Sleep
Sleep is incredibly important to maintain well-being for both children and parents. Sleep routines can also be a valuable time for connection. Helping children set their biological clocks, empty their emotional backpacks, and get enough exercise during the day can all help develop healthy sleep patterns. And when that isn’t enough, here’s how to help young children learn to relax into sleep, without leaving them to cry.
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Help Your Toddler Learn to Put Himself to Sleep
Toddlers don't seem to have an off switch. Often, when they're tired, they just reverberate faster, like an over-wound toy, until they crash.
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Bedtime Routine for Kids Who Have a Hard Time Falling Asleep at Night
Dr. Laura,
My almost eight year old daughter has a very hard time falling asleep at night. Right now it is worse than ever as I am trying to get her out of the summer routine and back into a school routine. We have to wake up around 6:30 a.m. for school. I have been waking her up earlier, hoping that she will fall asleep earlier at night but it seems to be back-firing. Even though I start the bedtime routine around 8:30 p.m. she isn't falling asleep until around 10:15. It is making us both very anxious and she keeps saying "I can't sleep. My body feels too cuckoo." I've tried kid yoga videos, I scratch her back, I read books, sing, I do everything. She is now exhausted in the day and is acting very hyper-active and revved up but I know she is really just tired out.
Thank you!
Nina
Teaching Your Baby to Put Himself to Sleep
How do you get your baby to go to sleep and sleep through the night?
He may accomplish that milestone on his own, soon. Or he may need a little help from you to learn how to put himself to sleep, not just at bedtime but throughout the night. All humans have sleep cycles that take us into slightly wakened states during the night, and we all need to learn the skill of falling back into a deep sleep.
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The Case Against Ferber Sleep Training
I'll admit up front that I'm biased against Ferberizing, or Ferbering, as it is sometimes called. As a psychologist, I follow the research, which has convinced me that babies do better if parents respond when they cry, whether it's light or dark outside.
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Getting Your Preschooler To Sleep
Wondering how to get your three, four or five year old into bed -- and how to get him to stay there all night? You're not alone! I hear from parents all the time about their preschoolers falling asleep on the couch or in front of the TV, anywhere but their own beds.
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Infants and Sleep
Most new parents are shocked by the constant interruption of their sleep that a newborn brings to the house. But there are ways to be there when your baby needs you, and still get some rest.
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Yes. It works. And the more rest I get, the more patience I have. It makes a difference.
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Janina-Madalina Dobrescu
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Dana Questad
