Parents of young children commonly speak to their physicians about sleep behaviors, according to C. Carolyn Thiedke, MD, at the Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine. Children who resist sleeping at bedtime cause stress and disruption to the family. However, parents can learn to simple techniques to help their children sleep.
Bedtime Routine
Children who resist going to sleep may respond to a positive and calming bedtime routine, according to MayoClinic.com. It prepares a child physiologically for bed and should occur at the same time and involve the same sequence of events each night. As the parent, you must decide the elements of this, more or less, 20- to 30-minute routine. When your child completes a step of the routine, respond with praise and move on to the next one. Steps might include changing into pajamas, brushing teeth and a bedtime story.
Craig Axelrod, teacher trainer at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, also recommends this technique with a slight change for blind and blind-deaf children. Rather than have the parents set the bedtime, with disabled children Axelrod advises parents to first determine the child's natural bedtime and then proceed with a positive bedtime routine.
Cosleeping
Cosleeping, when parents and child sleep together, is a widespread sleeping technique in many non-Western cultures. Some parents choose cosleeping because it helps babies obtain more nighttime sleep and allows the mother and child sleep cycle to sync up, according to KidsHealth. However, both the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Academy of Pediatrics believe this practice puts "babies at risk of suffocation and strangulation." If you choose to cosleep, KidsHealth recommends a number of precautions, including avoiding plush bedding, using a headboard with no cut-outs and not placing the baby in the bed to sleep alone. Parents who are intoxicated have an impaired ability to wake up and should not cosleep.
Earlier Bedtime
You may want your child to go to bed at 8:30 p.m. but she may not get tired until much later. According to MayoClinic.com, your child will fall asleep earlier if she is tired. Simple techniques such as waking her up earlier and reducing her nap time can help her feel tired earlier. Withhold all foods and beverages that contain sugar and caffeine, including juice several hours before bedtime. These foods can make it difficult for children to fall asleep.
