The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), based on recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, suggests that children from two to five years old should sleep from 10 to 13 hours spread throughout each day, to ensure they get enough rest according to their age.
Sleeping enough hours is important for a healthy development and it has benefits at all levels, from physical to cognitive and emotional. A good rest improves attention, behavior, learning, memory, emotional control, life quality, and mental and physical health.
Contrarily, insufficient sleep is associated with poor performance at school, an increase in injuries, hypertension, obesity, and depression, among other consequences.
Naps: a vital rest which disappears gradually
In this stage, naps are still a basic part of their rest, up to the age of three or four years old at least, as stated by the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP).
Naps usually take place after lunch. This rest period is particularly important because it improves short term memory skills in young children. It also helps them recover strength to finish their day in a good mood (as tiredness makes them fussy), and it diminishes hyperactivity and anxiety as well.
However, in this period of time, children usually stop taking naps. At the age of three, many children start going to school, and even though some of them maintain their nap routine, it is usual for them to quit taking them gradually.
Source:
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