In the summertime, kids naturally want to stay up later and make the most of the longer daylight hours.
So, often, when the entire family is on summer vacation, routine and discipline tends to slip a little. Yet, experts remind parents that children still need a good nine hours sleep a night, reports UPI.com.
In her book, Let Kids Be Kids: Rescuing Childhood, Professor Mary Muscari at the Decker School of Nursing at New York’s Binghamton University believes that a child’s lack of sleep can lead to crankiness, learning problems, accidents, and even depression.
"Better sleep means happier kids. Indulge your child with later bedtimes balanced with later wake-ups, but stick to a regular schedule to avoid disrupting sleep patterns," Muscari said in a statement. "Sticking to a vacation sleep schedule helps ease your kids into the school-time sleep schedule, especially if you start at least a week before."