Here - Health Promotion Agency

Habits and behaviour
•
By twelve months, babies sleep
for about 12–15 hours altogether.
•
A two-year-old may sleep for
about 11–12 hours at night, with
one or two naps in the day.
•
Most three–four-year-olds need
about 12 hours sleep, but some
may need only 8 or 10 hours, and
others 14. Some may need a nap
in the day.
REGULAR BEDTIMES
Some future sleep problems may be
avoided if you can establish a simple
and soothing bedtime routine early.
This can include a bath, changing
into night clothes, feeding, cuddling,
then putting to bed.
Put your baby down awake rather
than getting him or her to sleep by
rocking or cuddling in your arms,
otherwise your baby may not learn
to fall asleep in the cot, and may
need nursing back to sleep if he
or she wakes up again.
As your child gets older, keeping
to a similar bedtime routine is also
important. This should include
a ‘winding down’ period and the
avoidance of excitement and
over-stimulation before bedtime.
An example of a routine could be:
• bathtime, and put in night clothes;
• a milky drink or supper;
• brushing of teeth;
• a bedtime story;
•
making sure your child’s
comforter, such as a dummy,
cuddly toy or security blanket,
is nearby;
• a good night kiss and cuddle;
•
leaving a dim light on if
necessary.
SLEEP PROBLEMS
Difficulties in settling down to sleep
and night waking are common in
young children aged 1–5 years.
These can be persistent, but what is
a sleep problem for one family may
not be one for another. If you are
happy for your baby to go to bed at
the same time as you, or for your
child to sleep in your bed, that’s fine.
If, however, you or your child are
suffering from lack of sleep because
your child will not go to bed or
wakes during the night, you may like
to try some of the suggestions below.
Research has shown that changing
habits in ways like these is more
effective than drugs in treating sleep
problems.
Refusing to go to bed
•
Decide what time you want your
child to go to bed.
• Close to the time that your child
falls asleep, start a 20-minute
‘winding down’ bedtime routine.
Bring this forward by 5–10
minutes a week until the right
bedtime is reached.
•
If a very late bedtime has been
established, gradually reduce this
by 15–30 minutes each night
until you reach the time the
child is to go to bed.
• Put your child to bed and set limits
on the amount of time spent with
him or her. For example, read one
story only, then tuck your child in
and say good night.
•
Make sure your child has a
dummy, if used, favourite toy, or
comforter before settling into bed.
• Leave a crying child for 5–10
minutes before going back in.
Resettle your child down again.
GETTING HELP FOR
SLEEP PROBLEMS
Most sleep problems can
usually be solved by using
simple techniques. But
patience, consistency and
commitment are usually
needed if these have gone
on for some time. It is
important that both parents
should agree on a sleep
plan and stick to it.
If you’ve tried the
suggestions on these pages
and your child’s sleeping is
still a problem, talk to your
GP or health visitor. They
may suggest other solutions
or suggest that you make an
appointment at a sleep clinic
if there is one in your area.
Sleep clinics are usually run
by health visitors who are
specially trained in the
management of sleep
problems and who can give
you the help and support
you need. Your GP may
also prescribe a drug for very
short-term use but it is far
better to tackle the long-term
issue. In the meantime, if
you’re desperate, try to find
someone else to take over for
the odd night, or even have
your child to stay. You’ll
cope better if you can catch
up on some sleep yourself.
Make sure your baby over
six months is not waking
from hunger. If you gave
the last solid food around
5–6 pm, try offering some
more food such as bread or
a breakfast cereal around
7–8 pm, as well as a milk
drink.
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