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The Connection BetweenSleep and GrowthLast updated: August 2008

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Getting enough sleep is important for a young child for 

many reasons, from restoring energy to building brainconnections (not to mention giving Mom and Dad a

needed break). But science is showing that sleep also

fuels physical growth.

The science of growing

Growth is a complex process that requires several

hormones to stimulate various biological events in the

blood, organs, muscles, and bones.

A protein hormone secreted by the pituitary gland called

growth hormone (or "human growth hormone") is a key

player in these events. Several factors affect its

production, including nutrition, stress, and exercise. In

young children, though, the most important factor is sleep.

Growth hormone is released throughout the day. But for 

How much sleep does your child need? • e

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kids, the most intense period of release is shortly after the

beginning of deep sleep.

How much sleep do they need?

Two- and 3-year-olds need 12 to 14 hours of sleep every

24 hours (a combination of about 12 hours of night sleep

and 1 ½ to 3 hours of naps), 4-year-olds about 11 to 13

hours (with about 11 of the hours at night). (Sleep needs

are somewhat individual, with some kids requiring slightly

less or more than their peers.)

Without adequate sleep, growth problems — mainly slow

or stunted growth — can result. Growth hormone

production can also be disrupted in kids with certain

physical sleep problems, such as obstructive sleep apnea

Kids who don't get enough sleep show other changes in

the levels of hormones circulating in their body, too.

Hormones that regulate hunger and appetite can be

affected, causing a child to overeat and have a preference

for high-calorie carbs. What's more, a shortage of sleep

can affect the way the body metabolizes these foods,

triggering insulin resistance, which is linked to type 2

diabetes.

A lack of sleep at night can also affect motor skills and

concentration during the day, leading to more accidents

and behavioral problems, and poor performance at

school.

Ensuring a good night's sleep

Most kids need more sleep than their parents think.

Signs that your child may not be getting enough rest

include crankiness or lethargy by day, always falling

asleep in the car, and being hard to wake up. If your child

is hyper at bedtime or tired before it's time to go to bed,

that's another clue his schedule may not be consistent

enough.

To help your child get plenty of zzz's:

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• Establish consistent daily sleep times andstick to them.

• Have a regular bedtime routine, which helpssignal to your child's body that it's time to winddown. This might include giving him a bath or snack, reading a bedtime story, and talking or 

singing softly to him while tucking him in.• Make sure your child's room is conducive to

sleep. It should be dark and quiet.

• Avoid roughhousing before bedtime. It'sstimulating instead of sleep-inducing.

• Stick to the same timetable and routines for bed on weekends and vacations that younormally have. A variation once in a whilewon't cause long-term disruptions, but erraticbedtimes can lead to poor sleep habits andsleep deprivation.

When will my child stop

needing a nap?When is it okay for my child to stop napping? And what

should I do if he wants to stop before I want him to?

Expert AnswersJodi Mindell, pediatric sleep expert

By age 2, most toddlers have given up their morning nap

but still need an afternoon snooze to see them through

the day. About a quarter of kids stop napping altogether 

by the age of 3, another half between ages of 3 and 4,

with the final quarter continuing to nap until they're 5 or 6.

That said, napping needs differ from one child to another.

How much daytime sleep — if any — your child requires

depends in part on how many hours he sleeps during the

night (although many kids need to nap no matter how

much sleep they get at night). But in general, kids this age

do best with a total of 12 to 14 hours of sleep in each 24-

hour period. So if your child goes to bed at 8 p.m. and

sleeps until 8 a.m., he may get his full quota of rest all at

once. (For more on how much sleep children need at

different ages, click here.) Also, don't be surprised if your 

child goes back to taking a nap weeks or even months

after stopping, especially if there's a change in his routine

or he's more active during the day as a result of school or 

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other scheduled activities.

If your child gets fewer than 12 hours of sleep at night,

then ideally he should continue to nap. But you may find

that as he gets older, it's increasingly difficult to get him

down to sleep during the day. Toddlers and preschoolers

are so intent on discovering their world that they hate to

miss out on anything going on around them — even when

they're running on fumes. If your child is usually at home

with you during the day, make sure he naps in the same

place he sleeps at night, since he already associates that

spot with sleep and he's more likely to doze off there. If he

normally naps at daycare or preschool, keep your 

weekend routine consistent with theirs and tuck him in

with the same stuffed animal he usually sleeps with atschool.

