I'm a pediatric sleep doctor, author, and in my day job I run the Yale Pediatric Sleep Center. I've been writing about pediatric sleep issues for tired parents since 2012. Join my newsletter to get the best information about sleep problems (and solutions) in children.
How to manage your child's sleep over the summer
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It just got hot here in the Northeast, and the kids are at camp (one is a counselor, the other is a counselor in training) at our local day camp. There are a lot of things I like about camp for kids in the summer, especially if there is a bit outdoor component.
Now, some kids have a less busy schedule during the summer. I was one of those kids growing up in the 70s and 80s. At that time, you were often expected to make your own schedule during the day. (Also, I was too much of a scaredy cat to go to sleep-away camp-- perhaps I should write an article about this some day). Some of my patients are having less structured summers as well, This can be really terrific for kids who need time to decompress. However, sometimes kid's sleep schedules can become fairly chaotic over the summer, and parents may be playing catching up when school starts in the fall, especially if kids don't have any sort of schedule at all. This is especially a concern for older kids and adolescents who stay up and get up late given a chance. Fortunately, as a parent, I think you can have your cake and eat it too-- meaning that you can be more relaxed (meaning fewer struggles at bedtime) but still keep your child's sleep on track. In my article on summer sleep, I review:
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Craig Canapari MD
I'm a pediatric sleep doctor, author, and in my day job I run the Yale Pediatric Sleep Center. I've been writing about pediatric sleep issues for tired parents since 2012. Join my newsletter to get the best information about sleep problems (and solutions) in children.
When parents think sleep training, the often think about extinction or CIO sleep training. Although CIO sleep training works well for infants and younger toddlers, I prefer gentler methods for older toddlers and preschoolers, especially if they are anxious. The “Excuse Me Drill” and “Taking a break” are two simple, gentle techniques which work well for children two and up who need their parents to fall asleep. These are two of my favorite techniques, and in my book It’s Never Too Late To...
When parents think of sleep training, they are often just imagining extinction sleep training (commonly known as "cry it out" or CIO). Thus, they imagine lots of crying, tantrums, and battles when trying to change the status quo. The fact is, CIO doesn't work well for older kids anyway. That's why I love the Bedtime Pass. A simple yet effective tool for managing nighttime interruptions. Instead of battling wills, your child can use a "Bedtime Pass" for a trip out of their room or to call for...
Here's a question I get asked all the time: "My child is having a sleep regression! What do I do?" I'm ambivalent about the term "sleep regression" as it implies that regressions (worsening of sleep in a child who had previously been sleeping well) are a predictable phenomenon at certain ages. Although there are a few milestones that consistently seem to muck up sleep (I'm looking at you, Walking and Potty Training), overall I don't believe in the 10 month sleep regression. Or the 2.57 years...