Parenting - Three Tips To Get Children With Sleeping Problems Asleep

Three Tips To Get Children With Sleeping Problems Asleep

According to the American Sleep Association 70% of all babies and infants at one time or another suffer from sleeping difficulties. So if bed time is a difficult time for you and your baby you are in good company. Rest assured that there is probably nothing wrong but of course when you are in doubt seek professional care. Jodi Mindell, a researcher and sleep expert at the Institute, has 3 tips for worried parents.

Put your baby to bed when he/she is sleepy but not yet asleep.That way you teach your infant to fall a sleep by himself. When baby is able to do that around bedtime chances are he or she will wake up once or twice per night. But because the baby is trained or used to falling asleep in his own bed you don't have to "rock or swing" him to sleep. Going back to sleep comes naturally. And you will be much fitter the next day.

Define a strict bedtime regimen.That way your child learns to get "tired" every afternoon and evening at about the same time. Also it's a good idea to extend this predictability to other areas of the baby's life. Certainty and safety will make the baby more relaxed and will help him to grow to be a healthy adult. Make sure your baby does go to bed early enough. Exhausted babies have trouble falling asleep.

Make strict use sleep ritualsStart at a young age with a bed time routine. Use a specific system in which three or four activities are always done in the same order. For example, wash first, then put on pajamas, and last but not least a bedtime story or song. That way you create a predictable order of activities that make the change from daytime activity to the slower pace of going to bed more gradual.

If you want to know more about this interesting topic read Jodi Mindell's book "Sleeping through the Night". In my opinion this book is a must-read for parents who worry about the sleeping habits of their little one. The book is very readable and is packed with tips, tricks and explanations.
One warning never give young children a sleeping pill unless you really have discussed this deeply with your general practioner.

Linda is an inspired author of theBaby Strollers Guide and theBaby Products Guide she is a mother of two and spend a lot of time next to her child's bed.

Baby's First Year | Baby Care | Pregnancy Info | Weddings & Honeymoons | Baby Care Info

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 |

Spare The Child, Ditch The Rod
Spare the rod, spoil the child!This philosophy's been around a long time.In fact, a study done by Zero to Three, anonprofit child-development group, found that 61percent of the adults who responded, condonespanking as a regular form of punishment. Thepercentage of parents who actually use spanking isbelieved to be much h...(related: Parenting)

Home For The Holidays: Is It Time For That Talk?
Just a couple of years ago Annie helped her parents get the washer & dryer moved from the basement to a bedroom on the first floor after her mom missed the last step & broke her toe. Annie reassured them that she would make sure they would stay in their own home no matter what. Be...(related: Parenting)

Raising A Tobacco-free Kid
We begin forming healthy habits at a young age. With all that we know about smoking, it is astounding that young people will still take that first puff of a cigarette just to see what it is like. Many will not stop at that first experimental puff. Here are three things you can do to ensure that your child will not be tempted to smoke cigarettes:1) If you happen to be a smoker, you need to quit. This is first and foremost. Do it for yourself as well as your children. Children are so quick to model the behavior of their parents. If they see parents using good manners, children will use good manners. If they see parents consistently ea...(related: Parenting)

Raise Your Child To Be A Leader Not A Follower
Your child's leadership skills begin at the family dinner table. In this day of working moms and fast food eating, sitting down together for dinner is sometimes neglected. However, it is often the foundation of family life and should become a treasured tradition.The dining table functions like a corporate meeting, it is where the parents set the family agenda and model both the attitudes and tradit...(related: Parenting)

Let Your Children Name The New Baby
Choosing a baby name is an important job, so make your children feel important by letting them help you name the new baby. After all, you're not the only one who's having a baby - your whole family is ! Use the process of naming the baby as an opportunity to get your other children involved in and excited about their new brother or sister, and make the process fun. Try a little ...(related: Parenting)

Parenting Your Teenager: 6 Tips For Dealing With Bad Report Cards
One of the basic issues we need to understand is that parents and teens view school very differently. This is important because often we believe that our kids look at school the same way we do.In many cases, nothing could be further from the truth.For parents, we work and want to do well in our jobs. So we think because our kids don...(related: Parenting)

Top 20+ Reasons To Pay Your Kid An Allowance
1. They can make mistakes under your guidance2. They will learn how to save for the future3. They will learn that money doesn't "grow on ...(related: Parenting)

Parenting Your Teenager: How To Build Trust
``Mom, can I go to the mall with my friend Jenny?''``No, not after you came home late last night.''``Well, everyone else gets to.''``I don't care what everybody else gets to do; you can't.''``You just don't trust me.''``You've got to earn it.''``I have.''``No, you haven't.''``Have, too.''``Have not.''SLAM! Etc.If the above conversation sounds familiar, you're probably the parent of a teen-ager.I especially like the ``everybody else gets to do it'' line. My parents' response was, ``If everyone else stood on their heads in the middle of the street at 3 a.m. in their underwear, w...(related: Parenting)

Exposing The Damage: Tv And Kids
There are millions of young children in thiscountry who are being terribly mistreated by theirparents.These parents aren't physically abusing theiryoung children, and they may not even know thatthey're mistreating them.The mistreatment?Millions of kids under the age of two are watchingTV in this country. In fact, according to a studyby the Kaiser Family Foundation of over 1,000parents, about 65% of kids under age two arewatching TV,...(related: Parenting)

The Seven Keys Of Being A Father
Is there a fathering instinct?Celebrated child development expert Erik Erikson maintains that adults have a fierce desire to protect and nurture the next generation. This is the generative nature of parenting? to nurture and protect the next generationWe recognise this desire in women as the maternal instinct. Men's strong desire to look after the next generation is best recognised through their protective instincts. Man as hunter and gatherer has always had the survival of his family and community as a motivating force.But the generative not...(related: Parenting)

New Baby ? Relax And Become A Yummy Mummy
Lets face it becoming a mum is a bit of a shock at first, to say the least. Sleepless nights and eventful days make it a struggle to get a shower and wash your hair in the morning, never mind applying make up and fiddling with volume brushes and hairdryers. This is why most mums have swapped their kitten heels and sleek hair for the more comfortabl...(related: Parenting)

How Can I Teach My Child To Be Responsible?
Most of us when asked what we want our children to become, we include "responsible" among other things such as happy, fulfilled and caring. We want our children to learn to make wise choices, be responsible for their actions and live responsibly.Do we teach children to become responsible by simply giving them chores to do? That's part of it for sure but only part of it. What about learning to be responsible for their actions? What kind of messages do we give out that either encourage or discourage a child to become responsible? How are we at taking responsibility for ...(related: Parenting)

The Recipe For The Making Of A Self-assured Child: One Part Communication, Two Parts Love
Each child carries a unique picture of the self, shaped in part by the influence of parents. Your child is not born with a self-image or self-assurance. Both traits are learned through experiences beginning from birth.But who is the self-assured child? Simply put, it is the child who is confident of their self-worth, and their talents and abilities. A ...(related: Parenting)