Issues with sleeping are becoming a common problem, this report from the Beijinger highlights the global nature of the problem. Read on for some advice for parents from the University of Michigan:

DO:

    Make bedtime a special time.  It should be a time for you to interact with your child in a way that is secure and loving, yet firm. At bedtime, spend some special time with your child. Be firm and go through a certain bedtime routine that your child is used to. At the end of that routine the lights go off and it is time to fall asleep.
    Put some thought into finding your child’s ideal bedtime.  In the evening, look for the time when your child really is starting to slow down and getting physically tired. That’s the time that they should be going to sleep, so get their bedtime routine done and get them into bed before that time. If you wait beyond that time, then your child tends to get a second wind.  At that point they will become more difficult to handle, and will have a harder time falling asleep.
    Keep to a regular daily routine—the same waking time, meal times, nap time and play times will help your baby to feel secure and comfortable, and help with a smooth bedtime.  Babies and children like to know what to expect.
    Use a simple, regular bedtime routine.  It should not last too long and should take place primarily in the room where the child will sleep.  It may include a few simple, quiet activities, such as a light snack, bath, cuddling, saying goodnight, and a story or lullaby. The kinds of activities in the routine will depend on the child’s age.
    Make sure the sleep routines you use can be used anywhere, so you can help your baby get to sleep wherever you may be.
    Some babies are soothed by the sound of a vaporizer or fan running.  This "white noise" not only blocks out the distraction of other sounds, it also simulates the sounds babies hear in the womb. Small, portable white noise machines with a variety of different sounds are now available.
    Make sure your kids have interesting and varied activities during the day, including physical activity and fresh air.
    Use light to your advantage.  Keep lights dim in the evening as bedtime approaches.  In the morning, get your child into bright light, and, if possible, take them outside.  Light helps signal the brain into the right sleep-wake cycle.

DON’T:

    Never soothe your child to sleep by putting them to bed with a bottle of juice, milk or formula.  Water is okay.  Anything other than water in the bottle can cause baby bottle tooth decay. Feed or nurse your baby, and then put them down to sleep.
    Don’t start giving solids before about 6 months of age.  Starting solid food sooner will not help your baby sleep though the night.  In fact, if you give your baby solids before their system can digest them, they may sleep worse because they have a tummy ache!  The American Academy of Pediatrics says that breast milk or formula is all a baby needs to eat until six months of age.  (See Feeding Your Baby and Toddler on YourChild for more on starting solids.)  Contrary to popular belief, a heavier baby or a baby with a stuffed-full tummy is not more likely to sleep through the night.
    Don’t fill up your child’s bed with toys.  It’s probably best to keep your child’s bed a place to sleep, rather than a place to play.  Too many toys in the bed can be distracting.  One or two transitional objects–like a favorite doll, a security blanket, or a special book–are okay, and can help with separation issues.  Babies under 4-6 months should have an empty crib to prevent suffocation. (See YourChild: Safe Sleep for more on bedtime safety guidelines.)
    Never use sending your child to bed as a threat. Bedtime needs to be a secure, loving time, not a punishment.  Your goal is to teach your kids that bedtime is enjoyable, just as it is for us adults.  If the feeling around bedtime is a good feeling, your child will fall asleep easier.
    Don’t give your child foods and drinks with caffeine in them, like hot chocolate, tea, cola, chocolate, etc.  Even caffeine earlier in the day could disrupt your child’s sleep cycle.
    Don’t let your child watch more than one to two hours of TV during the day, and don’t let them watch TV at bedtime at all. TV viewing at bedtime has been linked to poor sleep.
    If your child has a TV set in their bedroom, remove it. Research shows watching TV is linked to sleep problems , especially if the TV set is in the child’s bedroom. The presence of other media, such as a computer, video games or Internet in a kid’s bedroom is also associated with worse sleep.
 

For more information visit the University of Michigan website.

Photo courtesy of Hamed Saber

Children’s getting a lack of sleep is apparently not a new thing. According to new studies published in the journal Pediatrics which looked at 32 sets of data regarding sleep recommendations and actual sleep time between the years 1897 to 2009, “on average, children actually slept 0.73 minute less every year”.  The data concludes that throughout this time period, children have been getting around 37 minutes less than the recommended amount of sleep, which is between 10-11 hours for 5-12 year olds. It has been suggested in recent years that sleep patterns of children has shown that a lack of sleep can lead to obesity, lack of memory and aggressive behavior.

Read the full story on The Wall Street Journal

My apartment’s paper-thin walls are becoming a problem. Now, as a tbjkids editor and someone who’s fond of children, I should probably be more sympathetic to the new parents in the apartment next to mine

I guess I’ve been spoiled because I come from an especially sleepy (some might say lazy) family. During my brother’s teenage years we used to tease him for his perpetual sleepy eyes and requests for “five more minutes” to recover in the morning. Well, it seems like he’s having the last laugh now that he’s become a father because is sleepy disposition has been passed onto his daughter Rosie.

Over the Christmas period it actually got to be frustrating to me that my newborn niece was having a nap instead of playing with Uncle Essy. Frustration got the better of me a couple of times and I just decided to wake her up and take her out for a stroll. Probably not ideal uncle behavior but my time in the UK was limited, so I did what I had to do.

Anyway, if like my boss Jerry Chan (check out his awesome first time parenting blogs here) you’re having some troubles getting the little one to lay down, here are some useful online resources for you to check out. I’m going to print these off, translate them into Chinese and slide them under my next-door neighbor’s door.

I hope this doesn’t stand for mayonnaise clinic:

I prefer things with titles like “eight ways to …”

Does exactly what it says on the tin: