Blog Posts 1–5, based on the United States of America Department of the Army Field Manual: Holistic Healing and Fitness, describe what really matters for your child’s sleep. If sleep is an important enough topic for national defense than surely sleep should be considered a serious topic for parenting!
In a 2020 study of 152 infants at 3, 6, and 12 months of age, using objective measurements of sleep (actigraphy) over 11 continuous days at each age, five different composites of sleep were determined. Behavioral development assessments were also performed at each age.
• Sleep Activity: More sleep activity means more movements and awakenings at night and less regularity of awakenings.
• Sleep Timing: Later sleep timing means later clock time for bedtimes and fall asleep times.
• Sleep Night: More sleep night means longer night sleep duration.
• Sleep Day: More sleep day means longer daytime sleep and more naps.
• Sleep Variability: More sleep variability means higher variability between measurement days.
On the one hand, these composites might be thought of different aspects of sleep just as protein, fat, and sugars are different aspects of your child’s diet that can be healthy or unhealthy. However, unlike different foods, “each sleep composite correlated with all other sleep composites, indicating that while sleep is a multidimensional construct, the different dimensions are tightly intertwined.”
Infants with late sleep times (late bedtimes) have less night sleep.
Infants who sleep less at night sleep more during the day.
Infants who sleep more during the day (naps) had lower behavioral development scores.
In correspondence with the lead author, “…there is a larger association between nighttime sleep timing and daytime sleep than nighttime sleep duration.” This suggests when the child goes to sleep [the parent chosen bedtime] is more important than the duration of night sleep regarding the duration of naps. However, there was not “a significant direct association for Sleep Timing [late bedtimes] and [low} developmental scores.”
The authors’ interpretation is “that long daytime sleep is a marker of increased sleep need …which might reflect an immature neurological system.” because long naps are associated with lower behavioral development scores.
Even though a statistically significant direct association was not observed in this study between late bedtimes and low developmental scores, based on my clinical experience, my interpretation is that parents should focus on age-appropriate early bedtimes. The early bedtimes are more in synchrony with circadian sleep rhythms, so the quality of sleep is superior. The early bedtimes also produce longer night sleep durations. Either better quality or longer duration night sleep or both produce shorter naps and higher behavioral development scores.
Separately, a 2021 study of 2,220 infants at 12 months of age obtained data on sleep and neurocognitive development using parent questionnaires. Short daytime sleep (less than 4 hours) and long nighttime sleep (more than 8 hours) were associated with higher neurocognitive index scores.
Blog Post 192 explains how parents’ decisions regarding sleep may have a direct effect on their child’s sleep. In particular, late bedtimes is probably the most common cause of sleep problems in children (Blog Post 68 and 69). It is a myth that late bedtimes will be fully compensated by late wake-up times and/or longer naps.
Hi Marc!
I’ve been following you for a while now, love your content.
My 3 yr old son wakes up every single night multiple times, he doesn’t nap during the day anymore but even if he did it’s the same thing every night! I put him to sleep on him bed in his room but He ends up sleeping next to me in “the big bed” every night.
We wake up around 7:30am and bed time is 7:30pm
He begins to wake up at 11pm up until 4am that’s if I keep taking him back to his bed
My 1 year old sleeps better at night I’m finally getting a break from all the night wakes and feeding and now I have this to deal with 😭
Please describe his mood and behavior when alone with toys (no screens or parental interaction) between 6-7pm.
Have you read the Chapter on Sleep Solutions in my book?
Between 6-7pm we begin our sleep time routine (pj brush teeth read book lights off) if he played for a bit He plays nicely most of the time alone for a bit or sometimes would start throwing them in the air, but no screaming just playing. the second I close the lights he cry’s for a bit then goes to sleep.
11pm he starts the waking up, I put him back to his bed but when he’s up again around 2-4am I just let him sleep in our bed
I’m looking forward to reading your book, just never had the proper chance with 2 kids 🥲
Understood. What do you want to change and how much effort do you want to put forth to make this change?
Please read the section on “Sleep Rules and Silent Return to Sleep”