If a child under age 4 refuses to nap altogether, at least

try to enforce some quiet time every day. Tell him that

kids rest after lunch so they have the energy to play later 

on. Let him take some toys and books to bed with him,

then dim the lights or draw the curtains and leave the

room. Although he won't feel as rejuvenated as he would

if he slept, an hour or two's break from rambunctious play

will help shore up his energies — and yours.

Member Comments

When our daughter started to complain about nap time

(~30 months), we gave her the option of "quiet time"

where she could read, do puzzles or play quietly in her 

room with the door closed. She responded well to

opportunity to choose between nap and quiet time and

rarely pushed back. We reminded her that if she was too

loud or got up too early, she'd have to nap instead. Half 

the time, she ended up falling asleep anyway, so it really

helped us with the transition. On days when she needed

more rest, she could self-regulate while still feeling like a

big girl.

posted 6/16/2008 by zjhunter 

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Thank you!

I'd like to comment to Danaamom's post. It sounds as

though you have found a great routine for you and your 

child. I'm glad for that. Do you realize how judgmental you

sound when you say things like"if people were only

consistent... If kids sit around all the time...". Let's get this

one straight. Children are all different,their needs are

different and one plan does not fit all when it comes to

what they need. My daughter sleeps 12 hours at night,

every night, without a fuss. She dropped her morning napbefore she was 2 and her afternoon nap long before she

was 3. She dropped her naps when she was ready, not

because I didn't provide her with a good routine or enough

exercise. She gets plenty of sleep, has a nice rest time

each afternoon and is on go otherwise. This is what works

for us, but I realize it doesn't for everyone. I think a little

encouragement "mom to mom" would go a long way to

encourage us all.... let's do more of that, shall we?

posted 9/12/2008 by Marye5564

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Thank you!

In all my years(40 as a mom) I have never seen a 2yr old

sitting around! I am raising my Grandson now and he

definitely does not stay still for very long and I wouldn't

want him to be any other way. he is doing what he issupposed to. He goes to bed at 8:00 and wakes up

between 7:30 and 9:30 each morning. He also takes a

nap from 1:30-3:30, each day. He has regulated himself.

This is his schedule. Not all children are like this but some

are. Some need schedules to be rigid but always have a

flexibility to deal with the little oops that happen. And

please don't condemn others who are not doing the same

things you are.

posted 10/22/2008 by allienich

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Thank you!

My daughter is a MESS if she doesn't get enough sleep.

But since she's almost 4, naps are becoming a thing of 

the past. I've noticed that she goes 3 days with a nap, 3

days without a nap and that schedule is pretty regular,

despite whether she has activities during the day or not.

Since I need that quiet time myself, I instituted a period of 

"Quiet Time" every afternoon (usually when my 10 month

old takes his afternoon nap). We do the routine and then

review the Quiet Time rules: You don't have to sleep, but

you have to have your bottom on the bed and your feet off 

the floor. You can play or look at books quietly, and you

CAN'T CALL MAMA. Well, you can, but she won't come in

and get you until it's time to get up (usually about 2

hours). It's important for me to teach my kids how to have

some downtime and Quiet Time has worked well so far.

Mama is much happier when she gets quiet time herself.

posted 2/10/2009 by ejfamily007

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Thank you!

I have a suggestion for tinymom. When my first little one

was having a hard time with naps and sleeping my cousin

gave me a book called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy

Child". This book was a lifesaver. While we don't always

follow it to the letter (not all days allow for perfect

consistency and each child is different) we did notice a

difference. My now 4yr old sleeps 12 hours a night and

has down time during the day and my 18 moth old sleep

at least 12 hours a night with a 2 hour nap in the day. I

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would suggest you get the book. I loved it so much I give

one at every baby shower. Good luck! :-)

posted 10/09/2008 by xpekting1

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Thank you!

I am a daycare provider and have 8 children ages 4 and

under. I would just like to say that when children are on a

consistent routine throughout the week (all of the kidssleep for approximately two hours ech day)and the parent

is not able to follow the same routine on weekends, the

children return on Mondays absolutely exhausted. I

realize (as a mother of three)that it is not always possible

to nap your children consistently. However, please know

from the other side of the spectrum, that it does take a

huge toll on them, when they are used to it. Toddlers and

preschoolers are creatures of habit, and most prefer 

consistent routines, including naps or quiet time. It

frustrates me when I hear parents say they will not stick to

a schedule if their kids are "having fun." They won't stop

what they're doing just to take naps. Unfortunately, when

your children are young, your schedules DO revolve

around theirs.

posted 2/28/2009 by tzenkic

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Bottom of FormThank you!

