A good night’s sleep is not only beneficial but also essential for both adults and kids. Sleep affects both physical and mental wellbeing and is critical to your health.
While it is true that sleep helps us feel rested and rejuvenated, the benefits don’t just stop there.
An uninterrupted good night’s sleep is of utmost importance, especially for babies.
While we sleep our internal organs are hard at work rebuilding and renewing damaged cells. In the case of young children, their bodies use this time to grow.
Slumber benefits for babies
As little ones sleep, their bodies release a growth hormone which encourages normal physical growth and development while they slumber.
Another reason sleep is beneficial to children is because their brains need this time to process all the things they’ve done, seen and learnt during the day – which aids in the development of concentration power in young children and even babies.
It is proven that babies who sleep better are more enthusiastic about interacting with others, able to concentrate more, are more alert and generally more sociable with those around them1.
A Mum will also benefit when her baby sleeps better.
Something mums would definitely notice is that after a good night’s sleep, their little one starts his day more alert and happier in general.
He is also more positive about interacting with others, and is eager about playing and exploring.
Baby care expert Rachel Waddilove comments:
I have seen that the better sleep baby has, the happier he will be in the day. When a baby has slept well at night he will stay happy and awake for longer in the day and you will find you can take him out to friends or baby groups and he will be a delight to be with. This will have a very positive effect on you and you will feel confident with your baby, feel enormously proud of him and take him anywhere, which in turn has a positive effect on baby!
A well rested baby is more alert and interactive in the morning.
How much sleep should a baby get?
According to Web MD, this is a general guideline of how much sleep your baby should be getting:
1-4 weeks: 15 to 16 hours per day
A newborn’s internal biological clock is still very immature, therefore at first they wake up and sleep for shorter periods of time.
If you have a colicky baby, you may notice he sleeps for a shorter period of time, whereas premature babies would sleep for a longer period of time.
1-12 months: 14 to 15 hours per day
By around 6 weeks and once your baby gets accustomed to a routine, you will notice a regular sleep pattern emerging.
He will tend to be more alert during the day and sleep for a longer period of time in the night, only waking up for feeds.
As your baby gets older, it is very important to establish healthy sleeping patterns. By around 6 months of age your baby would typically be having 2 naps a day not including the night.
1-3 years: 12 to 14 hours per day
Although this is the ideal number of hours of sleep a toddler should be getting, most toddlers get only about 10 hours of sleep as some would skip a daytime nap.
However others of this age would still be having a 1 to 3 hours of sleep during the day.
Dream Mornings start with dry nights
Wetness is one of the main reasons babies wake up at night
Even before a baby’s internal clock has been established, they wake up when they are either hungry or wet.
As your baby grows and establishes a regular routine of feeding and sleeping, he will usually have a longer feed in the night and sleep longer.
Given this then, the most common reason for your baby to wake up in the night is because he is wet, uncomfortable and needs a change.
Baby Sleep Expert, Dr Luci Wiggs comments:
Ensuring that babies are dry at night may be one way to help prevent babies’ sleep from being unnecessarily disturbed and, as such, may help to play a role in promoting a babies’ ability for optimal positive daytime interactions.
Needless to say, the type of diaper you use can make all the difference to your baby’s comfort during sleep, and minimize sleep disturbance.
Dream Mornings with New Pampers Baby-Dry
Uninterrupted sleep is part of what constitutes a good night’s rest and Pampers understands that for a baby, this means remaining dry and free from leaks.
After all, mums all over the world have tried Pampers Baby Dry, making Pampers the #1 Diaper brand globally2.
Here’s how the improved Extra Sleep Layer in new Pampers Baby-Dry diapers will help you and your baby have mornings that run like a dream:
- It absorbs wetness faster than before to help baby get up to 12 hours of undisturbed ‘Golden Sleep’.
- It is now longer, enabling new Pampers Baby-Dry to absorb large amounts of liquid faster than before.
- Because the Extra Sleep-Layer gets reactivated quickly, it is ready to absorb more liquid even after hours of wear.
Mums all over the world trust Pampers.
At the end of the day, what is important is that your baby gets an undisturbed night of quality sleep so that he is able to share richer experiences with the family in the morning and throughout the day that aid his development.
Click to learn more & register for promotions right here. You can also click this link to buy a pack of pampers.
Mums we’re sure you now understand the benefits of a good night’s sleep for baby. Please leave a comment with your thoughts about this article in the comment box below.
References:
- Spruyt et al, 2008; Scher et al, 1992
- Euromonitor 2012 Nappies/Diapers/Pants retail sales report, Pampers is no. 1 sales brand globally in terms of both sales and volume
- https://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/sleep-children
- https://www.sleepcouncil.org.uk/pdf-downloads/the_good_night_guide_for_children.pdf