Summer vacation means freedom for most kids. However, sleep schedules tend to fall by the wayside during the summer months. Many parents worry about teen summer sleep. Learn how you can help your child and teen develop healthy sleep habits during the summer months. Sleep schedule changes in the summer months Younger children (think from…
When I see children or teenagers with sleep difficulties, the first questions in my mind are, “What is bedtime like? What time is it? How long does it take to fall asleep?” Often, one of the best treatments for insomnia is adjusting the timing of bedtime at night. It does not entail any prescriptions or…
So, we’ve covered why fixing your child’s sleep problem is not selfish because it is good for you and for them. I imagine that lots of parents fix their kid’s sleep issues without a lot of difficulty. Then there are the parents who have made it to see me in Sleep Clinic. Generally, these parents…
Does your child struggle with falling asleep? Sometimes, changing the time you put her to bed can make it much easier. But you may need to go later or earlier to get the full benefit. Even though it sounds complicated, it doesn’t need to be. Fixing bedtime is one of the best ways to fix…
Not to be maudlin or morbid, but how many bedtimes do you have left with your children? Each night represents one of a precious and finite number of events with your children. I don’t mean that anything bad will happen. It’s more that I can’t help but feel that cliche of parenting— my children are…
A mom recently emailed me an interesting question. Her three year old has never had a consistent bedtime routine and she is interested in starting one. In this video, I answer several questions: When is the best time to institute a bedtime routine? What time should bedtime occur? Where should bedtime occur? What are the…
This is a response to this article, “Our Sleep Training Nightmare,” published in the New York Times 10/7/16, by Lisa Selin Davis. Thanks to Justin Smith AKA the Doc Smitty for bringing this to my attention. Dear Lisa, Thanks so much for sharing this article, painful as it must have been. I routinely care for…
This article was co-written with Terra Ziporyn Snider Ph. D, the co-founder and executive director of Start School Later. Recently, a school in Wisconsin posted a photo with suggested bedtimes based on children’s age and when they get up in the morning. This resulted in suggested bedtimes as early as 6:45 p.m. for younger children who…
One of the biggest questions I get in Sleep Clinic is, “why does my baby wake up crying at night?” Infant and toddler night waking can cause serious sleep disruption for the whole family. There are a few common reasons for this, and you need to identify the reason before you can fix it. Free…
There are lots of reasons that parents fail at sleep training their children. One of the most often overlooked is timing. If you pick the wrong time to start, you are doomed to failure. You really want to allow yourself about two weeks of time without any major changes in routine to maximize your chance…
Like all parents, we have learned what works in our home through trial and error with our little boys, who are now almost three and almost six years of age respectively. There are many rules which are bent, stretched, or shattered depending on the circumstances. One rule, however, that we have learned to respect is…
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