According to the National Sleep Foundation here is the average amount of time your children should be sleeping. Infants (up to 3 months)  - 14 to 17 hours per 24 hour day may only sleep 2-4 hours at a time because of feedings 4 months - 11 months - 12-15 hours per 24 hours Toddlers 1-2 years 11-14 hours per 24 hours 3-5 years - 10-13 hours per night 6-13 years - 10.5 - 11 hours each night 14-17 years - 8-10 hours 18-25: 7-9 hours As parents are we creating an environment where our kids can get enough sleep?  Are we enforcing a proper bedtime routine so they can get down on time? Tips to get better sleep for children 1) Create a nighttime routine - Figure out what time they need to get up and work backward to make sure they are getting enough sleep.  Do bath, pajamas, brush teeth, storytime, etc.  As they get older, they should still have a routine. 2) Stick to the routine and keep a regular schedule - even weekends you should try to keep it consistent 3) Create a sleep-friendly environment - This means remove distractions from the bed and room.  Mobile, lights, noise, etc. and when they get older, clocks, televisions, any electronics Also, keeping the room cool can help.  Not cold, but cooler is better than warm Make sure they feel safe - monster spray or a night light can help 4) No electronics or television right before bed.  It's said that we should NOT look at screens for about 2 hours before bed.  It affects our melatonin levels which can affect our quality of sleep. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21552190 5) Nutrition & exercise - Try to make a snack at least 45 minutes to 1 hour before bed.  Some good snacks are whole-grain toast, a slice of cheese, bananas, a warm glass of milk.   Just don't be having lots of sugar before bed or anything that will provide energy. On the exercise side, activity during the day is going to help them sleep.  We all see this when our young kids have a really active day....they are out.  When we go camping, the young ones on Saturday nights are usually passing out pretty early....unless they are hopped up on candy and sports drinks. 6) Focus on relaxations and winding down rather than sleep - Many people try so hard to seep that they can't.  The key is to learn to relax.  I like this because it teaches us that rest is important, even if we are not sleeping, learning how to calm your body is important. Everyone has what works for them. Please give us some stories on what has and hasn't worked for you and share with 3 friends!