It really does depend on the child. I've always been fairly

scheduled and my first child stopped napping at 2.5 years

of age, and slept well at night. My second turned 5 in May

and recently began dropping his nap. He'd stay in his

room and "pretend" to sleep (okay with me!) 1.5 hours. My

third child is 3 and he naps wonderfully. About 2 hours

around 1pm each day and would sleep for 2+ hours if he

could (we pick up big sis at 3pm). My baby is sporatic and

unfortunately, when having multiple schedules to deal

with, can't be very consistant. His longer naps seem to be

between 11am&1pm and 1pm&3pm, but we pick up

brother at noon and sis at 3pm (can't exactly leave him athome in bed to nap). We deal with it and I don't think my

children will develop unhealthy sleeping habits...they

seem to all sleep well. They learn. Don't worry...if you

aren't doing everything perfect in the 1st year, you aren't

ruining them for life. :)

posted 10/14/2008 by mommy2csj

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Thank you!

Katherine is 3 years and 9 months. She is sleeping 10

hours a night. We still ask her to take a nap in the

afternoon but if it becomes a battle we do ask her to take

some quit time some times she falls asleep if all is quit in

the house. If she does not take a nap then she goes to

bed 1 hour earlier that night.

posted 9/29/2008 by Anonymous

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Thank you!

My Daughter Gabriella will be 4 in july. She usally goes to

bed about 8:30-9:30 and wakes up anywhere from 7:00-

8:00. if she does not take a nap in the afternoon she is

very crabby. i try to have her at home by 1:00- 1:30 for 

her nap but sometimes my schedule doesn't always let

that happen doesn't mean that she is going to grow up

unhealty. Just means i have to deal with one crabby little

drama queen. but,she doesn't always want to take a nap

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either but, i tell her to lay on the couch and i turn on some

cartoons an 8 times out of 10 she falls asleep anyways

and will sleep for about 2 hours

posted 3/14/2009 by Rubyred77

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Thank you!

I have to agree with Danaamom. A schedule does really

help but then again it doesn't work for every child.Through trial and error I have discovered that I need to

get my daughter Gabriella (2yr) up by 8-8:30am, down for 

a nap by 1 and have her winding down for bed at 9pm. If I

don't keep her on this schedule I will have one cranky

child and I believe it is up to me as her mother to provide

this schedule. She is far too young for to decide her own

sleep schedule. Also, I do find that if she does 'sit around'

it is more difficult for to take a nap but if we're outside

playing or at a playdate she goes down with no problem.

posted 4/22/2009 by MommyMaureen30

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Thank you!

Don't see the

You know your child needs less sleep now than he did when he was a baby, but how much less is still enough? Every

child is different — some need more sleep and some less — but here are general guidelines for how many hours of 

sleep a child needs on average each day.

Age Nighttime sleep Daytime sleep Average total sleep

2 years 10.5 to 12.5 hours 1 to 3 hours (1 nap) 11.5 to 15.5 hours

3 years 10.5 to 12.5 hours 1 to 3 hours (1 nap) 11 to 14 hours

4 years 10 to 12 hours 0 to 2.5 hours (1 or nonap)

10 to 13 hours

5 years 10 to 12 hours 0 to 2.5 hours (1 or nonap)

10 to 12.5 hours

6 years 10 to 11.5 hours none 10 to 11.5 hours

7 years 9.5 to 11.5 hours none 9.5 to 11.5 hours

8 years 9.5 to 11.5 hours none 9.5 to 11.5 hours

* Note: The two sets of numbers don't always add up because children who take longer naps tend to sleep fewer hours at

night, and vice versa.

Keep in mind that most kids need a lot of sleep — usually more than parents allow for. Often, says BabyCenter sleep

expert Jodi Mindell, author of Sleeping Through the Night , if a child has poor sleep habits or refuses to nap or go to

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bed before 10 at night, his parents will assume that he just doesn't need much sleep. That's probably not the case —

in fact, it's likely that such a child is actually sleep-deprived, hence his hyper, overtired behavior at bedtime. To see

whether your child falls into this camp, ask yourself:

• Does my child frequently fall asleep while riding in the car?

• Do I have to wake him almost every morning?

