When Should Children Stop Sleeping During The Day?

Parents often ask themselves when their children should stop sleeping during the day. It is important to remember that this varies from child to child. It depends, among other things, on their age and their daily activity.

Infants generally take between 5 and 6 naps a day in the beginning, but the number decreases during the first year. Between the ages of 15 and 18 months, it is common for them to take two short naps. However, it is also possible that they want to skip the second bedtime when they are two years old.

However, the average age to stop sleeping in the afternoon is between 3 and 4 years of age. As we mentioned earlier, all children have different needs when it comes to naps. This also depends on the quality and quantity of their sleep throughout the day.

Keep in mind that children need between 12 and 14 hours of sleep each day. When children sleep less than that, it is usually to go to preschool or because they have already started school. Then it is a good idea to take a nap after lunch. Several preschools offer children the opportunity to rest after lunch. It’s a good time to recover some energy.

Several benefits of sleep for children

What are some of the benefits that children get from sleeping a few hours during the day? These are the most important:

• Improves memory.
• Optimizes psychological and social performance.
• Stimulates imagination and creativity.
• Improves school performance.
• Reduces irritability.
• Increases concentration.
• Stimulates growth.

Signs that it is time to stop sleeping during the day

How do you know when children are ready to stop sleeping during the day? These behaviors can be clear signals:

• It is difficult for them to fall asleep when it is time for their nap. In general, they do not seem tired. This is the classic sign that your children may be getting ready to stop taking naps.

• It takes a long time to fall asleep at bedtime.
• They skip the afternoon nap and it does not seem to affect them. They are not annoying, do not seem tired and have no problem sleeping at night. This is an unequivocal sign that they no longer need an afternoon nap.

Tips for managing the transition

As your child gets older, he or she can stay awake longer because it is easier to stay awake. Sometimes young children have difficulty sleeping at night. Parents can, by removing the afternoon nap or by limiting its length, help them sleep better at night.

The transition from a nap to no one needs to be complicated or difficult. It is said that there are no definitive rules about how long children should sleep during the day. This varies from one child to another, and it depends on their age. It also depends on how active your child is during the day. A child who runs and plays a lot outside will need more rest, but at the same time a child who has a very low activity level will probably want to sleep more.

Some children may stop sleeping during the day when they are 1 year old and will almost never need an afternoon nap after that. Others may need to make this transition more gradual. School-age children do not usually sleep after lunch, ie if they get at least 12 hours of sleep at night.

You do not have to force your child to sleep during the day

You should not insist that your children sleep during the day. If they do not want to, even if you think they need it, do not force them to sleep. Of course, this is true as long as your children can handle it and have no problem sleeping at night.

You should only worry if your children have any of these symptoms:

• they wake up with a headache
• they have difficulty waking up in the morning
• they seem tired during the day
• or they have severe difficulty concentrating.

It is important to remember that you should make this transition as gradually as possible. Always consider the specific needs of your children. In this way, the change does not affect their health and well-being.