Child-Works Blog » Toddlers http://www.child-works.com/blog Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:04:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 The Incredible Results of Sleep Training Your Child http://www.child-works.com/blog/toddlers/the-incredible-results-of-sleep-training-your-child http://www.child-works.com/blog/toddlers/the-incredible-results-of-sleep-training-your-child#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 19:30:01 +0000 chosen http://www.child-works.com/blog/?p=61 Just today I heard from a client who completed a Child-Works sleep plan when her son was 4.5 months old. At 16 months he had a sinus infection. After many nights of being up with him because he did not feel well, this mom knew she needed to return to the plan to get him back on track. After one night her son is back to sleeping wonderfully. She called to express how much happier he is now that he is rested. Even though he protested having to sleep independently again without his mom coming to him every hour as when he was sick, he is so grateful for having quality sleep and feeling good. This client was remarking that it still amazes her to observe the striking difference between her well rested son versus her overtired son. The bags under his eyes are now gone, he no longer cries and whines all day, he enjoys being left with Grandma and plays independently. Enforcing healthy sleep habits is truly a gift to our children!

]]> http://www.child-works.com/blog/toddlers/the-incredible-results-of-sleep-training-your-child/feed 1 Common Sleep Myths http://www.child-works.com/blog/infants/common-sleep-myths http://www.child-works.com/blog/infants/common-sleep-myths#comments Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:02:13 +0000 admin http://www.child-works.com/blog/?p=160 MYTH: Healthy sleep habits develop automatically.
FACT: The process of sleep is a learned skill. Some children learn this skill more readily than others. Parents can help or hinder the development of healthy sleep habits.

MYTH: Crying signifies pain.
FACT: An infant cries to communicate a wide range of feelings and needs. Crying does not always mean a child is in distress. Infants cry out of protest, as if to say, “I don’t want to do this” or “I don’t like this.”

MYTH: Protest crying at bedtime causes longterm emotional or psychological problems.
FACT: The research is clear that there is no evidence crying results in long term health issues for the child. In fact, the opposite is true. The ability to be alone is a vital sign of maturity in emotional development.

MYTH: Children outgrow unhealthy sleep habits.
FACT: As stated previously, healthy sleep habits are something that must be learned. There is no magical age or developmental time where children make a switch to autonomous sleep on their own.

MYTH: Removing a nap means longer night sleep.
FACT: Sleep begets sleep. A child will sleep longer at night without night wakings when s/he has healthy naps during the day.

MYTH: Later bedtime equals later wakeup time.
FACT: It is counterintuitive, but an earlier bedtime can result in a later wake up time.

MYTH: Feeding solids to infants affects sleep.
FACT: Sleeping longer is due to maturation, not diet. Hunger has little to do with how a baby sleeps.

MYTH: Teething causes child sleep problems.
FACT: Teething by an infant should not disrupt sleep significantly.

]]> http://www.child-works.com/blog/infants/common-sleep-myths/feed 0 Why A Good Night Sleep Is Critical To Your Child’s Well Being http://www.child-works.com/blog/infants/why-a-good-night-sleep-is-critical-to-your-childs-well-being http://www.child-works.com/blog/infants/why-a-good-night-sleep-is-critical-to-your-childs-well-being#comments Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:45:57 +0000 chosen http://www.child-works.com/blog/?p=109 More and more information is coming out on the importance of sleep for both adults and children. I have written an article that consolodates much of the recent research on sleep for children which can be found under Sleep Information/Articles. The following article also provides information on the importance of sleep: “6 Reasons Why Your Child Needs More Sleep!”

Experts always give a range of how much sleep children should get at certain ages. To know where your child best fits within this range observe his/her behavior. The most common signs of not getting enough sleep is if your child falls asleep in the car, stroller or couch during non sleep periods (sleep periods include naptimes and bedtime). For a complete checklist on overtired behavior look under Sleep Solutions/Overtired Sleep Quiz.

]]> http://www.child-works.com/blog/infants/why-a-good-night-sleep-is-critical-to-your-childs-well-being/feed 1 Too Little Sleep Can Lead to Obesity In Children http://www.child-works.com/blog/infants/too-little-sleep-can-lead-to-obesity-in-children http://www.child-works.com/blog/infants/too-little-sleep-can-lead-to-obesity-in-children#comments Mon, 11 Jul 2011 23:22:36 +0000 chosen http://www.child-works.com/blog/?p=17 If you are reading this blog then you most likely have a good idea that sleep is important to our children’s overall health. All my clients have learned that sleep affects a child’s behavior, emotional development, learning ability and physical health. More and more research is being done on pediatric sleep. The following article discusses how lack of sleep and too much television in very young children can set them up for early obesity issues:  “Infant Sleep Linked to Obesity: Study”

