Think of your child as a roller coaster. All day long he loops around, twisting and whirling from school to activities, from playing at home to errands with you. Sometimes he’ll go at lightning speed, other times he may take the turns a bit more slowly. (And on the craziest of days he may even be upside down!)
But even the biggest, fastest roller coasters need something to power it. Before it can go on it’s journey, the roller coaster slowly travels up a big hill, gaining potential energy as it goes, preparing for the fun ahead. And that’s what a good night sleep is to your preschooler. Without enough rest, your little one can lose steam and stall in the middle of the day -- a derailment.
On average, preschoolers need between 11 and 13 hours of sleep each night to prepare them for the day ahead. Unfortunately, that isn’t what they always get. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, one-third of children have not gotten enough sleep the night before on any given day. And don’t think your child’s lack of snooze time habits only affect him -- parents lose about 200 hours of sleep per year due to their child’s poor sleep habits. If your child isn’t sleeping through the night -- neither are you!
Not getting enough zzz’s can lead to lots of long and short term issues for your child, including health, safety and their development.
Aside from being cranky the next day, tired kids tend to get stressed more easily. A never-ending cycle, kids that have a lot of stress tend to have trouble sleeping. They get hurt more often and are more vulnerable to illnesses.
The good news is, more than often than not, your child’s sleep problems are an easy fix.
Next: How to help your child sleep better.
