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October 22, 2015 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

It’s Not Too Late to Prepare Your Little One for the Time Change

 

 

We will be turning our clocks back to standard time on Sunday November 5th.  This is good news in that we get an extra hour of sleep Sunday morning.  However, for babies and little children, unless you have begun to reset their internal time clock, they will still wake up at their normal time. But it is not too late to start adjusting their schedule, so that by Sunday morning, you may all get that extra 60 minutes, that we all so crave!

Begin tonight by serving dinner earlier. Turn down the lights in the house in the hours leading up to bedtime, and have electronics  turned off. These are all the things that act as cues for your baby or child to know it’s getting close to bedtime. By dimming rooms in the house, and turning off TVs, computers and other such devices, it will allow your child’s body to begin the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.

Since your child’s internal sleep clock is set by light and dark, not only do you want to make the house dark at night in preparation for sleep, you also want to expose your child to as much sunshine and daylight as possible. This will reprogram your child’s clock and get them adjusted to this new time change.

Keep in mind that time changes can affect both your body clock and health. Similar to the feeling of jet lag one experiences when traveling to a different time zone, switching from daylight saving time to standard time, can leave you feeling tired; making it more difficult to concentrate or be productive at work. For children, the hour change to their sleeping schedule, can leave them tired and cranky for several days.

So in preparation for this time change, on November 5th at 1:00am, the best thing you can do is begin to stagger your child’s bedtime so that they are going to bed about 15 minutes earlier each night. If you begin this process now, you will be ahead of the game by aligning your child’s circadian rhythms with the new time change.

Besides the time changes that take place when we switch between daylight saving, standard time and back-children often have difficulty settling into a good sleep pattern. This can lead them and their parents to become sleep deprived, hyperactive, trouble focusing on daily tasks and higher learning, and in more serious situations-health issues such as diabetes,obesity,anxiety, depression and attention deficit disorder.

If you feel your child or family could benefit from the assistance of a child sleep specialist, take a look through my sleep success plans or contact me for further information.

 

Angela Walsh is a Family Sleep Institute, Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant and the founder of Babes in Sleepland. She helps sleep deprived babies, children and families, get back on track and get the sleep they need and desire. To learn more about Angela and how she can help you, visit her website: babesinsleepland.com.  Also get sleep tips, the latest research on baby and child products, and be part of her weekly Q and A at her Facebook page: Babes in Sleepland.

Like me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter for daily updates on interesting tips and information to help you and your child sleep better.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Adjusting a child's bedtime, anxiety, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, child sleep expert, Circadian Rhythms, How to adjust schedules to time changes, Pediatric Sleep Expert

June 9, 2015 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

How a Child’s Behavior Can be Affected by Their Bedtime and Routines

 

Happy young family having fun outdoors in summer. Mother, father and their cute little daughters are playing in the sunny garden. Happy parenthood and childhood concept. Focus on the father.

With summer vacation around the corner, parents of young children can safely assume that their family’s daily and nightly schedules are going to experience a bit of a shake-up. When kids are out of school, they are no longer following the regimented schedules to which they have become accustomed.  This can become difficult for implementing a regular summer bedtime.

According to an article published in Pediatrics, The Official Journal of The American Academy of Pediatrics, children who don’t have a fixed bedtime show more behavioral problems than those who go to bed at the same time every night. Authors Yvonne Kelly PhD, John Kelly BEng, and Amanda Sacker PhD looked at the links between disturbed sleep and behavioural problems in children between the ages of three and seven. The results of the study showed that children with varied sleep times may also experience behavioural problems including hyperactivity, conduct problems, problems interacting with peers and emotional difficulties if sleep continues to be varied.

The good news is, according to the research findings, “The effect of having a non-regular bedtime appears to be reversible: For children who changed from not having to having, regular bedtimes, there were improvements in behavioral scores.” http://bit.ly/1BJsZc8

As a Certified Pediatric Sleep Specialist and the mom to four children, I know you can’t manage day after day with little or no sleep. Sleep schedules in childhood are influenced by a variety of biological and social influences. Routines are essential in ensuring healthy sleep. Unfortunately these routines do not always come easy.  Working together with parents, I set in place age appropriate naps, bedtime and sleep routines.  I develop a sleep plan that is in line with the parent’s goals and parenting philosophy, and provide daily support while the plan is implemented.

