Whether or not you are directly responsible for your charge's bedtime routine, it's important that you are familiar with the normal patterns of sleep throughout early childhood. Not only will any disruption impinge on the child's behaviour during the day, but, as a professional carer, you will be more able to support and advise parents if and when problems arise if you are well-informed.
The good news is that it is usually comparatively simple to establish a sleep routine which fits in with the family's individual needs. Of course, at the very beginning, parents or carers must brace themselves for some disturbed nights. The average newborn sleeps for 16 or 17 hours out of the 24, but he will rarely sleep for longer than five hours at a stretch because he needs to feed often and regularly at this stage. He will probably also have a longish period of wakefulness, which could be during the day or night. If you are a live-in nanny you will have to negotiate with the parents just whose job it is to get up in the night - this may have already been signalled by whose bed the baby has been placed closest to!
Until he is about three or four months old a baby continues to need around the same amount of sleep, but the cycle should gradually change so that the longest period of wakefulness occurs during the day and the longest period of sleep at night. By the time he is six months old he should be able to last at least six hours without a feed and sleep through from the last breast or bottle feed given before his parents go to bed until the early morning.
However, while the majority of babies do usually sleep through the night in the second half of their first year, some take much longer to establish a settled pattern. Your charge may be past needing a feed during the night but will still awake out of habit and cry out. It's tempting for his mother to give him a quick feed to help him back to sleep, but this will probably only prolong night waking. The best way to cut out the feed is by gradually reducing the length of breastfeeding time or by diluting a bottle of milk with water. The final step is to offer him only a drink of water if he wakes. He may resist loudly at the beginning, but after a while he should get the message.
Wakefulness at night also occurs because a baby is unable to put himself back to sleep. It is quite normal to wake briefly during periods of light sleep and he should be able to make himself comfortable and drift back into sleep without help. However, if he is always rocked to sleep or is allowed to fall asleep while breastfeeding or sucking on a bottle, he won't know any other way of going about it. Putting him down while he is drowsy but not fully asleep will help him learn the skill of settling himself.
A baby may become more difficult to settle once he can pull himself up into a sitting or standing position and he will need some gentle persuasion to lie down again. Don't pick him up if he wakes, but patting or stroking him will help him to feel sleepier and sleepier, and it's important that he isn't left alone before he is fully asleep or he is likely to pop up again wanting to play.
You or the parent should be prepared to make time to settle a baby. The process can't be rushed, and if he senses that his carer is anxious to be off doing other things he will be more determined than ever not to give in. The secret of a successful bedtime routine is to make sure that it follows exactly the same pattern each night and it always involves some fun - like lots of waterplay in the bath - so that it becomes something a child looks forward to at the end of his day. Ideally, this should be the time when working parents give their child their undivided attention and you can take the chance to slip away and put your feet up!
One aspect of the child's sleep routine for which you are more likely to be responsible is the daytime nap. Most small children need to sleep at some point during the day, however well they may be sleeping at night. A toddler requires an average of 13 to 14 hours sleep during the 24-hour cycle. Around 11 of these will be at night and the rest taken in one or two daytime naps.
As with bedtime routines, nap times should become an established part of the day. It isn't necessary to put him in his bedroom for his nap; he will probably sleep just as well on a rug or in his buggy. Don't allow naps to last more than two hours or there are likely to be problems getting the child to bed later on. On the other hand, a toddler who doesn't nap at all will become over-tired and irritable, which will also make it difficult for him to settle at night.
Older children are likely to resist a daytime sleep as long as they possibly can, but most two-year-olds still need an hour or so and many three-and even four-year-olds will also crash out from time to time. This invariably happens in late afternoon, which can play havoc with their bedtimes. If a child is regularly dropping off before teatime it may indicate that he needs more sleep at night and should be put to bed a bit earlier.
It can be very frustrating when a child's well-established bedtime routine is suddenly disrupted, but this often happens around the age of three or four. Children of this age can become very fearful, particularly at night. They have now developed a vivid imagination but are not yet capable of separating fact from fiction. They may hold on to frightening images from stories or books and elaborate on them when they are in bed. The fears may relate to something overheard in an adult conversation or seen on television. Occasional nightmares are common in four-year-olds, and a child will need lots of reassuring cuddles before he can get back to sleep. If he is having nightmares on a regular basis it should be mentioned to his doctor or health visitor.
Fear of the dark is also very common but it can be easily overcome by using a night light or by putting a low wattage bulb into an ordinary bedside lamp. A child should never be forced to sleep in the dark against his will. Colds, tummy upsets and ear infections can also disturb a child's sleep. Your employers may not be advocates of the 'family bed', but will let their child sleep with them if he is unwell.
However, getting into their bed in the middle of the night can easily become a habit. If this is a problem with your charge, try persuading him to stay in his own bed by making a star chart. Put the chart in a prominent place on his bedroom wall and award a star for each night he stays in his own bed. Promise that when he has, say, five or six stars he'll be given a special treat.