There are systematic steps to work up to that. “You’re not going to go from one night sleeping in your child’s room to them sleeping independently the next,” she says. She cautions parents to remember this will take time and patience. Otherwise, they become too reliant on the parent for their presence or reassurance.” Loiterstein, “we want the child to learn that they have the self-soothing skills to manage whatever it is that’s distressing them. We aren’t talking about the “cry-it-out” form of sleep training used with infants, but rather one for older children that involves gradually moving farther away from the child. Once you know what’s going on with your sleep-challenged child, you can use behavioral techniques to help them move towards sleeping independently. The same guidelines can also be applied to naps, which are more invaluable than ever, given how many parents are working from home. So what’s a parent to do? First, you want to identify the issue. And for children with less severe problems, parents can use CBT strategies to change sleep habits. A form of behavioral therapy called CBT-I (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia) has been shown to be more effective than medication for treating kids with insomnia, explains Wendy Nash, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist. Sleep is no exception.įortunately, there are well-tested strategies for helping kids learn to fall asleep in their own beds and stay asleep. And those who had struggled in the past may have regressed.Ĭonfusing changes in routine and increased anxiety - older kids may be worrying, while younger children may be sensing their parents’ anxiety - are causing behavioral issues across the board. A lot of kids, even those who had no significant sleep issues before the pandemic, are having trouble now. CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) can be a helpful treatment for sleep issues, and medication may help in some cases.Ĭountless parents have experienced the frustration of trying to get kids to go to sleep and stay asleep. If your child still can’t sleep after making changes like these, it’s time to talk to their pediatrician. If kids wake up in the middle of the night, it’s best to send them back to bed right away. Other routines like a warm bath before bed and using bed only for sleep also help. For example, you might find that Sunday night is harder because Monday is the first day of the school week. This also helps parents keep track of any patterns or sleep problems. It can include everything from brushing teeth to turning out the light. Posting a sleep schedule also helps kids stay on track. The goal is to be able to come in, say goodnight and have your child be able to fall asleep. It’s good to let your kid know you understand how hard this is for them but that you’re sure that with practice, they’ll be able to do it. You can continue these small steps until they’re sleeping on their own. For example, you might go from sitting in a chair next to the bed one night to moving the chair across the room the next night. Sleep training for older kids involves parents using gradual steps to get kids to sleep independently. Once you’ve done that, you can start what’s called “sleep training.” Are they anxious? Afraid of the dark? Scared to sleep alone? Just talking to kids about fears around sleep can make them feel better. The first thing to do is find out what’s keeping them from sleeping. But there are steps you can take to move your child to sleeping on their own. It’s frustrating for parents when a kid can’t go to sleep or stay asleep without help.
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