Is Nap Time Really Healthy For Your Toddler?

The National Sleep Foundation shows that toddlers need anywhere from 11-14 hours of sleep per day.

Adequate rest is essential for proper development, but could naps actually be bad for toddlers?

Lead study author Karen Thorpe of Queensland University of Technology and Biomedical Innovation and Faculty of Health, examined 26 studies that had been conducted in Australia involving children under five years of age to determine if naps were important.

Parents or care givers might be more likely to put a cranky baby down for an afternoon nap. Yet the researchers found that there is relatively no benefit to sleeping breaks in the afternoon. In fact, it can even disrupt their sleep pattern, lengthening the time it takes for children to fall asleep and shortening the actual time in REM cycles.

Many childcare facilities have also inserted nap time without various guidelines, allowing some children to sleep up to 2.5 hours in one rest period. 

During the study, researchers investigated the role sleep plays in child development by factoring in other issues, including behavior, cognition, health outcomes and obesity. Instances of accidents were also assessed in relation to sleep patterns.

"The impact of night sleep on children's development and health is increasingly documented, but to date there is not sufficient evidence to indicate the value of prolonging napping, whether at home or in childcare contexts, once sleep has consolidated into night," the researchers concluded.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood.