Toddler Sleep Habits: Interview with Dr. Kevin Johnson

One of the common problems faced by number of parents is to develop the sleeping habits of their toddlers. For few parents the problem basically lies in making their child asleep. And for few parents the problem lies in the wakefulness in the middle of the night. Actually there is no solution for such sleep habit problems, but still there are number of strategies which really work.

Developing the good sleeping habits in the toddlers has never been an easy task but one has to make efforts for their child’s wellbeing.

The common sleep problems in the toddlers are discussed as follows

Nightmare is one of the biggest problems of toddlers sleeping habits because these nightmares make you toddler to wake up in the middle of the night. Night terrors are another problem with the toddlers which does allow them to sleep peacefully. Bedwetting is the only problem which is with the very toddler, bedwetting actually leads to the skin irritation which makes the baby feel uneasy and thus he or she could not sleep. He/she feels Restlessness due of the absence of mom and dad. These are the few problems which are often faced by the toddlers while building the sleep habits.

Few mistakes made by the parents while making their toddlers to sleep:

• Sleeping with the children makes them used to of sleeping with you only. Then someday if you go to the bed late they will also follow you at the same time or may cry if you force them to sleep before.
• Lack of or not having a consistent routine also offers great difficulty to your child in developing good sleeping habit.
• Consumption of caffeine in any form like soda, juices, even chocolates before going to the bed is a major hindrance in good sleep.

The steps which parents can take in order to build good toddler sleep habits

• By having a strict and steady routine with the bedtime and to follow the same routine every night.
• One should also give them wind down time with a bath of warm water and make them listen to a story so as to have light or tension free time before their sleep.
• By not allowing the prolonged sleeping during the day and they should also avoid taking even short naps.
• Encourage them to play games. You can even play with the toddlers in order to keep them busy.

The stages or the situations when the parents should consult their doctors in order to solve the problem

• Loud snoring: when their toddler causes lot of snoring and could not sleep because of that.
• Sleepwalking or walking without in senses: whenever you see this problem in your child ensure that the area in which he or she walks is safe and secure. Always try to guide your child or toddler back to the bed without waking him or her up. And if this problem continues then you must consult your doctor before anything bad happens.