Are there any safe medications to help promote sleep for toddlers? The short answer is, no. There are currently no drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) intended to promote sleep in infants and young children. Most drugs have not been formally tested for pediatric sleep [...]
How do I transition my baby from co-sleeping to sleeping in her own crib or room? This can be a tough transition – babies can become quite used to what they have at bedtime when they fall asleep! Getting her used to a different environment at bedtime will probably take some time, practice, and [...]
In my home and neighborhood, many people commonly share beds and rooms. How can I help everyone to get good sleep? That’s common! Many families have family members who share rooms and beds in multiple places in the home when it’s time to sleep. Sometimes that is a family choice and other times [...]
My baby screams during the night then resists being held or comforted. What is going on? It’s possible that your little one is having a sleep terror or a confusional arousal (something like a less intense sleep terror). Sleep terrors are the exact same thing as sleepwalking but more dramatic. [...]
I’m uncomfortable having my baby fall asleep on her own at bedtime. Is there any other way to help her sleep better? Some people are quite uncomfortable having their little ones fall asleep on their own at bedtime – and that is completely fine! It might be something they are not used to or [...]
How can I wean his swaddle? It’s time to wean his swaddle – what do you do? You can take one of two approaches. One way would be to wean it all at once. In other words, just start putting him down at bedtime without it. Another way is to do it more gradually. Do this by first keeping out one [...]
What can I do if my little one misses a nap? It’s not the end of the world if your baby misses a nap. For younger children who take multiple naps per day, you can simply move on with your day and offer another sleep opportunity later in the day or at their next scheduled naptime. If your child is [...]
How do I get her to sleep in her bed rather than the couch? If your little one is falling asleep on the couch instead of in her crib or bed, what probably happened is that she now associates some aspect of the couch or common room with becoming sleepy and falling asleep. To help her learn to fall [...]
What is a bedtime routine chart? A bedtime routine chart is a chart that lists a set of activities that your child can do in a specific order before bedtime. For example, he might have dinner, watch television, brush his teeth, take a bath, put his pajamas on, and then do a quiet activity in his [...]
How can I stop nursing during the night? If your toddler is still nursing during the night, it may be comforting, but you may also be exhausted as a parent. Here are a few things to think about. First, once little ones are about 6-months-old they typically no longer need to be fed overnight for [...]