Issue Date: March 26, 2006
Sleep Solutions
An age-by-age guide of expert-approved answers. Use these 28 tips so everyone in the family can sleep like a baby.
By the editors of "Parents" magazine
Your child & sleep
About this special report
USA WEEKEND brings you compelling health reporting through partnerships with America's finest magazines. In this must-read report, we team with Parents, the top magazine in the field.
|
Does your child have a tough time waking up in the morning? He's not alone: Children in all age groups aren't getting enough shut-eye at night, reports a 2004 National Sleep Foundation poll.
"Sleep is as vital to a child's well-being as exercise and a proper diet," says Jodi A. Mindell, Ph.D., a Parents advisory-board member and co-author of Take Charge of Your Child's Sleep.
If you routinely let your child skimp on sleep, you're setting him up for more than fatigue and a foul mood.
"Sleep helps kids learn by giving the brain an opportunity to process and store information from the day," says Juan C. Martinez, M.D., director of pediatric sleep medicine at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Fla.
Deep sleep also triggers the release of human growth hormone -- a substance necessary for your child's physical development.
Finally, sleep is vital to bolstering your little one's immune system.
There's a lot of conflicting advice out there. And that's why we pulled together this age-by-age guide: It gives you the expert-approved answers you need so everyone in your family can sleep like a baby.
Go to top
Babies 0 to 12 months
What's up: Newborns typically sleep just a few hours at a time, so the first couple of weeks home from the hospital are tough. But there are smart routines -- and important safety measures -- you should start now to pave the way for healthy sleep habits later.
SIDS safety
Experts still aren't exactly sure what causes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), but there are ways you can help protect against it. Take these precautions:
Put your baby to sleep on his back. Since 1992, when the American Academy of Pediatrics first recommended that infants be placed on their backs to sleep, SIDS cases have dropped by more than 40%. One possible explanation: With his mouth pressed up against the mattress, a stomach-sleeping baby is more likely to be deprived of oxygen-rich air.
Don't smoke. Babies who live in homes where a parent smokes are twice as likely to die of SIDS.
Think twice about cosleeping. The more people who share a bed with a baby, the higher the risk of SIDS. Why? An infant can become trapped between the mattress and bed frame and suffocate, or someone can inadvertently roll over onto her. For more about the controversial topic of cosleeping, see page 8.
Choose a firm mattress, and skip the soft bedding. In one study, infants using soft bedding were five times more likely to die of SIDS than those sleeping on harder surfaces. Also, clear the crib of stuffed animals, comforters and blankets (a sleep sack will keep your baby warm).
Dress your baby lightly. Overheating can make your baby sleep so deeply that arousal is difficult, so don't dress him too warmly for bedtime. And be sure his room is cool -- about 68 degrees.
Consider using a pacifier. Studies have found that babies who use pacifiers are at lower risk for SIDS. Some researchers speculate that a "binky" may discourage a baby from rolling onto her tummy.
Go to top
Toddlers and preschoolers
1 to 5 years old
What's up: Hopefully, your child has settled into a bedtime routine and is regularly sleeping through the night. Children ages 1 to 3 need 12 to 14 hours of sleep (including naps), and 3- to 5-year-olds should get 11 to 13 hours. If you've got a toddler, you may be thinking about moving him into a big-kid bed. You're probably dealing with occasional nightmares or bedtime fears.
Goodbye, crib! Hello, bed!
Most experts recommend waiting until a child is 3 feet tall before moving him from a crib to a bed. But if your child has started climbing out of his crib, you may need to move him earlier for his own safety. Here are four tricks to make the switch as easy as possible.
Talk up the idea. Three or four days before you make the change, tell your toddler that he is moving to a big-kid bed. Get your child excited by letting him help you pick out some new sheets.
Don't go cold turkey. Introducing a bed in stages can make kids less anxious. "We started by putting our twins' crib mattresses on the floor," says mom Erika Gebhardt of Yuma, Ariz. "Then we bought twin-bed mattresses and placed them on the floor. Shortly after that, we put the mattresses in their frames. It made the transition a lot easier than we expected."
Triple-check for safety. Now that your toddler isn't confined to a crib, it's more important than ever that his room is free of hazards. Add a guardrail to his bed, cover all electrical outlets, and attach freestanding bookcases or dressers to the wall with brackets.
Stick with your rituals. As much as possible, follow your child's usual bedtime routine.
The lowdown on nightmares
Think toddlers are too young to have nightmares? You're wrong.
