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Music and Babys
Baby Sleep: Managing Healthy Sleep
Habits
Teaching your child how to sleep on
his own can feel like a daunting
task, especially for already
exhausted and overwhelmed parents.
The process of helping a child learn
self-soothing skills, and eventually
falling asleep, can be emotionally
stressful for many parents because
it involves taking a firm stance in
reaction to the child's protests.
The great news is a child,
regardless of age, learns this skill
very quickly (usually in less than 5
days). Once this skill has been
learned, it is like riding a bike -
it is always there. As long as you
remain consistent with your
expectation that your child fall
asleep on her own then negative
sleep associations will not
redevelop. For assistance on
teaching your child to sleep please
visit www.child-works.com
However, healthy sleep habits are
managed, not a one-time fix. This is
especially true the first five to
six years of life when a child will
move from bassinet to crib to a big
kid bed. There are three specific
areas that generally disrupt a
child's sleep over these years,
thereby necessitating "management"
from the parents: achieving
developmental milestones, dropping a
nap and moving from a crib to a bed.
Developmental Milestones
Many times babies will develop
problems with sleep between six and
nine months of age. This is even
true for those babies that were
sleeping well up to this point. It
is believed that these problems
arise because of the cognitive and
physical developments that are
occurring at this time. Children
become more socially aware and are
learning how to manipulate their
bodies more. It is common for a
child to learn how to roll over on
his stomach some time before
learning to roll back. Some children
will do this while they sleep and
will enjoy sleeping on their tummy
while others will wake and cry out
in frustration. Another common
example is a child that learns how
to pull herself to a stand, but does
not yet know how to sit. When a
parent puts this infant to bed she
will pull up to a stand and cry out
for help to sit back down. Of
course, when parents continue to go
in and roll over their baby or help
their child sit this can quickly
become a great game for the child!
Parents can handle these issues in
different ways, but a plan needs to
be decided upon before the night
begins. Sticking with the plan
throughout the night is just as
critical. Some parents choose to
continue to help their child until
the child learns the necessary skill
(i.e., roll over or going from a
stand to a sit). Usually within a
month the child is able to take care
of himself again. However, this can
feel too exhausting for other
parents. The quicker solution is to
let the child figure it out
independently at night. For example,
if a child rolls onto his stomach
then the child will either learn to
roll back over or sleep on his
tummy. The same holds for a child
pulling up to a stand. Eventually
the child will let go, fall down and
go to sleep. This is perfectly safe
in a crib. Many parents will check
on their child at intervals without
physically helping the child out of
his "pickle".
Dropping Naps
It is important that parents
understand age appropriate sleep
habits. A very young baby takes four
or more naps a day. Over her first
two years, she will slowly drop naps
until she is only taking one.
Knowing when your child is at an age
to drop a nap is half the battle.
When your child reaches this point
then it is important to understand
there may be an awkward period when
the absence of the dropped nap
leaves her too tired. If timed
right, this period should be less
than two weeks. For more information
on naps and a helpful sleep chart
please visit www.childworks.com
Crib to Big Kid Bed
Moving from a crib to a bed is
painless for many families, while
others struggle with nighttime
battles once their child is out of a
crib. Timing is important and a
consistent plan is essential. It is
not recommended to move a child to a
bed before the age of two unless
absolutely necessary due to safety
concerns. Ideally, the child should
have the verbal skills and acumen to
understand the "rules" of moving
into a bed.
Other situations can affect a
child's sleep habits as well. They
include, vacation/travel, illness,
moving, and social engagements. When
any of these disruptions occur it is
best to protect the sleep schedule
as much as possible. Try to fit in
most naps on vacation or put your
child to bed earlier at night.
Skipping naps and going to bed late
is usually a recipe for an
emotionally chaotic vacation. As for
getting your child back on schedule,
it's imperative to do this as soon
as possible. The day your child is
no longer sick or the day you return
home from traveling, immediately
return to the original sleep
schedule and expectations. Your
child may protest, but if you stand
firm and consistent it will be short
lived.
Rachel Steinberg is a sleep
consultant and co-founder of
Child-Works. She has advised
countless parents whose children
were experiencing difficulty around
sleep. Rachel has worked with young
infants to children six years of
age.
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