]]> http://www.child-works.com/blog/infants/too-little-sleep-can-lead-to-obesity-in-children/feed 3 Potty Training http://www.child-works.com/blog/toddlers/potty-training http://www.child-works.com/blog/toddlers/potty-training#comments Mon, 13 Jun 2011 21:00:39 +0000 chosen http://www.child-works.com/blog/?p=57 A client who looked to us for help with her sons sleep recently came back to discuss potty training. Like many of us, she received lots of well intentioned advice and in the end felt discouraged and unhappy with how she handled it all. Her two year old son showed a clear interest in leaving diapers behind and using the potty. Normally this is an ideal time to shop for spiderman underwear and happily give away any unused pull ups! However, it’s important to look at the big picture. In this case, her son was learning to sleep in a big kid bed and recently stopped using a bottle to sleep. Due to all the other new skills he was having to incorporate into his world, potty training was best left for a little while longer. By all means, if he asked to use the potty he should be encouraged, but nothing beyond that. It is good to let your child to be the leader at first. Many times when parents try too much at once or try to go too fast, potty training turns into a behavioral battle ground motivated by asserting control instead of learning a new skill.

]]> http://www.child-works.com/blog/toddlers/potty-training/feed 1 Should My Toddler Watch Television? http://www.child-works.com/blog/parenting_news/should-my-toddler-watch-television http://www.child-works.com/blog/parenting_news/should-my-toddler-watch-television#comments Tue, 05 Sep 2006 19:27:42 +0000 chosen http://www.child-works.com/blog/?p=63 The debate about when it is okay for children to watch television, what is appropriate and how much is okay is a hot debate among parents and child specialists. NY Times has recently published an article explaining current research on toddlers and television: “When Toddlers Turn on the TV and Actually Learn”

Let us know your thoughts and experiences regarding your child(ren) and television!

]]> http://www.child-works.com/blog/parenting_news/should-my-toddler-watch-television/feed 4 Good Books for Babies and Toddlers http://www.child-works.com/blog/infants/good-books-for-babies-and-toddlers http://www.child-works.com/blog/infants/good-books-for-babies-and-toddlers#comments Mon, 04 Sep 2006 19:03:42 +0000 chosen http://www.child-works.com/blog/?p=44 Babies become interested in books at various ages and in different ways. Some babies like to hold the book and “read” themselves, others want to focus on the pictures while others enjoy hearing every word read to them. A literacy group located in Pittsburgh gathers specialists together to determine the 10 best books for babies and toddlers among hundreds of books. For a list of these books, please visit: “10 Best Books for Babies and Toddlers”


]]> http://www.child-works.com/blog/infants/good-books-for-babies-and-toddlers/feed 1 Toddler Sleep and Behavior http://www.child-works.com/blog/parenting_news/toddler-sleep-and-behavior http://www.child-works.com/blog/parenting_news/toddler-sleep-and-behavior#comments Thu, 01 Jun 2006 06:25:08 +0000 chosen http://www.child-works.com/blog/?p=59

A parent the other day shared a terrific story of how he overcame a “sleep obstacle” with his 2 year old son. This family had successfully completed our sleep package. Their son had transitioned to his big kid bed and was sleeping 12 hours a night. All of a sudden, their son began waking earlier and earlier and getting out of bed. Both parents new that he was doing this in order to start his day as early as possible to play with mom and dad. After trying different strategies, the father finally figured out what worked.

One morning he told his son he needed to stay in bed until wake up time or he would loose his new big kid bed and have to go back to sleeping in the toddler bed. As all good two year olds must do, he had to find out if his dad was serious, so, naturally, he got out of bed. The dad went straight to his son’s room without saying a word and began stripping the bed, removing the mattress, retrieving the toddler bed from the basement along with his tools and began to dismantle the big kid bed. All the while he is calmly carrying this out his son is throwing a fierce tantrum! Finally, his son puts his arm around the dad and asks, “Daddy, do I really have to loose my bed?” The daddy explains that he can keep his new bed if he agrees to stay in bed until wake up time. The son agrees and he is back to sleeping 12 hours per night.

What can you as a parent take from this? Once a child masters the art of putting themselves to sleep and sleeping independently, the sleep battles that arise are purely behavioral issues and need to be dealt with accordingly. The key is find what your child’s incentive is. In other words, what consequence can be given to your child that your child will feel that his/her current behavior is not worth the subsequent consequence? These parents tried taking away different toys, walking their child back to the room, and loss of daytime priveledges, but he did not care about those consequences. Keeping his bed was important enough to him to change his behavior. Just as critical as finding the appropriate consequence is following through. Your child needs to know that when s/he does X then Y happens 100% of the time. This predictability is very comforting for children in the long run and makes a parents job much easier.

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