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Early bedtimes, naps help nighttime sleep for babies
It seems counterintuitive but to get a kid to sleep better at night, you should have them on a regular nap schedule and an early bedtime. That's included in this excellent roundup of sleep recommendations in Slate that had me nodding my head.
Part of the problem, the article notes is we look at kid sleep issues through adult eyes. But babies who are overtired do not fall asleep, they get jumpy and wound up.
And I can't tell you how many mothers I know who ended the daytime naps in the hopes of having a worn-out kid at night time. But in a study conducted by sleep expert Marc Weissbluth, 3-year-olds who napped slept around 10.5 hours per night. So did 3-year-olds who didn't nap. The difference was that the nappers were much more pleasant to be around!
When an adult has insomnia, the article notes, they are told to push back their bedtime an hour later so that they can fall asleep faster. If they wake in the night, and don't fall asleep right away, they are told to get up and do something boring to make falling asleep again easier. But it's the opposite for babies. Earlier bedtimes and a low-key response to night wakings are what's called for.
The recommendations are:
- Keep the bedroom dark and quiet to wind down before sleep.
- A regular routine (such as bath, nurse, books and bed) that is followed religiously so the kid can relax and know what's coming next.
- A regular bed time and nap time.
- Minimal response when they wake in the night. No getting them up to wear them out again, keep things quiet and low key.
--Sharon Kennedy Wynne
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THE AUTHORS
Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.
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Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at 
Suzannah DiMarzio has it bad for the Mouse. Although she grew up outside of Boston, she took her degree in tourism management down to Orlando just to work at Disney and the travel industry. Of course, when she married her high school sweetheart, the reception was at Disney. She’s now a seasoned stay-at-home mom to two tweens and a toddler – and yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. Suzannah has her own blog, Comment Policy
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