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Does
your child wake up in the night?
Tips for effective sleep-management
of your toddler.
Night waking is common among young
children. Children wake up either out of habit, due to nightmares or because
of occasional mental disturbances. But parents have to handle night waking
in an intelligent manner. They have to understand that night waking has
nothing to do with discipline. And there can't be any formula solutions.
A parent should neither scold the child for waking up, nor should the parent
be overprotective. Consider the following options for effective sleep-management
of your child.
Do you wake and
touch your child every time he or she murmurs or moves?
Do not disturb the child by touching
and coddling too much during sleep. If you touch your child too often,
you might disturb the natural sleep rhythm. Let your child surface and
drop off as often as she wants. Do not make a big issue out of night waking
or sleep duration, whether you sleep in your child's room or not.
Does your child
go to sleep on top of the bedclothes and then catch a cold?
Place your child in a sleeping bag
or blanket sleeper. Or, you can keep a separate cot blanket to drape over
your child and the toys around.
Does your toddler's
room get pitch dark on moonless nights?
Install a 15-watt night-light. This
will not stop your child from waking, but your child will be able to manage
her emotions better.
Does your child
use a dummy?
Put two or three dummies beside your
child after you go to bed, especially if you sleep separately. Your child
might find solace in a dummy in the middle of a night.
Is your child
disturbed by outside sounds?
If possible, reallocate the rooms
and soundproof them. It's worth the effort, because your child's sound
sleep is the key to your hassle-free sleep.
Does your toddler
get hungry in the night?
Some toddlers are so tired at bedtime
that they cannot eat as much night supper as they require. And they get
hunger pangs in the middle of the night. In that case, a chocolate slab,
some tangy munchies or an easily digestible fruit should be given. Do not
take a moralistic view over this middle-of-the-night snack. All ground
rules can be set aside for your child's well being. You can also give your
child a glass of milk before bedtime.
Does your toddler
get thirsty?
A few parents believe in restricting
evening drinks for children. They think it saves them from frequent nappy
changes and night waking. But this attitude is cruel to the child, especially
in tropical countries like India. A child must be allowed to have as much
water as possible until bedtime. But in order to avoid frequent night waking
(for the child and the parent), a child must be put into clean leak-proof
diapers, which have to be changed immediately in the morning.
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