Skinner North parents are beginning to get a taste of what the longer school day will be like next year. And for many parents, they’re seeing their children getting more tired and cranky.
While most parents tout eight hours of sleep for a child, pediatricians actually recommend 12 hours of sleep for 5 year olds and at least 10 hours for 10 year olds.
Still, most working families juggling dinner and family time, sacrifice on their kids’ sleep. As children become sleep deprived, Dr. Judith Owens(cq), director of sleep medicine at Washington D.C.-based Children’s National Medical Center, says parents should look for signs of behavioral change—irritability, difficulty in focusing, frustration, maybe hyper-activity in younger children.
For the longer school day, parents and kids will be adjusting their sleep and wake up times. We’d love to hear from you on what are your most pressing concerns with the 7 1/2 hour school days coming this fall.
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