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Solving Your Child’s Sleep Problems

June 13th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

Solving your child’s sleep problems can be tricky because several problems can come up with your child’s sleep, including sleep deprivation, sleepwalking, sleep associations, separation issues, settling problems and parasomnias.

Sleep deprivation occurs when you child does not get enough sleep, which could lead to serious physical and emotional problems. Sleepwalking, on the other hand, occurs when children sleep lightly and unconsciously walks around in the middle of the night. Sleepwalking is not harmful, unless it becomes a nightly routine. Parasomnias are disruptive problems of sleep, which are not considered serious, that include night terrors and teeth grinding.

One of the most common problems of parents is that they cannot get their child back to sleep. This happens when parents have not introduced sleep associations to their child, which can help him or her to sleep alone without being rocked, sucking a pacifier, drinking a bottler of milk or with the parents by his side. Solving your child’s sleep problems depend largely on how well you incorporated sleep associations into your child’s bedtime routine.

Surefire Ways of Solving Your Child’s Sleep Problems

One of the most traditional tips in solving your child’s sleep problems is to sleep when your baby sleeps. This is important because you are introducing the baby into a new routine that he or she will follow every day.

Establish a bedtime routine when your baby is at three to five months of age. This routine may include last feeding or nursing, bedtime story, singing, diaper changing, last bath or other practices that can make your baby go to sleep. You need to teach your baby to associate nighttime with sleeping by giving him or her objects (blankets or toys) that can symbolize “his time to sleep”.

Solving your child’s sleep problems will take time because you need to teach them every detail for them to sleep alone, without sleepwalking, experiencing nightmares, grinding their teeth and without separation issues. Be patient in supporting your child as he or she gets used to the bedtime routine. Remember that your child will eventually outgrow these sleep problems with your guidance and reassurance.

However, if you tried every method in solving your child’s sleep problems, your child may be experiencing hunger, heat or cold, bloating, cold or stuffy nose, temperature, ear infection, head banging or body rocking, soiled nappy, noisy or quiet environment and lost sleeping aids, such as stuffed toy, pacifier or blanket. Some sleep problems, especially those that continue to persist, may need medical attention.