A Healthy Child Needs a Healthy Brain, A Healthy Brain Needs Healthy Sleep

Young children who have healthy sleep tend to seek healthy sleep as teens and adults (Blog Posts starting at 242 and 243) because they remember how good it feels to be well-rested.  I asked some former patients whether there were carry-over effects for their own children, the next generation.

Q:  “Your parents received advice from me regarding sleep beginning when you were a baby and my question is whether or not you are more attentive to or more successful than your peers regarding healthy sleep in your own child or children.  In other words, do you think that my attempts to educate your parents about your sleep when you were growing up might have any carry-over effect on the next generation, your own child or children?”

John 

My kids are 7 (son) and 5 (daughter).  Both of our kids are very good sleepers. Since the time they were born, we used advice from Dr. Weissbluth’s sleep books or other books he and his son, Dr. Dan, recommended. We will also employed much of their advice. My wife, who was not a patient, shared a similar view in the importance of sleep and letting the tools we were taught go to work. My wife also stressed the importance of sleep. We shared the same views. My parents stressed the importance of sleep at an early age.  

How old was your child when you began to think about helping your child sleep well? Since the day they were born.  We kept our kids’ rooms pitch black, we did not keep them up late, we closed their doors and went about our normal business, not being “extra” quiet. Both of our children we sleeping through the night at or shortly after 12 weeks. Our son is still a great sleeper, and a deep one. Our daughter is not as great of a sleeper as our son – but still very good.

I am 39.