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A Focus on Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health
January 2024
Naptime
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This newsletter focuses on sharing information on infant/early childhood mental health and
the importance of relationship-based approaches and supports that help infants and young children feel safe, supported, and valued by the adults around them. The newsletter, and the Infant Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) program, is made possible by a partnership between the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and the Pennsylvania Key.
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Welcome to a brand-new year! After a busy holiday season many of us are ready to hibernate for the rest of the winter, including our children! January’s issue of the IECMH newsletter tackles the all-important topic of naptime: what is developmentally appropriate for children of all ages, how can the environment support quality sleep, what to do with those non-nappers, and more.
KidsHealth from Nemours shares the following information:
Sleep is important for a child's growth, development, and overall health. For infants and young children, total sleep time includes sleep at night and naps during the day.
How much sleep kids need varies by age. While every child is different, experts recommend:
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Infants (0–3 months): 14–17 hours. Infants tend to sleep on and off around the clock, waking every couple of hours to eat.
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Infants (4–12 months): 12–16 hours. Around 4 months of age, sleep rhythms start to become more set. Most babies are sleeping longer at night and have 2–3 daytime naps.
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Toddlers (1–2 years): 11–14 hours. Young toddlers may still take two naps, but most drop down to one nap a day by 18 months.
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Preschool (3–5 years): 10–13 hours. Many preschoolers get enough sleep at night and give up their afternoon nap during these years.
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School age (6–12 years): 9–12 hours. Kids over 6 should get all their sleep at night. If your older child regularly naps, set a bedtime that allows for the recommended amount of sleep.
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The Culture of Sleep and Child Care. Teachers have a role in providing a sleep environment that is comfortable and safe for the children in their care, while honoring families’ cultural beliefs. Discover ways that sleep environments or routines might be different in child care from home.
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Sleep is an essential part of life and is important for every part of the body. It’s especially important for young children as their minds and bodies develop. There are major research findings on the effects of too little or poor quality sleep on the health of children are related to learning and attention disorders, metabolism and obesity and behavior and mood. Without sleep, the brain cannot function properly.
Are you getting enough Sleep? Getting enough sleep is important for people of all ages to stay in good health. Learn how much sleep you need, habits and sleep quality.
Sleep and Learning. Good-quality sleep helps your child concentrate, remember things, manage their emotions and behave in positive ways. These factors help your child to be a successful learner.
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Adults must be vigilant and ready to keep children safe at all times. A lot can happen at naptime. For example, an unexpected fire alarm, a child may become ill, or a child may begin to bother other children. Remember, your first job is to keep children safe, then if all children are resting quietly, tackle the daily tasks such as lesson planning, washing toys, etc.
Creating Safe and Appropriate Napping Areas in Child Care. Napping is an important routine in child care. The needs of napping children are different depending on age. Here are some specific guidelines for effective napping areas for children of different ages.
Ratios while children are napping. Pennsylvania toddler and preschool staff-child ratios during the naptime routine.
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Setting the Stage for Naptime and Tips | |
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There is a lot you can do to promote a peaceful rest time. A safe and restful nap time is all about developing a routine. Learn more about practices that support this essential daily routine.
Nap Time is for Letting Go. Nap time is one of those daily rituals that can end up being stressful rather than relaxing—for children and for teachers. Instead, preschool staff might start by using the transition to nap time as an opportunity to help children take a break from the day’s activities.
Setting the Tone for Peaceful Rest Times. Preschoolers have unique needs when it comes to rest time. Some preschoolers require an afternoon nap after a long morning at play, while others require less sleep. Some children may nap daily, occasionally, or not at all. Here are some suggestions on how to accommodate all children in your group and how to make rest time smoother for preschool teachers.
Naptime/Rest-Time Tips for Preschool/Pre-K teachers! 32:05. Learn how to set things up so children sleep during rest time. 00:00- Intro 00:50- A few Adjustments to your nap time 2:09- The Kids are Tired - How to Actually Get Them To Sleep 6:10- What About the Kids Who’s Parents Say, “They don’t nap anymore”? 6:52-How to Set the Mood 8:23- Calm Music 10:49-How to Change the Way They Feel about Nap time 13:27-Tucking Them In 15:22- How to Keep Them On Their Mats 17:05-The MAGIC part! 18:10-Special Privileges 19:26- The First Few Days of This 20:00-When To Get Kids Up 21:30-How To Introduce The Incentives 23:35- The Kids Who Are Up Early 25:15-How To Make Them Successful When They Are Up Early 28:09-Waking Up The Rest of The Kids 28:50- Change How They Look at Naptime 29:10-ONE LAST BRILLIANT IDEA- Back Rubbing Coupons!