So how can your family implement a regular bedtime during the summer?
By making adjustments to meal times you can encourage an earlier bedtime. During the summer months it can be very easy for our days to get away from us and for meals to get pushed back to a later time. Do your best to keep your child’s meal schedules consistent and not have them eat a big meal right before bedtime or naptime.

Choose a sleep friendly bedtime snack
According to the National Sleep Foundation, proteins from the food we eat are the building blocks of tryptophan, which makes us sleepy. Therefore, the best bedtime snack is one that contains both a carbohydrate and protein.


Use a sound machine
During the summer months the sun may still be up when your child goes to bed. There is also a good chance your neighbors are outside enjoying the weather when your child is trying to fall asleep. A white noise machine is best.  There are some machines that play lullabies or nature sounds, but often these end up being a stimulant. A white noise machine is non-stimulating and very good at blocking noises from inside and out.

Don’t forget naptime
When families are enjoying summer activities or traveling on vacation it can be difficult to schedule in naptimes. An overtired child can find it difficult to fall asleep at night. Do your best to ensure your child continues their regular naptime during the summer months.

 
Every child is different, therefore each family experiences their own unique sleep worries. I am happy to work with parents one on one to help provide more specific advice for their specific case. You can review my Sleep Success Plans for additional information.

Please let me know if you found this article helpful.

Angela Walsh is a Family Sleep Institute, Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant and the founder of Babes in Sleepland. She helps sleep deprived babies, children and families, get back on track and get the sleep they need and desire. To learn more about Angela and how she can help you, visit her website: babesinsleepland.com.  Also get sleep tips, the latest research on baby and child products, and be part of her weekly Q and A at her Facebook page: Babes in Sleepland.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, certified child sleep consultant, child sleep expert, Moms and Babies, Sleep Advice, Sleep Schedules

June 20, 2014 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

More News about Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)

Adorable toddler girl taking a nap in a white bed

This is a topic I have written about on a few occasions. It happens to be in the news again as reported by Alan Schwarz in the New York Times, May 17th, “Thousands of Toddlers are Medicated for ADHD.”

This latest report from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention has found that: “more than 10,000 toddlers, two and three years old are being medicated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, outside established pediatric guidelines.”

Many pediatricians are outraged by these findings because thus far, there are no studies showing the safety and effectiveness on children this young. Dr. Lawrence Diller a behavioral pediatrician goes so far as to say these prescribing doctors should be “subject to malpractice suits if something goes wrong.”

Nationwide 11% of children ages 4-17 receive this diagnosis, and one in five boys will be evaluated with this disorder. For children between the age of four and five, Adderall has been approved, but only after an effort by parents and teachers to improve the child’s environment, has been unsuccessful.

Under the age of four these drugs have not been approved, because hyperactivity is considered developmentally appropriate. But often doctors who have tried and suggested everything will then use this as a last resort. For children who are experiencing anxiety or depression, these drugs can make the problem worse.

In past writings I have pointed out that sleep deprivation can often lead to:

  • aggression,
  • hyperactivity
  • impulsivity
  • anxiety
  • depression

For whatever reason a child may experience these conditions or behaviors, my advice is to always look at the child’s environment to see if there’s any extra or unnecessary stress; as well as assessing their sleep hygiene before jumping in and giving them medication.  All children need a certain number of hours of consolidated sleep a day so they can grow healthy in mind, body, and spirit.

What’s your experience with this diagnosis in children?  Did you have a good result using drugs or were you able to manage these behaviors with improved sleep hygiene?

Angela Walsh is a Family Sleep Institute, Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant, and the founder of Babes in Sleepland.  She helps sleep deprived babies, children and families, get back on track and get the sleep they need and desire.  To learn more about Angela and how she can help you, visit her website: babesinsleepland.com.  Also get sleep tips, the latest research on baby and child products, and be part of her weekly Q and A at her Facebook page: Babes in Sleepland.

 

 

 

Filed Under: anxiety, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, certified child sleep consultant, child sleep expert, Children who have ADHD, depression, the importance of consolidated sleep

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Meet Angela

My name is Angela Walsh.  I am a Child Sleep Consultant Certified by the Family Sleep Institute, and the founder of Babes in Sleepland.  As the mother of four grown children (three boys and a girl), my mission is to help parents like you enjoy every … (READ MORE)

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"What I also found so appealing about Angela, is that she respected me as a mother. Her guidance kept me empowered. And she has the sweetest most soothing voice!"
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