, , , , , ,

Is Your Child Getting Enough Sleep?

Is Your Child Getting Enough Sleep?

A good night’s sleep is essential for all of us. Without it, we struggle in the following days and are sure to perform less than optimally.

There are many adverse effects of too little sleepThe Adverse Effects of Too Little Sleep

The adverse effects of a poor night’s sleep are even more pronounced for under-fives and babies. As well as simply being tired, they can become emotional, grumpy, uncooperative and stressed. They might even be inclined to throw tantrums and to become a real danger to themselves. The distress they are feeling through lack of sleep is clear to see, even if they themselves don’t understand why they are feeling the way they do.

What’s also obvious is that they won’t be able to learn as effectively as they might otherwise have done. Attention spans, cognitive function, memory skills and levels of alertness are all known to suffer after a poor night’s sleep.

If poor sleep becomes a regular occurrence, there are also longer-term health risks that could become real concerns. Blood pressure, diabetes, weight, mental health and the release of natural growth and repair hormones can all suffer if children have regular sleep deficiency. So, sleep is incredibly important.

How Much Sleep do Children Need?

Babies and young children need far more sleep than adults. According to The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, they require the following:

Child’s AgeSleep Required (Per 24 Hours Including Naps)
4 months to 1 year of age12-16 hours
1 to 2 years of age11-14 hours
3 to 5 years of age10-13 hours

How to help your child get to sleepYou can see that they require a little less sleep as they grow progressively older.

How to Help Your Child Sleep Well

There are many reasons why babies and children may have trouble sleeping, but there’s quite a bit parents or carers can do to help. Here are some ideas that may help them to fall asleep and then to stay sleeping soundly. This is part of a wider approach to what’s known as Sleep Hygiene, which is the entire approach to bedtime, including the lead up to it.

Sleep Hygiene

One of the most effective ways any parent can help a child receive the right quality and quantity of sleep is to maintain a set routine around bedtime. If set times and rules are in place and always adhered to, then going to sleep at the right time will become virtually automatic. Children will physiologically and mentally adapt and then expect it, becoming tired and ready to sleep around the ‘right’ time. They will also be less inclined to ‘fight’ the rules when they have learned that they’re not negotiable. With some children it may take a while to get to this point, of course — but the bigger ‘sleep hygiene’ approach will ultimately help.

Winding Down Before Bedtime

A winding-down regime can be very useful to get very young children in the right mindset for bedtime. A warm bath or shower can be part of this, as can dimmed lights and perhaps a short bedtime story.

A quiet, comfortable bedroom set-up is neededA Peaceful, Quiet, Bedroom Set-up

The baby or child’s bedroom also needs to have the right set-up. They need to be comfortable and located in a quiet part of the house. Having them just a touch cool will also encourage the child to nestle down in the warmth of their bed. Often a favourite cuddly toy will also give them some comfort and the feeling of security.

A low level of lighting before bedtime is also a great idea. Once it’s time to sleep, total darkness is healthy for sleep although some children may sleep better when they can see the faint glimmer of a nightlight.

Distractions like nearby toys should be avoided, otherwise there’s a risk that the infant might begin to associate bedtime with playtime.

Avoid Stimulants

Handheld screens & TVs are not good for sleepStimulants should be avoided before bedtime. Drinks containing caffeine will keep children awake, so none should be given any time after lunch time, ideally. Caffeine can be found in some fizzy drinks and energy drinks, as well as in tea and coffee. Warm milk, in contrast, will be non-stimulating and actually quite soothing. Be careful not to give drinks too close to bedtime, though, and remember to get the child to visit the loo before going to bed, otherwise they may need to wake up in the night to pay a visit.

Screens also stimulate the brain. So, handheld devices like mobile phones and tablets, as well as TVs, should not be available to the child several hours before bedtime. Their blue light, in particular, will not be conducive to sleeping, due to its stimulating affect on the brain. (You can learn more about the possible health risks associated with giving children access to handheld screens in our enlightening post for our sister nursery over in Birmingham).

It’s useful to avoid vigorous exercise or play too close to bedtime. While exercise during the daytime, particularly in the fresh air, can help young children sleep later on, doing it too close to bedtime may simply awaken their brains and have the opposite effect.

Large meals close to bedtime can also have a detrimental affect on children’s sleep, so ensure that mealtimes are sufficiently early.

Avoid allowing children to get into bad habitsChildren Visiting in the Night

Many parents have experienced their child waking up in the night and coming into their bedroom for comfort. This must not be allowed to turn into a habit. Parents of children attempting to make this a regular occurrence should quietly — and without fuss — lead the child back to their bed and settle them in. Caving in to repeated attempts to end up in the parents’ bedroom (or even bed) will only lead to a bad habit forming. Such a habit would be detrimental to the sleep pattern of all concerned.

Sleeping at Treetops Nursery, Willesden

At Treetops Nursery, we’re well aware of the need for babies and children to get sufficient, high quality, sleep. For this reason, the children have a couple of sleeping sessions each day. From about 9:30am babies usually sleep for between half an hour and an hour. Then, between 12 noon and 3pm, there’s another sleeping session. The older pre-school children are given the choice whether to sleep or not during this time. Parents are encouraged to let us know if there are particular sleep patterns that they’d like us to follow for their baby or child. Every child is different, so we’re totally flexible.

A Nursery Place for Your Child in Willesden, London NW16

If you are looking for an outstanding nursery near Willesden Green, Harlesden and Kensal Green, we can help. Treetops Nursery is located in Doyle Gardens in Willesden, NW10. For further information …

020 8963 1259 Book a Visit Get in Touch
/by
, , , , , , ,

Social Distancing & Anti-Virus Measures at Treetops Nursery

Social Distancing and Anti-Virus Measures at the Nursery

At our Willesden nursery and pre-school, and other nurseries within our group, we looked after children of key workers during the lock-down. This all went very well indeed and we’re very happy to report that there was not a single case of COVID-19 within any of the nurseries, their staff, children, babies or immediate families. This is a testament to the safeguarding measures put in place and also to everyone following the advice of the nurseries, NHS and Government. Thanks to everyone for taking such good care — it worked!

The nursery has re-opened!

We’re very pleased to announce that Treetops Nursery has now re-opened. We’re welcoming existing families back at the same time as inviting new children who need a safe childcare place in Willesden and NW10.

How are we protecting children from COVID-19?

Now that we’re emerging from the lock-down, it’s more important than ever to exercise social distancing, cleanliness and best practise measures to keep everyone safe and well going forwards. With more people now mixing again, this is more important than ever. With that in mind, we have introduced leading-edge measures to safeguard everyone attending the nursery and preschool. With our owners having medical backgrounds, we are uniquely positioned to ensure that these are the best safeguarding measures possible. They also go far beyond Government and NHS guidelines. So, the message is:

We have incredibly strong measures to keep babies & children safe from C-19

So what are the new health and safety measures? While the following is not an exhaustive list, it’ll give you an insight into the kind of protocols we’re putting in place at the setting …

What are our anti-virus safety measures at the nursery?

It’s an absolute given that we’re practising social distancing at the nursery. We’ve taken this several steps further, though, to absolutely minimise any risks:

  • Parents are staggering collection and drop-off times, so they will encounter other families less often.
  • Parents and guardians are also asked to remain outside at all times — they will not be allowed inside the nursery until further notice. While waiting outside, they will be required to maintain a minimum social distance of 2 metres from others.
  • Within the nursery, most of the curriculum has been moved to outside areas. We’re very lucky at Treetops Nursery because our outside spaces are incredibly large and spacious. That means that our children have absolutely loads of room to play and learn in, outdoors, where they too can keep a good social distance from one another. This is far safer than being enclosed within indoor spaces, where air would otherwise circulate and dissipate to the atmosphere less freely. Of course, we have ensured that there are plenty of sheltered, undercover areas outside for children and staff. They will be able to play, learn and work comfortably – come rain or shine.
  • We are confining babies and children to their own small bubble groups. The size of these groups will depend upon the age of the children within them, being either 3, 4 or a maximum of 6 individuals per group. Children will remain in their particular bubble group until the risk is over. This measure will help to keep children isolated from any contagion.
  • We are also ensuring that the nursery is not filled to capacity. Limiting numbers in this way will also help to maximise social distancing and to keep other safeguarding measures under close control.
  • We are encouraging children to proactively keep their hands well-sanitised too. They regularly wash their hands extremely thoroughly under our supervision, taking care to wash every inch of their hands and fingers. We are also stressing – and re-stressing – the importance of social distancing to them as well as ensuring they understand the need to use the inside of their elbows (or tissues which they then safely discard) if they need to cough or sneeze.
  • We will be regularly taking temperatures using the type of electronic thermometers that you may have seen on TV. These can take the child’s temperature from a distance and alert us should anyone start to exhibit symptoms.
  • Children will be required to take a COVID-19 test should they experience symptoms of the virus, and be asked to isolate away from the nursery. If deemed to be at risk of potentially having the virus, other members of their bubble group will also be asked to isolate away from the nursery and to take a test, just to be safe.
  • As part of the above, we will follow the NHS’s ‘Track & Trace’ programme so that the virus can be tracked should anyone test positive. As mentioned above, though, there have been zero cases to date at any of our nurseries. The measures and care taken by all parties are clearly working.
  • Staff will also personally be taking some excellent additional precautions. These include: changing into a clean uniform when they arrive at the nursery; washing all clothes and uniforms at 60 degrees (to kill all bacteria and viruses); wearing medical-grade ‘FFP3’ masks whenever appropriate; wearing face visors and a double set of gloves when changing nappies; using alcohol-based antimicrobial wipes liberally around the nursery to keep toys, equipment, surfaces, hands etc. free of bacteria and viruses.
  • Our in-house chefs and cooks are also taking additional safety measures. Along with the obvious hygiene-related measures that one would ordinarily expect around food preparation, our chefs and cooks are wearing FFP3 masks plus face visors when preparing food.

More information about coronavirus in children can be found here.

Does your baby or toddler need childcare in Willesden or NW10?

If you need childcare for your baby or under-five child during the working week, please get in touch. Treetops Nursery and pre-school offers half-day and full-day childcare for little ones from Monday to Friday, 51 weeks of the year (Bank Holidays excepted). We open at 8am and close at 6pm. Our nursery/pre-school is in Doyle Gardens, Willesden, London NW10 3SQ.

Call 020 8963 1259 or email us here for further details and we’ll be very happy to help. Alternatively, click any of the bold links for further information.

/by