If you have not already done so, please read Blog Posts 1 through 5 that describe how sleep is important and beneficial. I will post specific information for parents and children based on my book, “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.” Please do not be put off by my book’s length. This is a reference book. Read only the topic of interest to you.
Mothers spend more time at night caring for their child than fathers. Some mothers do all the bedtime and overnight care in order to protect the father’s sleep in order for him to work during the day, or they believe that the father cannot do this care as well as they do, or the father does not want to help care for the child at bedtime or overnight. There are many reasons why parents might not work together as a team regarding helping a child sleep well (Blog Posts 17 and 18) but a common situation is that the mother sees the development of drowsy signs in the late afternoon and wants an earlier bedtime (Blog Post 7), but the father coming home in the evening is not cooperative with this baby sleep schedule. Alternatively, a father might want to slightly delay nighttime responses to nondistress sounds from their child (Blog Post 11), but the mother is not cooperative.
If one parent wants to help their child sleep better but the other parent is reluctant to make changes, there is the potential for increased family stress. Perhaps a consultation with a professional will be needed to help resolve the conflict. Here are some facts that might help motivate a parent to make a change that results in better sleep for their child:
1. More sleep for your child will make your child healthier, stronger, smarter, happier, and more successful
Based on the United States of America Department of the Army (Blog Posts 1 through 5):
Sleep readiness underpins a Soldier’s [Child’s] ability to accomplish the mission and continue to fight and win [Succeed in life]. Think of sleep as an item of logistical resupply, like beans and bullets and plan accordingly. Sleep is essential to health and readiness. Sleep makes Soldiers [Children] better Soldiers [Children]. As sleep duration increases, so does the likelihood of mission success. The goal in all operational scenarios [Home, School, Playground] should always be to maximize sleep duration because more sleep always results in greater alertness, resilience, and mental activity-greater readiness. Sleep is a force multiplier. Insufficient sleep degrades the brain’s function.
Sleep is necessary:
Effective leaders [Parents] consider sleep an item of logistical resupply like water, food, fuel, and ammunition.
The brain is the only organ or body part that requires sleep. The brain requires sleep to maintain normal function. The brain has a physiological need for sleep, and sleep promotes the ability to think and maintain mental toughness. And the more sleep, the better it functions.
A Healthy Child needs a Healthy Brain,
A Healthy Brain needs Healthy Sleep.
Question
In a Developing Baby, does
Unhealthy Sleep causes Brain Damage?
“Soldiers [Children] best get more sleep by going to bed earlier because awakening at the same time each morning helps to sustain and strengthen the brain’s alertness.
2. An Earlier Bedtime, only 20-30 minutes earlier, may produce dramatic improvement.
3. An Early Bedtime will make your child taller and slimmer.
4. An Early Bedtime will make your child a better athlete.
5. An Early Bedtime Helps Produce: