As a holistic pediatrician, one of the most common questions I’m asked during an office visit is “How do I help my child sleep better?”
I’m not sure now is the time to delve into the complexities of sleep patterns, but I assure you, sleep is complex and key to good health. Sleep patterns and requirements are also made more challenging to understand in children because they change based on age. Newborn sleep habits are certainly different compared to a baby who is 6 months and older.
The interesting thing is that I don’t think many of us appreciate sleep until it’s gone. While pregnant, many women (I was one of them) start to wake up more frequently at night. I once heard this was because our bodies were slowly conditioning to becoming sleep deprived. I’m smiling as I write this, because I see the truth in that. And of course, after baby arrives, there’s nothing better than the first 3-4 hours stretch of uninterrupted sleep.
Sleep Issues Can Persist
In any case, we all know about the lack of sleep in early babyhood. However, what I’ve found is that these issues with sleep can extend past the baby and even toddler stage. Hence the reason this is a topic of concern for most parents.
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