Restful, plentiful sleep is vital to any child's growth and development, but sleep problems are common for kids. One common issue parents face is night wakings: anytime a child wakes up from sleep in the middle of the night. Many parents think that night wakings are automatically a bad thing, but this isn't always the case. At 5 Little Monkeys, our mission is to help kids everywhere get better sleep, so we'd like to shed some light on this problem.

Why Night Wakings Aren't Such a Big Deal

Despite what many of us believe, no one ever truly 'sleeps through the night.' That's because sleep isn't all one thing: our bodies naturally cycle through different phases of sleep, from lightest to heaviest, throughout the night. During the lighter stages, we're much more susceptible to waking up from sounds and other stimuli, and most adults do experience as many as 20 night wakings per night, even during a healthy night of sleep. We simply don't remember them, because we fall right back asleep and our brain doesn't form a memory. The same is true for babies.

Most people don't realize this, though, and for that reason, parents tend to assume that their child waking up in the middle of the night is automatically a bad sign. Parents often treat night wakings as a sleep problem that needs to be solved. But this simply isn't the case: while chronic night wakings can sometimes present a problem, they may also just be a normal part of your child's sleep pattern. You should only see night wakings as a problem is they are contributing to an overall lack of sleep.

Try the Best Mattress for Kids Today

So the next time your baby wakes up in the middle of the night, don't jump to conclusions too soon. If their sleep is otherwise healthy, it's likely that nothing's a miss. If you are looking for ways to improve your child's sleep, though, one great place to start is with a new kid's bed – and we can help. Don't wait: see the difference that healthy, restful sleep can make by trying an organic kids mattress that's truly built for a child's body. We can't wait to help your child get better, healthier sleep!