Is my child getting enough sleep?

Is your baby/ child getting enough sleep?
More often than not, the anxiety of whether the baby is getting “enough sleep” bothers parents. The concern is very valid as lack of sleep hinders physical, behavioural and emotional development of babies and children. It has a direct impact on their health and mental development.
As the sleep cycles of babies are different from adults (Read article “how is baby sleep different from adults“), babies manage to get enough sleep even though parents do not. The sleep charts on how much your infant/child should sleep are average indicators. Every child is different, and they may hence show a deviation to these charts.
However, if you are still concerned, here are a few signs to recognise sleep deprivation:

1. Lack of interest in things that otherwise make her happy- If your child is disinterested in their favourite toy/ playing with parents etc, it’s a sign that they may be unwell or over tired and need a nap.
2. Incessant crying- Over tired infants also get over stimulated. They are neither able to put themselves to sleep nor stay awake leading to tantrums or incessant crying. It is therefore important to recognise and timely put the baby to bed.
3. Babies may start rubbing their eyes, look unfocused, flutter eyelids or yawn – these are all signs of wanting to sleep more/ again.
4. Becoming clumsy, not wanting to wake from a nap- again shows that your baby hasn’t had enough rest.
5. Hyperactivity- Some babies instead of looking tired, become hyper, once they cross their routine bedtime. They find it increasingly difficult to make themselves sleep- often resulting in tantrums later.

Babies and toddlers are sticklers to routine, and like everything else having a routine helps them soothe and sleep better. Read more here to understand what you could do to make your child sleep better by referring to “what is a good sleep routine for my baby” .