It is generally accepted that having a baby will result in sleepless nights, so a child's sleep – or lack of – is often not queried until a parent is considering returning to work. By then it can be difficult to instigate a regular bedtime routine.
‘Around 90 per cent of our clients don't come to us at the newborn stage,’ says Bek Dalrymple, co-founder of sleep consultancy Simply Sleep, based on the Isle of Man. ‘Parents come to us when they're reaching some sort of pain. Often while they are on parental leave they will muddle through on little sleep, but by the time their child is starting nursery, they're needing to get their sleep back on track.’
Bek and her business partner, sleep consultant Emma Riley, were regularly asked by parents how to ensure their childcare provider supported their child's new sleep routine, which led them to contact Hopes & Dreams' group of six nurseries, also based on the island.
‘We pride ourselves on our unique play-based curriculum, founded on the latest brain development studies of children,’ says Laura Peirce, who co-owns Hopes & Dreams with her husband, Gary Peirce. ‘But the reality is that, without sleep, the curiosity and wonder that we try to evoke in every child can be significantly hindered.’
A partnership has developed, with the consultants delivering staff training on the sleep needs of children, including the different parts of the sleep cycle and the negative effect a sudden drop in naps can have on children. The training aims to give staff the tools needed to talk positively with parents about sleep, including how to approach parents about their child not sleeping. Laura adds there is limited information around sleep in Level 2 and 3 childcare training, so having a trusted source for advice is reassuring for both staff and parents.
Simply Sleep has helped the nursery group to review its sleep policy, including advice on the nurseries' sleep environments. They lead parent workshops and offer free initial sleep consultations with advice for gently ‘tweaking’ routines to help children sleep better.
SLEEP'S IMPORTANCE
While parents long for their children to sleep well, the importance of sleep and its impacts on physical and mental development are often not recognised:
- Brain development – during sleep the brain releases hormones that support development; new information is sorted in the cortex.
- Learning and memory – sleep helps children consolidate memories and retain what they have learned. Without enough sleep, children can have difficulty concentrating and remembering.
- Physical health – sleep helps growth and repair.
- Emotional wellbeing – mood and behaviour are negatively impacted by lack of sleep.
‘Sleep is the foundation for every other aspect of wellbeing – physical, social and mental,’ says Emma. ‘So if you're not getting sleep right, you're building on wobbly ground.’
She adds parents and staff are often surprised by how much sleep infants need and recommends:
- Four to 12 months: 13-16 hours (including naps).
- One to two years: 13-15 hours (including naps).
- Three to five years: 12-13 hours (including naps).
- Six to 12 years: 10-12 hours.
For the average age of the children at Hopes & Dreams, they advise parents work towards a 12-hour night. This means most children require 60 to 90 minutes of sleep during the nursery day until they are between 2.5 and three years old.
‘Often parents realise they are not getting their children to bed soon enough,’ says Laura. ‘They should be going to bed before they're tired so they can settle and go to sleep. [But] they are not struggling alone – it's reassuring to know they are not alone and there is professional support available.’
If staff see signs of a child being overly tired, such as rubbing their eyes, irritability or emotional outbursts, uncharacteristically not wanting to eat or join in activities or ‘slumping’ in the afternoon, they will instigate conversations with the parents about their child's sleep. They can discuss bedtime routines, how to help the child to self-soothe, the sleep environment and signpost to trusted resources or Simply Sleep. Understanding sleep cycles can help parents learn that putting their child to bed later will not necessarily make them sleep for longer. Suggested changes to bedtime routines has led some parents to report that their children are sleeping far better.
NAPPING
Most practitioners will have been asked by a parent to stop their child having a nap during the nursery day in the hope they will then sleep better at night. The support from sleep consultants has helped Hopes & Dreams staff to support and advise parents while also keeping the child's best interests at heart. Bek uses the analogy of a parent requesting that their child is not given lunch because they want them to eat their dinner later and how that would be seen as cruel.
‘A lot of people – parents and practitioners – perceive that if a child is not sleeping well at night then their daytime sleep needs to be reduced to make them more tired. We know that actually has the opposite impact; children get into a cycle of over-tiredness, which makes sleep worse at night,’ says Bek.
Laura adds, ‘Staff can see both sides, but it's hard to keep a child awake if they are struggling. They now have more confidence when having those conversations with parents around sleep needs and rhythms and the negative effects of a child suddenly dropping their naps.’
They will also support parents when children are ready to drop their naps and provide quiet spaces to enable them to still relax.
An unexpected bonus of the sleep training is that staff – who can use the consultancy for their own children (see Case study) – are more aware of the importance of getting a good night's sleep themselves. Well-rested staff can mean improved productivity, concentration and interactions, which directly benefits the children in their care.
case study: Ashley Hill Nursery in Onchan, Isle of Man
‘I was struggling with my son Freddy's sleep,’ says nursery manager Charlotte Cannell. ‘We were having difficulty getting Freddy settled in the evening. He would often not go to sleep until 8.30pm and was reliant on a dummy. We were up multiple times a night to replace it. His naps changed daily and took place mainly in the car or on the couch, so I could never make the most of this time.’
When Freddy was around 15 months old, Laura Peirce noticed how exhausted her employee was and suggested Charlotte contact Simply Sleep for support as a discretionary staff benefit. ‘I felt it was worth giving it a go, but I wasn't 100 per cent convinced it would work,’ says Charlotte, who had an initial consultation to ensure the consultant's advice aligned with her own values.
‘Following the consultation, I felt I had a good understanding of the process and the new role I would be playing in Freddy's sleep routine. I couldn't believe it when he slept through the first night and had a wonderful nap in his own bed the next day. I was convinced it must be a fluke, but since then he has been consistent and we now have a child who sleeps the whole night through in his own bed and naps perfectly every day.’
She has continued to follow the sleep advice and now recommends the support to other parents.
NURSERY SLEEP ENVIRONMENT
- Dark – use blackout curtains.
- Quiet – use white noise to mask disruptive sound.
- Keep at around 16-20°C.
- Keep free from toys.
- Staff in the room shouldn't use digital devices.
- Use safety-approved sleep equipment.
- Use clean bedding.
- Ensure children cannot reach any dangerous hanging cords like blind cords.
‘During our nursery tours with parents, we find out about their children's sleep, show them where the children sleep at nursery and discuss how their children settle to sleep,’ says Laura.
FURTHER INFORMATION
- https://simply-sleep.co.uk
- Parent's guide: Sleep. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/39p3we7a
