Going to bed at right time is a must for healthy growth and development of children. When should children go to bed? Read on to find more about the best bedtime for children.If you have children at home, you will know how difficult it is to get them to sleep at night. Kids are so charged up and full of energy in the evening that it seems next to impossible to get them to relax and fall asleep at night.
As a matter of fact, you may expect
tantrums the moment you mention bedtime to them. However, a fixed sleep routine is a must for kids, especially if they are going to school. Like adults, inadequate sleep can make them cranky or cause
behavioural problems. If they are going to school, they might find it tough to concentrate on their studies and feel fatigued all the time.
How much sleep does your child actually need?
It can be very difficult to definitively state exactly the duration and optimum time when you should put your kids to bed. This is largely because different age groups have different requirements when it comes to sleep. A newborn child will of course need to sleep longer than a toddler of say, 2 years old. However, it would still be wrong to generalise within the same age group. For instance, two kids of the same age might have different sleep schedules; the amount of sleep a child needs will also depend on the extent of her activities throughout the day.
A standard sleep schedule
Although, it would be wrong to generalise, the schedule below provides a basic idea of how much sleep your child needs. Statistics show that the best time to put your child to bed would be between 7 p.m and 9 p.m. While newborns sleep for about 14 hours to 17 hours, infants between the age of four and eleven months would be sleeping for about 15 hours on an average. Toddlers usually sleep for about eleven to fourteen hours; preschoolers would be sleeping for about 13 hours. Children going to school would sleep for around 11 hours.
How to determine best bedtime for kids?
Based on the sleep chart, as you calculate the apt
bedtime for your kid, always think backwards – when does your kid have to wake up? Calculate backwards depending on how much sleep they should get. If your child goes to school, make sure that you take into account the time it takes for you to get her ready. Also keep in mind that no matter when you put them to sleep, most kids get up early naturally. Thus extending their bedtime unnecessarily would only result in them getting less sleep than recommended; and we all know what inadequate sleep does to a child.
Bedtime for newborns
When it comes to newborns, it can be difficult to establish a standard sleep schedule – which is hard on both the child and the parent. In newborns, their internal clock is barely developed; a newborn cannot tell night from day! You will notice how a newborn sleeps almost throughout the day. They sleep for almost about 70 % of the day; and the schedule does not really matter as long as they get the requisite sleep. However, as your child grows older, it is important to
inculcate a sense of routine from an early age.
Why are bedtimes important?
As doctors around the world have stated, and as the sleep chart above claims, children, on an average, need about 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night. If that really is the case, it would be best if you could tuck your kids in by 8 p.m. With bedtimes starting from about 7:30 – 8 p.m, early dinners are also recommended. A scheduled bedtime would ensure that your child receives exactly the amount of sleep he or she needs and is able to successfully carry out tasks throughout the day.
It can be difficult to determine exactly how much sleep your child needs; however, the chart above may be of some help. While you would know what is best for your child, scheduled sleep patterns would help your kids out in the long run.
When should children go to bed? For how many hours should children sleep? Why do children need adequate sleep? Discuss here. 
