Most children do not have a real sleep problem and are not predisposed to “bad sleep.” What children develop is a “sleep association” that interferes with their normal sleep cycle. An association with sleep can range from rocking, hugging, having a drink, or singing to falling asleep as well. The child requires this same stimulus when he wakes up at night, this often requires the intervention of a parent or guardian, therefore, it disturbs his own sleep and the cycle of “no sleep” continues to spiral.

There are several techniques that can be implemented to help children eliminate nighttime awakenings for many of the associations they develop. It is important to keep your baby or toddler on a daily schedule; what they eat and drink during the day, as well as how much sleep they get and what time of day they have a great impact on the child’s and parents’ nighttime sleep.

If your child is having trouble sleeping at bedtime or at night and you are exhausted from lack of sleep, it may be time to contact a sleep coach. Dawnn Whittaker of Cheeky Chops is a baby satisfaction and sleep consultant and has successfully helped numerous parents solve infant and toddler bedtime battles.

A tip from Dawnn Whittaker: Keep track of how much your child eats, sleeps, and drinks during a 24-hour period and at what time. Study this information over a period of time and it can help you eliminate nighttime feeding or indicate what is causing it.