[healthy sleep habits]
a good start with benefits to last a lifetime!
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Lack of sleep is a major issues with parents of very young children. Yet most sleep problems can be avoided if you begin early to establish healthy sleep habits.
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Let’s first define Healthy Sleep Habits. There are five factors;
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1.The total amount of hours that your child sleeps in a twenty four hour period. There are recommended averages for every age. How does your baby’s sleep measure up?
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2.The length of each sleep session. Rather than cat naps - longer sleep is more restorative for baby. Fifteen minutes in the car is NOT the same as sixty minutes is a crib.
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3.The routine of sleep; a daily predictable pattern from day to day.
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4.The method of sleep; baby can fall asleep on his own, using self –soothing skills.
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5.Lastly, sleep that fits with your child’s current age/stage. A newborn will still need to be close to you to feel content. A toddler will be able to handle a more independent routine.
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There are several steps of maturation that baby needs to go through in the first months of life, that help to explain why it may take a while for your newborn to sleep in a regular routine. Body temperature regulates, meaning that it begins to rise during the day and become slightly lower at night. Melantonin, a hormone that has a relaxing effect on the body, begins to be secreted regularly in the evenings. Cortisol, a stimulating hormone similar to adrenaline, rises during the day, to fall in the evenings and during naps. All these processes help baby begin to associate night time with sleep and daytime with being awake.
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You can begin as early as six weeks to sow the seeds for better sleep by following these recommendations;
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Look for the soft signs of sleep.
Establish a nap and bed time routine.
Use soft signs and duration of time awake, rather than a schedule, to decide when to put baby back down.
Expose to bright light upon awakening.
Help baby find self soothing skills.
Don’t overfeed before bedtime.
Allow baby to make up for feedings during the day.
“Less is more scale” for interventions.
Be consistent with your method.
Special plans may be made for multiples and siblings.
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By the time a baby is nine months old, sleep habits are firmly established. If your child does not nap on a daily basis, or has a bed time later than 7:00 p.m., or awakens during the night, or if baby needs rocking, walking, or other help to fall and stay asleep, you may want to consider changing your family’s habits.
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Likewise, if your toddler goes to bed late, or comes out several times during the night, or has a bed time routine that takes hours, changing some of your family’s behaviors might greatly improve sleep in a short amount of time. At this point, sleep habits will have more to do with behavioral issues, that with developmental stages. After an in depth interview via phone or email, I can help you formulate a plan that can get your child back on track for good sleep, including behavioral issues. Finding solutions to established problematic sleep habits with Infants and Toddlers for families that are ready, is my specialty.
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If you need help implementing the above suggestions, or still feel like you need some help and guidance with developing a sleep plan for your new baby, we can provide you with a plan and suggestions for establishing Healthy Sleep Habits for you and your baby from the beginning.


Contributing writer, Alexandra Curtis Boyer has been working with parents, infants, and toddlers since 2001, when she successfully completed her RIE Intensive Training. Mother to three lovely daughters, she is pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Education from Nova Southeastern University. She is the founder of Acorn to Oak a consulting and teaching practice for child development. (813) 385-2038 or e-mail acorntooak@earthlink.net.


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The information provided should not be taken as a substitute for qualified medical or professional advise from a qualified health care provider. The information provided should be considered as opinion only.