Child Insomnia – Sleep Education

How to treat child insomnia?

Child insomnia is best treated by having the adult set firm limits. If bedtime is 8 p.m., then the child should be in bed by 8 p.m. A bedtime routine can be helpful but needs to not extend past bedtime.  Routines of a snack, bath, and book reading are appropriate.  Then the child should go to bed. There should be no reason for the child to get out of bed over and over again. If the child resists, you can take away things the child enjoys or create an award system as an incentive. A more strictly enforced bedtime can be achieved with consistent enforcement. This will produce an improved sleep pattern and will benefit the child.

Young children should fall asleep in their cribs or beds without being rocked to sleep. If a child must be rocked to sleep, then the child will not learn how to go to sleep without help. Falling asleep or falling back to sleep on their own is a skill that a child can learn.  It is normal for a child to wake up during the night. Adults even wake up for a few minutes several times per night. Helping a child learn to fall asleep in bed benefits both the child and the adult.