"Bad dreams can happen at virtually any age," Martinez says, "and kids who are exposed to violent or disturbing images that they don't understand, such as those on TV or in a scary book, are more likely to suffer from nightmares." Bad dreams most often occur during the early-morning hours and can cause physical symptoms such as rapid breathing and crying.
What to do:
Talk it out. If your toddler or preschooler wakes up crying from a nightmare, ask him what happened in it, then calmly reassure him that what he dreamed about wasn't real and that you'll keep him safe.
Use "monster spray" (a spray bottle filled with water) or a dream catcher (a netlike ornament placed over a bed that "catches" bad dreams) to help calm him.
Go to top
School-age children
5+ years old
What's up: If your child goes to bed at 10 p.m. on a school night, she's not getting enough sleep. School-age kids need 10 to 11 hours of shut-eye a night. Those who get less are prone to injury and illness, and they lack concentration in school. The fix is surprisingly easy. "Most sleep problems at this age are caused by bad habits," Mindell says.
Snooze solutions for older kids
Cut caffeine. The National Sleep Foundation says 26% of children drink at least one caffeinated beverage per day -- and consequently lose 30 minutes of sleep nightly. Remember, kids can get a caffeine buzz from orange soda and chocolate, too.
Banish the TV from the bedroom. Children who have TVs in their rooms go to bed an average 24 minutes later, losing nearly three hours of sleep weekly. Keep computers out of the bedroom, too. Older kids find it all too tempting to stay up late surfing the Internet or instant-messaging friends.
Make books part of the bedtime routine. Children who read or are read to are most likely to get enough shut-eye. "Reading is calming and conducive to sleep," Mindell says.
Be alert for health-related symptoms. Loud snoring, mouth breathing and gasping can signal sleep apnea, a condition that causes a child to stop breathing momentarily, wake up, and then go back to sleep. This pattern continues all night long, preventing deep sleep. Consult your child's doctor: Enlarged tonsils and adenoids may be to blame, and surgery can help. Also, call the pediatrician if you notice your child's leg muscles twitching during sleep or if he complains of a creepy-crawly sensation in his legs, which could indicate restless leg syndrome.
Go to top
Family bed do's and don'ts
The number of infants sharing a bed with an adult more than doubled from 1993 to 2000, according to a study in the "Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine." Many families swear by cosleeping, but it has risks. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises against it. But if you do choose to cosleep, use these safety guidelines:
Do make sure your mattress fits tightly against the bed's headboard and footboard, because an infant can easily get trapped between the mattress and bed frame.
Don't use any soft bedding. Strip your bed of fluffy pillows, comforters and thick blankets; they can pose a suffocation hazard.
Do use common sense. If you've had even one alcoholic drink -- or have taken medication that makes you drowsy -- you should not put your baby in your bed. You'll have impaired arousal and be less likely to wake up if you roll over onto him.
Don't let infants and toddlers sleep next to each other. Toddlers, who sleep very soundly, may not wake if they've rolled onto a baby.
Go to top
Sleep-all-night strategies
Stick to a bedtime. "Don't wait until your baby is rubbing his eyes or yawning to put him to bed," says Marc Weissbluth, M.D., the author of "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." "By then, he's overtired." Say he winds down at 8 p.m.; make that bedtime. Sticking to one time helps set your child's internal sleep clock so he'll fall asleep without fuss.
Get a routine. Thirty minutes to an hour before bedtime, start a calming ritual; this may include a bath and reading.
Put your baby in her crib awake. Sure, rocking your baby to sleep sounds cozy. But if your child is routinely rocked to sleep at bedtime, what will happen when she wakes up at 3 a.m.? "All infants and toddlers wake one to five times a night," Mindell says. "They need to know how to fall back to sleep on their own."
Swaddle for the first three months. A recent study in the journal Pediatrics found that infants who were swaddled woke up less and slept longer than other babies. "The normal neurological jerks and movements are less likely to wake a swaddled child," Mindell says.
Let the sun in. Expose your baby to 30 minutes of daylight every day. Light suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin, and this helps set her internal clock, making it easier for her to fall asleep at night.
Tune out. If your baby is sensitive to sounds, then run a fan.
Walk, don't run, when he cries. As babies move from one sleep cycle to the next, they often wake up. But many times they can settle back down by themselves.
Don't nix naps. "Sleep begets sleep," Weissbluth says. "When a baby sleeps during the day, she's more relaxed, calmer and easier to put to bed at night."
Cover photograph by Chad Johnston, Masterfile
|
