Child Sleeping Issues
- Children may begin to develop separation anxiety around six months of age, which can continue through toddlerhood. Infants and toddlers experiencing separation anxiety want their parents present when they fall asleep, as well as when they wake up during the night. Children who have been allowed to "self-soothe" and fall asleep with little parental assistance may experience less separation anxiety, reports the National Sleep Foundation. Separation anxiety may also be eased by encouraging the use of a security item, such as a blanket or a favorite soft toy, the use of a nightlight in or near your child's room, and reassuring your child that you will be checking on him periodically until he falls asleep.
- Toddlers and school age children may resist going to bed for several reasons, including their desire for independence, increased motor and social abilities, and a fear of missing out on activities that take place after they have gone to bed. A child may express resistance by becoming distressed or throwing a tantrum at bedtime, or by getting out of her bed. You may be able to decrease your child's resistance to bedtime by limiting daytime sleeping or sleeping in, developing a pleasant and soothing bedtime routine, encouraging her to stay in bed once she is settled, and limiting household noise after the child's bedtime.
- Along with separation anxiety, a child's expanding imagination may lead him to develop fears, such as a fear of monsters. These fears may cause a child to resist going to bed and may even manifest themselves into nightmares. Nightmares are a natural part of a toddler's imaginative development, and may be soothed by cuddling your child, providing a security item, allowing your child to use a nightlight, reading your child stories about overcoming fears, and reducing the child's exposure to television shows, movies or other images that may frighten him. Unlike nightmares, night terrors are episodes of fear while the child is asleep that may result in screaming and sleepwalking, states the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. During night terrors, the best course of action is to protect your child from harming himself and try to return him to normal sleep.
- Bed wetting occurs when a toilet-trained child involuntarily urinates more than twice per month, according to PubMed Health. Though involuntary urination usually occurs at night, it can also happen during the day. Bed wetting may have an emotional cause, such as stress, or may simply be the result of a child not waking up in response to the feeling of bladder fullness. Physical causes for the condition are rare, according to PubMed Health. You may be able to resolve bed wetting at home by making sure your child makes frequent trips to the bathroom, using a bed wetting alarm that will alert the child to nighttime urination, or the use of a reward system for nights without bed wetting. Your child's doctor can recommend other treatment options if these methods are unsuccessful.
