Child-Works Blog

Helping Parents Sleep

chosen — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:35:29 +0000

I have enjoyed enormous success in helping many little ones sleep better at night, but some of their parents are wanting help as well. This is not my specialty as adult sleep issues can be a result of a variety of sources from poor sleep habits to stress to medical conditions. The following is a brief article offering natural remidies adults can implement to help when sleep is elusive: “Sleep Better With Acupressure Points”

Too Little Sleep Can Lead to Obesity In Children

chosen — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 02:29:36 +0000

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”

Children With Sleep Apnea

chosen — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:24:21 +0000

Although sleep apnea affects a small percentage of children, it can have devasting effects on a child’s behavior, learning and brain functioning. The following is an article touching on this issue: “Made in China, Growing up in America”

How To Handle Daylight Savings

chosen — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 02:19:44 +0000

Many parents who work very hard to establish a healthy sleep routine can dread daylight savings time. Parents worry about how this one hour change in time will alter their well preserved sleep schedule. The good news is the change in time should not significantly alter your child’s sleep habits. The even better news is the “spring forward” time change is easier on children’s sleep than the “fall back” time change.

Since the time change occurs in the wee hours of Sunday, March 9th this year, I recommend beginning making changes to your routine starting Saturday, March 8th. If your child does not nap then put her down 15 minutes earlier at bedtime starting Saturday evening and continue to do this nightly until she is at the appropriate bedtime. If your child is still napping then put your child down at her normal naptime on Saturday, but wake her about halfway through her final nap. For example, if your child naps from 1pm to 3pm then wake her at 2pm. If your child takes a morning and afternoon nap then put her down normally for her morning nap, but wake her from her afternoon nap after 45 minutes of sleep if she typically naps for an hour and a half. That evening put your child to bed 15-30 minutes earlier than normal. How much earlier you are able to do is dependent on your child, but the earlier the better.

On Sunday morning wake your child at her typical wake time. For example, if she usually wakes at 7 am then don’t let her sleep past this time (as tempting as it may be!), even though her body thinks it is 6 am. This will set your child up for keeping to her normal schedule on Sunday with the new time change. So again, if your child wakes at 7am, naps at 1pm and goes to bed at 7:30 pm then keep these times on Sunday. If necessary, wake her Monday morning at 7 am again and keep to her schedule on Monday.

To make this change as smoothly as possible it is best to adhere to your child’s sleep schedule over the weekend and on Monday as well. It should only take a few days for your child to adjust and everyone in the family sleeping at their regular times. Once everyone has adjusted it is fine to occasionally vary from the schedule again when necessary.

Suffering From Insomnia

chosen — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 02:05:45 +0000

Many times when I finish helping parents get their child’s sleeping on track they ask if I can help them. Although I do not work with adults, I do suggest they follow many of the basic ideas behind their child’s sleep plan. The New York Times recently published an article on basic behavioral changes to implement to help an adult suffering from insomnia. If you suffer from insomnia it is worth trying these ideas and hopefully you will be surprised at how beneficial it can be.

Research Linking A Child’s Sleep With Obesity

chosen — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 01:07:09 +0000

In my artcle “Why The Fuss Over Sleep” I discuss research based on adults that link sleep deprivation with obesity. New studies have emerged that connects lack of sleep in children with childhood obesity. Many parents are surprised to learn how much sleep their children should be getting. Not only does lack of sleep affect mood and ability to learn, but has physical repercussions as well. For more information: “Sleep May Curb Obesity in Kids.”

Birth Order And How It Affects Our Children

chosen — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 01:09:29 +0000

A fascinating article came out in Time magazine last month on the implications of birth order. Many of us were either raised with siblings or are raising more than one child ourselves. This article looks at what recent studies have found on the affects of birth order: “The Power of Birth Order.”

Administer Medicine to Kids

chosen — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 01:04:35 +0000

I have always been a proponent of giving medicine when kids are sick, so that they can get adequate sleep which aids in recovery. However, it is important for parents to be aware of the changes in recommendations with cough and cold medicines.

What Kid Snoring Could Possibly Mean

chosen — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:02:09 +0000

All my clients complete a detailed assessment prior to every meeting. It is important to ensure that if a child is not sleeping due to medical reasons these red flags are tagged and appropriately addressed. By in large the marjority of sleep problems have no medical basis, but it is always an important consideration.

New Campaign Against SIDS

chosen — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:09:00 +0000

In the news I cam across this new campaign to curb SIDS in Baltimore. Some of the recommendations were ones I hadn’t heard about yet. I thought it worth sharing: Continue reading “New Campaign Against SIDS” »