Sleep -- The Facts
Facts about your “sleeping” child:
• After a child falls asleep for the night, she doesn't always stay that way. Parents reported that 71 percent of infants wake up needing help or attention. As a child gets older, her tendency to wake up at night diminishes; just 46 percent of toddlers, 36 percent of preschoolers and 14 percent of school-age children wake up during the night.
• More than half of all preschoolers stall about going to bed at least a few nights a week. They resist going to bed at bedtime, according to 30 percent of responses, seem sleepy or overtired during the day (26 percent), and/or have difficulty waking up in the morning (19 percent).
• Most parents (76 percent) said they would like to change something about the way their child sleeps, whether it be the time the child goes to sleep, his or her bedtime behavior, when the child wakes up, how well or how long the child sleeps, or how well he or she naps.
• Almost all (90 percent-96 percent) of parents reported that their child has a usual bedtime routine. Reading most frequently is part of the ritual, and kids who get more sleep are more likely to have books incorporated into their routine. Tooth brushing, taking baths or showers, watching TV, saying prayers and feeding are the other most-mentioned habits.
• Slightly more than one-half of infants typically are put in their crib or bed when they already are asleep, compared to about one-fourth of younger toddlers and 16 percent of older toddlers.
Reprinted from Game plan for bedtime by Brianna Horan for the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.
