The Babble Sleep Guide
Your toolkit for getting your baby - and yourself! - a good night's rest.
by Allison Pennell
June 5, 2009
There is perhaps no greater affront to the system than the loss of a good
night's sleep in the hazing ritual that is Freshman Parenting. It's not for
nothing that sleep deprivation is recognized the world over as an "enhanced
interrogation tactic" of the highest order. And why didn't anybody tell you
that "sleeping like a baby" meant being rudely awakened every two hours?
From how to scare off monsters under the bed to getting your own monsters to stay in theirs, from feng-shui to Ferber, here are 50+ tools for helping little ones learn their ZZZs. — Allison Pennell
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How to Handle Bedtime Escape Artists
 A recent study in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology found that a
free pass may be just the ticket to a sound sleep. When kids strongly
opposed to bedtime (you know the ones) were put to bed with the free pass,
parents reported a substantial decline in flight risk and much less crying out.
Follow-up studies after three months showed sustained gains.
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Sleep: By the Numbers
Infants (3-11 months)
What They Need: 14-15 hours
What They're Getting: 12.7 hours
Toddlers (1-2 years)
What They Need: 12-14 hours
What They're Getting: 11.7 hours
Preschoolers (3-5 years)
What They Need: 11-13 hours
What They're Getting: 10.4 hours
School-Aged Kids (1-5th grades)
What They Need: 10-11 hours
What They're Getting: 9.5 hours |
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The Case for Early Bedtimes
We know, it's hard to stick to early bedtimes, but the consensus of current research shows that
they're key to better sleep and happier
kids.Research by the National Sleep Foundation found that 69% of today's kids
aren't sleeping enough. Just an hour less sleep a night has been shown to
put the ability to concentrate on par with children two grades
younger. Beyond meltdowns, less sleep is linked to attention problems,
dulled memory, hyperactivity, and obesity.
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Arrange Your Kid's Bedroom for Maximum Relaxing
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DO: |
DON'T: |
Keep the room dark for sleeping. The body makes melatonin at night in the
dark. Light makes the body think it’s daytime. |
Let a child sleep with the TV on or keep a nightlight on all night. Use
one with a timer if a little bedtime light is necessary. |
Use ambient sound or white noise machines if street or household noise is
a problem. |
Have aquariums or other moving water features in the bedroom. They might sound
soothing, but they can make it hard to sleep. |
Display happy family photos, accomplishments, and favorite picture’s at kids’ eye level. |
Hang any negative images like sharks, tigers, monsters, war toys, evil rulers of the universe, etc. |
Keep clutter to a minimum. |
Let your kids have access to all their toys at once. |
Source: Robyn Bentley, Feng Shui Diva.
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About the Author
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Allison Pennell is a writer on all things kid. She lives in Brooklyn with
her often disobedient but always lovable offspring, husband, dog, and
morbidly obese cat. Oh, and 14 fish. |
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