Child Sleep Expert, Ancy Lewis, Debunks Common Children’s Sleep Myths
New York, New York (PRWEB) November 05, 2013 -- While many parents have the best intentions for their children and their sleeping habits, often their belief system comes from past generations, which include outdated information. Child sleep expert Ancy Lewis of Sleeping Little Dreamers recently released nine children’s sleep myths that provide sleeping insight on topics like napping habits, feeding times, multimedia interaction, and sleep atmosphere.
Teaching and reinforcing sleep habits early on helps children by emphasizing the need for regular and consistent sleep schedules. While there is no magic number when it comes to the number of hours of sleep a child needs, there are helpful tips and tricks to eliminate sleepless nights.
Sleep is especially important for children as it directly impacts mental and physical development. Children who get enough sleep are more likely to function better and are less prone to behavioral problems and moodiness.
“Every child is different and has different needs,” said Lewis. “These tips are just the beginning of developing a relationship with your child that promotes a healthy lifestyle – with plenty of sleep. By consulting with a sleep coach, we can tailor these tips to your child’s needs so parents can obtain immediate results.”
Here is a sneak preview of the myths she debunks:
1. If my child skips naps he will sleep better at night.
Children need naps until they turn four –years–old. There is a strong link between nap deprivation and nighttime wakings and early rising. Children need both good quality and consistent quantity of naps. When this is sacrificed, parents find themselves getting up at night more than expected or handling an early bird. Although there is the occasional fluke that a child slept well after a skipped nap, it is not the norm. Consistently missed naps can lead to crankiness and disrupted nighttime sleep (for both parents and children).
2. If my baby awakens at night she must be hungry.
Babies who are very young do need to be fed at night. However, every cry and night waking is not due to hunger. Babies and older children get up for several reasons. Some other common reasons include, nap deprivation, hitting developmental milestones, inability to self soothe, and illness. Keeping an eating and sleeping log can help pinpoint which cries may be due to hunger or other causes. This helps parents avoid feeding at every cry. By avoiding feeding at every cry, babies learn not to depend on nursing or a bottle to put themselves to sleep.
You can find all nine myths debunked on Ancy’s blog: http://www.sleepinglittledreamers.com/blog.
About Sleeping Little Dreamers
Sleeping Little Dreamers is devoted to providing Sleep Coaching services to parents of children ages 6 months to 6 years with sleep issues. Owned by a social worker, Sleeping Little Dreamers offers individualized sleep consultations that address the needs, values and parenting philosophies of each family. Sleep consultations can be done by phone with parents all over the world, or in person for those in the Westchester County, NY area. With the collaboration and support of Sleeping Little Dreamers, parents have either experienced vast improvements in their child’s sleep or a complete resolution of sleep issues. For more information, please visit http://www.sleepinglittledreamers.com.
Ancy Lewis, Sleeping Little Dreamers, http://www.sleepinglittledreamers.com, +1 914-310-9544, [email protected]
Share this article