| Children's sleeping patterns go through a series of | | | | active REM sleep for less than two hours, and |
| changes during early child development. One of | | | | then enter into the deeper sleeping stages of |
| the changing cycles of sleep in infants and children | | | | non-REM sleep. Sleep in infants and young children |
| is the time spent switching between active and | | | | however have an active REM cycle that lasts only |
| non-active REM cycles. Even while in mum's belly | | | | about an hour, and then switches to non-REM |
| during pregnancy, a fetus will be in a sleep state | | | | sleep, and then back again to REM. Naps will also |
| up until about seven months into the pregnancy. | | | | affect the amount of REM movement during the |
| At that point rapid eye movement begins, and | | | | nighttime. |
| the baby fluctuates rapidly between REM and | | | | A child who naps during the day will likely have a |
| non-REM states of sleep. Throughout childhood | | | | higher level of rapid eye movement during the |
| sleep continues to be an important part of the | | | | night than a child that goes without a nap. For |
| developmental process. | | | | infants that are easily woken, hospitals have |
| REM - rapid eye movement - occurs during the | | | | found that babies who are swaddled comfortably, |
| sleeping hours when the brain is most active. | | | | yet securely, can be rocked to sleep faster than |
| Active REM sleep is the "active" part of sleep in | | | | babies that are not swaddled. |
| children. Non-REM sleep is (obviously) the | | | | Sleep in infants and children is a constant state of |
| non-active period of sleep in children, the brain is | | | | change. REM and non-REM patterns of sleep in |
| quieter, and the sleep is deeper. In sleeping infants | | | | infants and children plays a large part in |
| it's easy to see a lot of eye movement, nose | | | | determining how easy it's going to be to get baby |
| twitches, mouth puckers and eyebrow | | | | up and ready or how easy it's going to be to |
| exclamations during baby's bedtime because they | | | | keep baby asleep. Until car seat manufacturers |
| spend 50% of their time in "active" sleep, | | | | have REM dials conveniently installed for parents, |
| whereas adults are only in this state for around | | | | only familiarity with your child will be able to tell |
| 20% of the time. But when the infants are the | | | | you if you're going to be able to make the car to |
| ripe old ages between three months and six | | | | bed transition without interruptions. Watch for eye |
| months, infants begin acclimating themselves to | | | | movements as you rock your baby in swaddling |
| adult REM sleeping patterns. It is very natural to | | | | clothing, and wait gently for that deep sleep of |
| witness changes in sleep habits in infants during | | | | non-REM to arrive. Understanding the sleep cycles |
| these ages. | | | | of infants and children can help both you and your |
| REM sleep happens in cycles, and the cycles differ | | | | children get a good night's sleep. |
| between adults and children. Adults will experience | | | | |