Preschooler sleep patterns and behaviours (3 to 5 years)
Preschoolers aged between 3 and 5 years sleep between 10 to 13 hours in a 24-hour period.
The number of day-time naps will gradually reduce and stop by the time your preschooler starts school.
Preschoolers and night-time fears
Many preschoolers experience nightmares and night terrors. This can make getting to sleep more difficult. It means preschoolers may also wake more frequently overnight and call out to you.
Your child may seek comfort from these night-time fears by getting into bed with you.
It depends on individual families as to whether this is a concern or not.
Settling your preschooler at 3 to 5 years
By understanding your preschooler and learning their cues, you will be able to support a positive sleep pattern.
Some things you can do to develop positive sleep behaviour include:
Create a positive sleep environment for your preschooler
It is important that your preschooler feels secure and loved. You can do this by responding to them in a warm and positive way.
Positive interactions from people shows your preschooler that they are important and are valued by adults.
By understanding and communicating with your preschooler you will learn their cues as they grow and develop. This will help to support positive relationships and sleep patterns.
If you are having difficulties, it can be helpful to track when and how long your preschooler’s sleeps each day, for a week or so. This can give you a clear idea of what might be going on.
If you’ve tried the above strategies for one to two weeks, and you are still concerned about your toddler’s sleep, talk to your family’s maternal and child health nurse, your doctor or call the Maternal and Child Health Line on Tel: 13 22 29.
Preschoolers and night-time bedwetting
Night-time bedwetting is a common issue experienced by preschoolers as they are likely to no longer wear nappies overnight.
Bedwetting may also cause increased waking overnight.
There are several different causes of bedwetting, including:
- some children sleep deeply and do not wake up when their bladders are full
- some children produce larger than usual amounts of urine at night, and they do not wake up in time to go to the toilet
- some children have small bladders, which means they are more likely to wet the bed at night
- bedwetting often runs in families. If parents wet the bed as a child, their children may also be more likely to wet the bed
- children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to wet the bed.
Remember, bedwetting is part of your child’s physical and emotional development and most children will stop bed wetting as they get older.
Typical sleep behaviour information in community languages
This fact sheet is available for download in the following community languages:
A full list of all our sleep behaviour act sheets available in community languages can be found here.
Maternal and child health nurse visits are important
Victorian parents have free access to the Maternal and Child Health Service, which is a great support after your baby is born.
Specially trained maternal and child health will work with your family to help you care for your child until they are ready to start school.
As part of this service, you will visit a maternal and child health nurse in your local area at 10 key ages and stages in your child’s development. These visits are important because they you an opportunity to identify and address any issues and concerns early in your child’s development.
Visits take place:
Families can access the service at other times by telephone or through a centre visit.
Where to get help
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