• Published by Mezia Mujahidah  

Make sure the quality of your little one's sleep for optimum growth and development

One of our most important needs besides eating is sleep. Especially for your baby, sleep is not only a time to rest, but also to collect energy and keep emotions stable. That's why, it's not uncommon for our babies to be fussy as one of the reasons is due to lack of sleep or their sleep is often disturbed. That's why it can be said that quality sleep is very important for your little one and has an important role for their growth and development. When a child has a good sleep schedule and quality, then the growth and development of your little one in the future can be more optimal.

It is important for parents to note that of course, your little one's bedtime is different from adults. According to the Indonesian Pediatrician Association, the ideal bedtime for your little one is:

• Babies aged 0 to 28 days, sleep for a total of 16 to 20 hours each day with a sleeping period lasting from 1 to 4 hours and wake up time is 1 to 2 hours
• Babies aged 1 to 4 months, sleep for a total of 14 to 15 hours with a sleeping period of 3 to 4 hours
• Babies aged 6 to 12 months sleep for a total of 13 to 14 hours with a sleeping period of 6 to 8 hours and when they enter the age of 9 months sleep is spent more at night.

Quality sleep for your little one is certainly not only based on sleep duration, but also many other determining factors. For example, comfort during sleep and sleep patterns. It is very important for your little one to wake up slowly, opening his eyes, and not wake up surprised by the surrounding conditions or discomfort with the bed area. Therefore, for sleep to be more optimal for your children’s growth and development, children need to sleep well. There are several things we can do so that children sleep soundly and are refreshed when they wake up, including helping your little one understand the time zone between day and night, using the time during the day to eat 3 times a day.

Also try to keep your little one sleeping in a room where the light is not too bright nor too dark. Create a calm atmosphere in your little one's bedroom, try to keep the activities in the kitchen, bathroom and family room from disturbing your little one too much while sleeping. The important thing that should also be considered is to make sure your little one ate well before going to bed. Try to feed your baby until he is full before going to bed. Before going to bed, make sure your baby’s body and clothes are clean and comfortable, you can put baby oil on their stomach and back. It is also equally important to lay your little one in the mother's hands, the warmth of a mother's hands while giving light pats and strokes on the baby's back will make the baby more comfortable, safe and able to sleep well soon.

When your little one's sleep is getting better and better, it will be easy for them to fall asleep at night and wake up easily in the morning in a fresh and comfortable condition and will also not require excessive naps but still be appropriate for later age. Hopefully this info can be useful for mothers to find ways for little one's quality bedtime.

Mezia Dewi Pratiwi, S.Pd from the BehaviorPals Center Jakarta, Indonesia

Bibliography

https://lifestyle.kompas.com/read/2021/05/28/071100720/tidur-berkualitas-bikin-tumbuh-kembang-anak-optimal-ini-penjelasannya?

https://fk.ui.ac.id/infosehat/tidur-optimalkan-pertumbuhan-balita/

Sleep quality, growth and development

Baby 6 Months - 18 Months / Bayi 6 - 18 Bulan / Physical Development / Tumbuh Kembang Fisik / Health / Kesehatan / Make sure the quality of your little one's sleep for optimum growth and development

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