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Naps are a challenge and require a good amount of planning, equipment, supervision, and attention. With all of these obstacles some may begin to wonder why they are even a regular component of child care. The short answer is that they are critical to a child’s development. Naps have been shown to support body, brain, and emotional development in children of all ages. In fact children who are forced to miss a nap time opportunity can suffer from temporary motor skill, coordination, and critical thinking deficits (Desjean-Perrotta, 2008).
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Young children need an appropriate amount of sleep and providing nap time opportunities in a child care program is extremely important for their care.
Some of the benefits of napping for young children:
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Overall health is dependent upon proper sleep.
Leading pediatric sleep experts contend that sleep supports a healthy immune system and a healthy childhood weight among other things (Lamberg, 2004).
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Social and emotional development is largely influenced by sleep.
Children who do not get enough sleep are more likely to have mood swings, difficulty adjusting to change, and challenges regulating their own behaviors (Desjean-Perrotta, 2008).
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Cognitive development is supported by sleep habits.
The brain is developing rapidly in early childhood and sleep gives the brain a chance to rest and store energy for further development during awake time (Desjean-Perrotta, 2008).
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Sleep loss adds stress to a child’s life and can interfere with psychological functions similar to the way prolonged or toxic stress can (Weissbluth, 1989).
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How Much Sleep is Necessary?
The amount of nap time that each young child needs differs greatly based upon age and overall sleep. The guidelines that are given by the American Academy of Pediatrics are based upon the full amount of sleep that children get throughout a 24 hour day. Typically, a nap period is between one and one and a half hours. It is important to communicate with parents and families about the sleep that their child is getting both at home and while in care.
Image via The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
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Optional Resources for Further Study
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