Sleep - Making Sure Your Baby Gets Enough

American children are chronically under rested. Study after study has shown that children need to go to bed earlier and get more sleep. Sleep is a complicated issue, and I can (and will) write post after post regarding how to get your child to sleep, but two quick bits of advice can make a big difference.

First - advice for parents of babies. It is important to go to your baby, but make sure your baby is really waking up before you go. Don't go and pick up your child the first time they make any noise, or you could actually be interrupting their sleep. Sleep goes in cycles, and sleepers will go through periods of deep quiet sleep, then shallower, more active sleep. During the lighter sleep period, there will be moving, rustling, and vocalizations before the sleeper goes back into a deeper phase of sleep. If you are going to check on your baby, watch quietly without touching or interacting until your baby opens his eyes or actually starts to cry. This is one way to make sure your child gets all the sleep they need.

Second - advice for the parents of older children. If your child is waking up too early, try moving bedtime earlier. Sometimes, it is difficult for children to sleep soundly when they are too tired, and an earlier start helps them to be in a deeper stage of sleep when it starts to be light outside. An earlier bedtime won't neccesarily lead to a later wake up time, but it will allow for more good rest before morning. Another benefit can be an easier bedtime -- the more tired your child is at bedtime, the more likely it is to be a struggle.

When my son is cranky during the day, or is unfocused or out of control, I find that an earlier bedtime for 2-3 days can work wonders. Also, even though he doesn't usually take a nap, sometimes if he seems particularly unable to control himself one morning, a little afternoon snooze really improves his behavior in the afternoon.