Friday, September 13, 2013

How much sleep should children 3-5 get?

My son is five years old, and started kindergarten a few weeks ago.  I am worried about him as he's been really grumpy!  He told me today he wants to have a taxi take us to Amtrak and he wants to go on a sleeper train.  This summer we had gone to LA, CA and to Eugene, Oregon on the sleeper train, he loved it!  I think he is overtired, his Kindergarten goes from 8:30 to 1:30, which is shorter than many Kindergarten's in my area, yet I think it is still too long and tiring for my son.  I researched the National Sleep Foundation, and they recommend that children 3-5 years old get 11-13 hours of sleep (including naps for children 5 years of age!)

The National Sleep Foundation claims, "Sleep is a vital need, essential to child's health and growth.  Sleep promotes alertness, memory, and performance.  Children who get enough sleep are more likely to function better and are less prone to behavioral problems and moodiness."

I know after doing research that my son needs more sleep!  I wish kindergarten's incorporated rest time in their schedule!

Resources:

www.sleepforkids.org/html/sheet.html

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