• Does he seem cranky, irritable, or overtired during the day?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, your child may be getting less sleep than his body craves. To change

this pattern, you'll need to help him develop good sleep habits, and set an appropriate bedtime and then stick to it. A

preschooler or young grade-schooler who's outgrown napping needs a solid 11 to 12 hours of sleep a night, and that

amount will gradually decrease as he gets older. Even so, by the time he's a teenager, your child will still need nine to

ten hours of shut-eye a night.

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Highlights

 Typical sleep at this age

What you can do to help your child establish good sleep habits

Potential pitfalls

 Typical sleep at this age

Between the ages of 2 and 4, kids need about 11 hours of sleep a night and a single

one- to three-hour nap each afternoon. Most children this age go to bed between 7

and 9 p.m. and wake up between 6:30 and 8 a.m. But while it may seem that your

preschooler's sleep patterns are finally starting to resemble yours, she actually

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spends more time than you do in the REM (rapid eye movement, or dreaming) stage

of sleep, and will until she's about 4. Also, since she makes more transitions from

REM sleep to non-REM sleep, your preschooler wakes during the night more often

than you do. That's why, if she hasn't already, it's so important for your child to

learn how to soothe herself back to sleep after these frequent night wakings. (For

more on sleep patterns at various ages, see our chart.)

What you can do to help your child establish good sleep habits

If your preschooler is a poor sleeper (and even if she's not) these techniques will

help her get a better night's rest:

• Pick — and stick to — a set bedtime. Put your child to bed at the same time every

night — ideally at 7:30 or 8 p.m. (Many parents, especially those who work outside

the home, balk at such an early bedtime — but unless your child can and does

snooze until 8 a.m. every day, a 9 p.m. bedtime will deprive her of much-needed

sleep.) This will help her internal clock stay on track and make it easier for her tofall asleep easily and quickly at bedtime. Staying up too late or going to bed at a

different time each night, on the other hand, will cause your preschooler to become

overtired — which, paradoxically, makes it harder for her to settle down and get to

sleep.

• Develop a consistent bedtime routine. Establish a nightly routine that includes

three or four soothing activities, such as taking a bath, changing into pajamas, and

reading stories. The bedtime ritual should be the exact same every night, so your

child can anticipate each activity. If she tends to stall when getting ready for bed,

make a preferred activity (such as a favorite book or a special song) the last thing

on the agenda before lights out or give your child a special sticker for getting into

bed when she should, so she has some incentive to get through the rest of the

routine. The entire bedtime routine should generally last between 30 and 45

minutes. If you find your routine dragging on for an hour or more, take steps to trim

it back a bit: A couple of stories are fine, but not chapter after chapter of Mrs.

Piggle-Wiggle. Also make sure the routine heads in one direction — to bed. If you

bring your child upstairs for a bath, for instance, don't bring her back downstairs to

say goodnight to the family pet when she's done. Instead, head to the bedroom for

pajamas and storytime.

• Anticipate all her requests and include them in her nightly routine. Your youngstermay start trying to put off bedtime by wheedling for "just one more" — story, song,

glass of water, and so on. Instead of growing increasingly exasperated, try to

anticipate all of her usual (and reasonable) requests and make them part of the

bedtime routine. Then allow your child one extra request — but make it clear that

one is the limit. She'll feel like she's getting her way, but you'll know you're really

getting yours.

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• Move her into a big bed and pile on the praise when she stays in it. If she hasn't

outgrown it already, your child will likely make the transition from crib to bed soon.

 The arrival of a new sibling can also prompt the decision; so if you're expecting a

second or subsequent child, plan to move your toddler out of her crib at least six to

eight weeks before her sibling arrives, so that she's well ensconced in her new bedbefore the baby takes over "her" crib. If the switch doesn't go well, though, it's okay

to put it off until the baby is 3 or 4 months old. Your newborn will probably spend

those months sleeping in a bassinet, anyway, and your older child will have a

chance to get used to her sibling, making the crib-to-bed transition easier when it

finally happens. Other reasons to make the move to a big bed include jumping out

of the crib and toilet training — your child may need to get up at night to go to the

bathroom.

Once she's using her new bed, be sure to praise your preschooler when she stays in

it at bedtime and overnight. After the confinement of her crib, she may initially get

out of her big-kid bed over and over just because she can. When your child gets up,

temper your reaction. Simply take her back to bed, gently but firmly tell her that it's

time to go to sleep, and leave.

• Give her an extra goodnight kiss or tuck-in. It's okay to promise your child one

more goodnight kiss after you've tucked her in the first time. Tell her you'll be back

to check on her in a few minutes. Chances are, she'll be fast asleep by the time you

return.