Teaching Children to Sleep
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Sleep, or the lack of it, is a very important concern in childcare.
Parents, pediatricians, and sleep experts have noted that the quality and quantity of an infant's sleep directly affects the infant's physical, mental, and emotional growth. While sleeping, the body produces more somatotropin, a hormone that stimulates growth. After a good night's rest, a child feels refreshed and energetic.
Children who get enough sleep are more likely to function better, and are less prone to behavioral problems and moodiness. Children's Sleep Patterns Some kids have an abundance of stamina and need only an hour's nap a day. Others who are less energetic need at least two naps a day to recharge. By understanding how children's sleep requirements develop age by age, parents can better judge which bedtime habit is best for their tots. When the baby reaches six months old, it's time for parents to decide on which sleep approach to implement: 1) Gentle to sleep, which lets children set their own sleeping patterns and habits, or 2) Sleep training, which sets a specific bedtime for the child, along with measures that strictly enforce that bedtime. Gentle to Sleep The Gentle to sleep approach is one of the features of attachment parenting, a natural and instinctive parenting method that promotes physical and emotional closeness between the parent and the child.
In The Baby Sleep Book, author, popular American pediatrician, and chief advocate of attachment parenting, Dr William Sears advises parents to co-sleep and respond sensitively to baby's cries. Parents should make sleep an attractive state for the baby to be in. Dr. Sears also suggest that if sleep deprived, parents may consider weaning the baby off nighttime feedings. What the baby needs is a happy, rested mother. Sleep Training Richard Ferber, pediatric sleep expert and director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at the Children's Hospital in Massachusetts, believes that babies sleep more soundly and uninterruptedly when they learn to fall asleep without parental association. Ferber's philosophy is often called a "progressive" approach that helps babies fall - and stay - asleep. Ferber recommends a pre-bedtime routine: singing, reading a book, or rocking your baby. While your baby is still awake, put him/her down and allow your baby to pacify himself/herself. This can help her gradually, but strictly shift from parenting soothing to self-soothing. Though the method dissuades parents from comforting their child immediately, it still deems parental presence and attention as important. It simply decreases the duration in which these are given, with the goal of enabling children to become independent sleepers early on. You may shift from one approach to another, or modify one to suit your comfort levels. Admittedly, when trying to introduce a sleep routine to toddlers, parents may encounter varying degrees of resistance. Sleep problems such as nighttime fears and nightmares are common at this stage. You might have to stay a while by your child's side to calm him/her down. Either way, forming sleep habits in children entails a good balance of rule setting and flexibility on your part. Keeping attuned to cues given by your child will help you achieve that balance.
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