Top of the Morning: Kids Need Longer Sleeping Hours, According to New Guidelines

1. How much sleep kids really need

Photo from davenportlibrary.com

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) recently made changes to sleep recommendations for kids. Newborns zero to three months need 12 to 18 hours of sleep a day, while infants four to 11 months should get 12 to 15 hours. Toddlers one to two years old need 11 to 14 hours of sleep, preschoolers three to five years old need 10 to 13 hours, and school-age children six to 13 years old should have nine to 11 hours of shut-eye daily. Does your child get enough? (huffingtonpost.com)


2. Toddler food has too much salt
Pre-packaged foods for one- to three-year olds are high in salt and added sugar, a new study found. The study, which was published in the journal Pediatrics, shows that off-the-shelf toddler food, even most fruit-based and savory snacks, contains as much salt and sugar as junk food. Kids set their taste preferences early in life, and if they get used to too sweet and salty food early on, it can affect their diet growing up. (livescience.com)


3. A sneak peak of the Frozen short film

Disney has announced that a sequel to the blockbuster animated film "Frozen" and a short film are in the works. The studio released four photos to give the audience a look at what to expect from the short film: The gang is back and Queen Elsa is throwing Anna a birthday party! The short film will be shown ahead of the theatrical release of the full-length live-action Disney film Cinderella in March. (nydailynews.com)


4. Woman gives birth to 10-pound baby on the highway
Devi Mariah Ostlet of Utah had to pull over the interstate highway to give birth to a healthy 10-pound baby boy. She went into labor before driving herself to the hospital, and had to call emergency services, as the baby’s head is already coming out and coming fast. She pulled over to give birth, and she’s lucky a highway patrol rushed to her side just under a few minutes before she gave birth. (ibtimes.com)


5. School bans non-vaccinated children
In an effort to protect its students, a California high school denied dozens of non-vaccinated students from entering the school on Wednesday, January 28, over a concern that a classmate may have contracted measles, a highly contagious disease that began in Disneyland resort last month. This is the second time the Palm Desert High School prohibited non-vaccinated students from classes since the outbreak. (huffingtonpost.com)