Ages & Stages: 0-5: Why Doesn’t My Child Sleep?
Q: Our 5-year-old has never been a good sleeper, and now we have a new baby who is 6 months old. My husband and I are exhausted. How much sleep do most 5-year-old children need? Of course, the baby is not sleeping through the night yet, and we are terrified that we will have the same sleep issues with her, too. My sister says that at some point you have to just let them “cry it out,” and they will be better sleepers. Can you help? A: Adequate sleep is critical for effective waking thought, emotion and behavior. Acceptance of and confidence in sleep are not always innate or reflexive. Sleep maturity develops through learning and relatedness, and sleep outcome is a determinant of growth and development. Fetal sleep patterns are developed by the sixth or seventh month of gestation. Newborn infants sleep 70 percent of each 24-hour day in patterns of several hours with feeding in between. By 9 months old, the majority of infants are settling into a predominantly nighttime pattern of sleep.
