Sleeping

Sleeping ... or the lack of ... makes such a difference in a child's behaviour.

At the moment, I am battling to get my new 1 year old in a sleeping schedule that works for all of us. It's hard. She's tired in the morning, but if she naps in the morning she has only a short nap in the afternoon and is on the brink of being cranky by the end of the day. To keep her awake all morning, she is painfully grumpy but she sleeps soundly in the afternoon and is much happier for the rest of the day. It's a juggling act at the moment. We'll figure it out.

A tired child is so hard to be around. It doesn't matter what age the child is. Tired isn't fun for anyone.

I am a stickler for routine. I like the kids to know that nap time is an everyday occurence at the same time. Day in and day out. Like clockwork.

When everyone sleeps when they are supposed to, it makes the day better for all. When kids arrive in the morning tired and out of sorts, it affects everyone. I believe in set bedtimes - we should all have that regularity in our sleep habits. A person's body works better on a schedule, even adults.

When parents do everything to keep a tired child awake, so that they can get them to sleep in the next morning I think they are teaching that child to ignore their own body's natural 'triggers' telling them sleep. You end up with an overtired child that can't wind down, a tired child the next day ... and when it's done on a regular basis, you have a child that has learned to override their tiredness and not want to go to bed.

I have strong opinions about the necessity for good sleeping habits. I can't see the benefit of keeping a preschool child out of their routine for sports and such, that put their bedtime way out of whack. As they get older and the bedtimes get later ... maybe. But to throw a child continually off schedule doesn't seem 'in the best interest of the child' or for anyone else around them.

Then again, what do I really know? I have made myself a slave to the routines that seem to work best for me. My children have really never done any sporting activity, nor do I have a life after dark. I think somewhere in between the two extremes lies a happy medium.

A rested child is a happy child. But that's just my opinion.