Occupational therapy and sleep information sheet
Contact details
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Introduction
Occupational therapy promotes the participation of children and young people in everyday activities they find meaningful.
Occupational therapists work with young children and their families to promote participation in everyday tasks including self-help skills (e.g. sleeping, going to the toilet), play and participating in preschool and school.
Occupational therapists can work alongside other health professionals in your child鈥檚 life including a paediatrician, speech pathologist, physiotherapist, and teacher.
Why is sleep important for children?
Adequate sleep is essential for a child鈥檚 health and development and has many benefits including:
- Helping us grow and boosting our immune system.
- While sleeping our brain processes information and stores memories for future use.
- Improving our ability to learn and cope day to day.
How much sleep should my child be getting?
General guide by age
Every child develops their sleep patterns in their own time and this development can look different for every child.
Newborns (0-4 months): 14-17 hours including daytime sleeps
Infants (4-12 months): 12-15 hours including 1-2 daytime naps
Toddlers (1-3 years): 11-14 hours including 1-2 daytime naps
Pre-schoolers (3-5 years): 10-13 hours including daytime nap
School age (6-13 years): 9-11 hours
Adolescents (13-18 years): 8 -10 hours
What is causing sleep disturbances?
- Medical conditions (e.g. sleep apnoea, insomnia, anxiety, night terrors). Please discuss further with your GP.
- Delays in development.
- Bedroom environment: Noise, lighting, temperature (too hot or too cold), type of bedding.
- Stressful life events.
- Lifestyle issues: not enough physical exercise, high consumptions of caffeine.
Strategies you can implement at home to help with your child鈥檚 sleep
Regular sleep and wake up times
Set a regular bed and wake up time even on weekends.
Establish a bedtime routine
A predictable routine should be completed every night before bed. This can include brushing teeth, putting on pyjamas and reading a story.
Use the hour before bed to switch off and relax
Avoid television, electronic devices, or physical activity. Try reading a story or listening to calming music.
Beds are for sleeping
Try to use your bed only for sleeping and avoid completing other activities in bed (e.g. watching TV, using a tablet or computer). Making sleep the only activity we complete in bed helps our body associate this place with sleep.
If you can鈥檛 sleep get out of bed
If a child is tossing and turning in bed, have them get out of bed and do something that is not too stimulating (e.g. read a book, deep pressure hugs), then go back to bed when they are tired again. This helps prevent the bed being associated with sleeplessness.
Be active during the day
Children who are active during the day are more likely to sleep better at night.
Diet
Avoid caffeine (chocolate, soda, coffee) in the late afternoon or evening, and large meals close to bedtime.
Maintain a comfy, cosy room
A child鈥檚 bedroom environment should be cool, quiet, and comfortable.
Bedtime check-ups should be short and sweet
If you need to check up on your child at night, the shorter and less stimulating these check-ups are the better.
Settling during the night
For babies over 6-8 months consider alternates to feeding during the night to resettle.
Sleep diary
Track naps, bedtimes, wake times and sleep behaviours to help identify problems to work on when they arise.
Make sleep a priority
Prioritising positive sleep habits as a parent can help children learn these same strategies.
How can Occupational Therapy (OT) help my child with sleeping?
An Occupational Therapist will work with the child and their family to identify the right strategies for your child.
Strategies by OT to work on at home to improve your child鈥檚 sleep:
- Helping establish a consistent sleep routine.
- Introduce communication strategies to help your child understand the bedtime routine: such as visual cues or visual schedules.
- Using sensory strategies to make the sleep environment more calming for the child (e.g. aromatherapy, light therapy, weighted blankets, and white noise).
- Educating parents and carers on ways to promote positive reinforcement when teaching sleep strategies (e.g. reward charts).
Where can I find an Occupational Therapist?
You can find a local OT via the
The cost of therapy can vary depending on the therapist and whether you are paying privately or using a funding scheme to assist with payment. Most therapists charge by the hour.
You can chat to your doctor about accessing limited subsidised therapy sessions through a Chronic Disease Management Plan (CDMP) or Better Access to Mental Health Care Plan (BAMH).