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Check out these easy-to-use resources targeted to help children slow down, rest and sleep during the naptime routine in their early learning environment.
Sleep Meditation for Kids. Fall asleep and dream of fun animal adventures with this animal sleep stories collection and sleep meditation for bedtimes. Enjoy four ideal and calming children's sleep stories as a kids guided meditation 4 in 1 collection, for your calmest, most relaxing and happiest sleep!
Lullabies. Hearing songs again and again builds language skills. Print and sing these personalize-able lullabies to use at naptime. Don’t worry about how you sound—to babies, you are the best show in town!
Transition Time with Elmo: Rest and Nap tips for Children 2:14. In this audio moment, Elmo explains how he gets ready to rest with a few relaxing activities. Follow Elmo as he stretches his body and takes some deep belly breaths to help him feel calm and ready to rest.
Getting the Most from Quiet Bins. Quiet Bins in preschool are helpful for so many things. Non-nappers, transitions, settling little ones after a busy time outside, while waiting for parents, you name it.
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School-age children need 9-12 hours of sleep a night. Homework, sports and afterschool activities, screen time and busy family schedules can lead to kids not getting the rest they need. Learn ways to help students slow down and relax so they can manage their emotions, concentrate and stay healthy.
Why Do We Need Sleep? 3:32 Sometimes kids stay up too late and end up feeling really tired. Help students understand what happens when they sleep and why it feels so terrible when they don't get enough sleep!
57 Simple Mindfulness Activities for the Classroom. There are so many issues that are completely out of kids control—it can really take a toll on learning. Teaching mindfulness is a great antidote to the stress and anxiety a lot of our kids are feeling. Get 57 mindfulness activities for kids in preschool through high school to support their well-being.
Benefits of a Quiet Space in your Classroom. Having a safe and peaceful place to go to, children take ownership of their ability to self-regulate emotions and sensory systems, which are crucial for focused learning.
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Getting enough sleep is important for your child’s mental and physical development. Learn more on how you can help your child develop good sleeping habits.
Making Life Easier: Bedtime and Naptime. Many families find bedtime and naptime to be a challenge for them and their children. Sleep problems can make infants and young children moody, short tempered and unable to engage well in interactions with others. Sleep problems can also impact learning. Parents also need to feel rested in order to be nurturing and responsive to their growing and active young children. Get a few proven tips for making bedtimes and naptimes easier for both parents and children.
Encouraging Healthy Sleep Habits. A good night’s sleep helps prepare children to attend to new experiences, positively engage with others, and build memory and attention skills. When children sleep, their brains are actively working to form new connections, allowing them to be more physically relaxed and mentally alert when awake.
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IECMH Consultation helps adults strengthen their relationships with young children and build capacity to respond to children’s social-emotional needs. IECMHC can help reduce caregiver stress, as well as increase caregivers’ reflective practice skills.
IECMH Consultants are available by appointment to provide IECMHC Virtual Office Hours consultation via telephone or video conference. IECMHC Virtual Office Hours is a short-term, collaborative, problem-solving conversation to help you find next steps for: Child Social-Emotional Concerns | Child Behavioral or Developmental Concerns Emotional Well-being of Teachers and Caregivers | Partnering with Families.
Appointments are held on the first and third Fridays of the month, or other days/times by request. Get more info.
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Accessing IECMHC Services | |
Accessing SACCMHC Services | |
With the generous support of the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) the Pennsylvania Key IECMH Consultation team has expanded to include four mental Health consultants to support School Age Child Care (SACC) programs participating in Keystone STARS. This service will be primarily tele-consultation support. Click here to request support. | |
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Share your feedback! We'd like to hear what you think about infant early childhood mental health.
Are there resources you'd like to see? Questions you have? Tell us! Send your feedback to PAIECMH@pakeys.org.
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