Sleep and napping patterns in 3-to-5-year old children attending full-day childcare centers.

OBJECTIVE To describe daytime naps and nighttime sleep-wake patterns in children attending full-day childcare centers. METHODS A descriptive cross-sectional study of sleep and daytime nap patterns in 52 healthy children 3-5 years of age. Sleep and nap data were obtained over 3 days and nights (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) with continuous ankle actigraphy recording on children attending two university-affiliated childcare centers. RESULTS Children averaged about 10 hr (610 min +/- 38 SD) of total sleep in 24 hr, as estimated by actigraphy. For the 41 children who napped, average nap duration was 75.8 min (+/-20 SD). Nocturnal sleep was less for children who napped (9.0 hr +/- 0.71 SD) compared to those who did not nap (9.8 hr +/- 0.53 SD). CONCLUSIONS Findings indicate that the majority of 3-to-5-year-old children nap when given an opportunity. Preschool children's sleep and napping patterns on weekends and in other types of childcare environments warrant further research to assess health effects and impact on growth and development.