CHILDREN’S SLEEP: TYPES OF SLEEP PROBLEMS
Sleep problems vary in cause, duration, and ages they affect. Still, they fall into categories with typical characteristics and have variations on the basic themes. Some children have only one type of problem. Others demonstrate several types at the same time. For still others, the type of problem might be related to the child’s development and will change as he groves and faces new experiences. Knowing where your child fits will help you describe the specific behaviors that are causing problems and give you clues as to how to respond.
Frequent Waking
Elizabeth is nine months old and I haven’t gotten a full night’s sleep since she was born.
Frequent waking is a problem when a child wakes more than you expect for her developmental level—or more than you can tolerate. This may be once or several times a night.She might never have developed the pattern of sleeping for a long stretch or never learned to get back to sleep after normal nighttime arousals. The problem might be related to difficulty getting to sleep alone. She may have learned to need and expect help from her parents to get back to sleep. Or ne night waking might be stimulated by illness, dreaming, or developmenl disequilibrium. In those cases, she may need to re-learn getting herself back sleep for a long stretch.
I give him a bottle and he goes right back to sleep, but I wonder if he real needs it. Some infants simply sleep through the expected feeding time, others continue waking long after what seems developmentally appropriate. This chi never learns the pattern of sleeping a long stretch. He requires food to satisfy “learned hunger” or requires sucking and comforting to get back to sleep.
Difficulty Getting to Sleep
After the third glass of water, I’m ready to scream! She is afraid of the monsters in her closet. This problem can affect all ages. Bedtime is drawn out and battles get worse and worse. Parents cajole, threaten, and bribe, and then they wonder how things got so out of control. There can be many reasons for this, including fears separation anxiety, and simply not having learned the skill of getting to sleeep on one’s own.
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