a nap.

Read the full story via KC Parent.

Learn more about Children's Mercy's Sleep Disorders Program.