Insomnia runs in my family. My grandmother never even goes to bed but just falls asleep in her chair, on the sofa or wherever she might happen to be. I get e-mails from my mom that are time stamped 3:43 am. Even though I have two kids 4 and under, I haven’t gone to bed while it was still “p.m.” since my own childhood.
I guess it should come as no surprise to me then that my kids are also allergic to sleep. Each of my daughters gave up naps at 18 months old. They didn’t just give up their morning nap, like most kids do around that age. They gave up NAPS. Period. Not so coincidentally, it was around this time that I gave up housework.
However, studies show that unlike eating, intuition is not a good guide for deciding how much sleep your kids, and maybe even you need. The National Sleep Foundation sets these guidelines for sleep quantity:
Infants 3-11 months: 9-12 hours (and additional naps)
Toddlers 1-3 years old: 12-14 hours
Preschoolers 3-5 years old: 11 -13 hours
School age 5-12 years old: 10-11 hours
Teenagers: 8.5-9.25 hours
Adults: 7-9 hours
Experts say that enforcing a regular bedtime is the best way to ensure that you and your kids are getting enough sleep. Establish a bedtime routine, and move it up as early as need be to make sure your kids are hitting their sleep quotas.
As for me, I’ve enlisted my husband to drag me kicking and screaming to bed each night, regardless of how I might whine and plead. At least Leno’s on earlier, right?
Comments
Pearl
October 12th, 2009 - 9:35:35 AM
It's crazy because I don't think I consider 7 hours of sleep "normal" - those are my sleep-in days!
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