While most children manage to soothe themselves to sleep, and to sleep through the night without the need for any intervention, there are a number of children who take a long time to learn to do this.
Some children have never learned to put themselves to sleep. They rely on a parent holding them, rocking them, feeding them or simply being with them until they fall asleep. These children come to believe that this is the only way to get to sleep and the parents are often very tired and frustrated. There is no time left to be an individual, to maintain a healthy relationship with a partner. Every evening is spent with the child, just as the day has been. There is no quiet time, no time to exchange comments about the day and often no private time between parents at night. Someone must remain with the child so that the child will sleep.
Altering a child's sleep pattern is possible. It requires an understanding of exactly what has happened to cause the difficulty. A sleep history helps clarify this.
What is the pre bed routine like, how do the parents react to the difficulty and what priorities do the parents have in mind when they want things to change? Sleep diaries illustrate exactly where the difficulties are, and completing these throughout the work to change things can also show what is working, and what is not.
Once the issues have been clearly identified, and the parents priorities decided, it is possible to work using graded techniques to improve the child's sleep. Cry it Out, a method that allows a child to cry with a parent checking at extending intervals, has long been discredited by sleep professionals.
This method does work but it teaches the child that being upset is not going to be met with comfort. The child learns to suppress such emotions and this is not healthy. Cortisol, the stress hormone, floods the body systems of parents and child so neither are happy with the situation. The parents may have been told that this is the way it has to be, but this is not so.
There are other ways to support a child who is afraid, who lacks confidence in their ability to fall asleep or remain asleep without mum or dad being nearby.
Altering a sleep pattern can be really hard work for both parent and child. It requires consistent repetition and demonstration of behaviour and consequenses so that things can and do improve. Most sleep difficulties can be resolved within a few weeks. Perseverance, persistance and calm confidence are atributes which are vital to success.
Once a child has learned to sleep and to remain asleep, their appetite and mood imnprove and parents find things so much easier.
If you would like help to improve your child's sleep, Contact Dream-Angus.com
Some children have never learned to put themselves to sleep. They rely on a parent holding them, rocking them, feeding them or simply being with them until they fall asleep. These children come to believe that this is the only way to get to sleep and the parents are often very tired and frustrated. There is no time left to be an individual, to maintain a healthy relationship with a partner. Every evening is spent with the child, just as the day has been. There is no quiet time, no time to exchange comments about the day and often no private time between parents at night. Someone must remain with the child so that the child will sleep.
Altering a child's sleep pattern is possible. It requires an understanding of exactly what has happened to cause the difficulty. A sleep history helps clarify this.
What is the pre bed routine like, how do the parents react to the difficulty and what priorities do the parents have in mind when they want things to change? Sleep diaries illustrate exactly where the difficulties are, and completing these throughout the work to change things can also show what is working, and what is not.
Once the issues have been clearly identified, and the parents priorities decided, it is possible to work using graded techniques to improve the child's sleep. Cry it Out, a method that allows a child to cry with a parent checking at extending intervals, has long been discredited by sleep professionals.
This method does work but it teaches the child that being upset is not going to be met with comfort. The child learns to suppress such emotions and this is not healthy. Cortisol, the stress hormone, floods the body systems of parents and child so neither are happy with the situation. The parents may have been told that this is the way it has to be, but this is not so.
There are other ways to support a child who is afraid, who lacks confidence in their ability to fall asleep or remain asleep without mum or dad being nearby.
Altering a sleep pattern can be really hard work for both parent and child. It requires consistent repetition and demonstration of behaviour and consequenses so that things can and do improve. Most sleep difficulties can be resolved within a few weeks. Perseverance, persistance and calm confidence are atributes which are vital to success.
Once a child has learned to sleep and to remain asleep, their appetite and mood imnprove and parents find things so much easier.
If you would like help to improve your child's sleep, Contact Dream-Angus.com
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