Most parents with toddlers will associate “nap time” with that blissful pocket of day when the house is quiet, and otherwise neglected tasks can finally be done without a tiny person running around yelling “Muuum” or “Daaaad” every few minutes.
Well, in disappointing news for parents who look forward to this precious moment (but… important information for toddler development), it turns out napping after the age of two could actually be impacting the quality of sleep kids get throughout the night – thus affecting things like behaviour, cognition and physical health.
Parents of Toddlers: Translated. Post continues after video.
While parents have previously been encouraged to make sure kids under five nap during the day (a task that can sometimes be a nightmare in itself), guidelines from the National Sleep Foundation in the US suggest that children over two should forgo the daytime Zs.
This is because, according to experts, children over two, who require between 10 and 13 hours of sleep a day, are able to self-regulate the necessity for a nap, meaning forcing them to sleep during the day could affect their night time sleep.