Sleep is important for all of us and is especially important for infants and toddlers as their brain is rapidly developing as they grow. Sleep is also one of the most common challenges that parents and caregivers of children aged three or younger reach out to us at Early Intervention Services for help.
When an infant or toddler is not sleeping enough, there is often impact on other members of the household. Parents or caregivers may be exhausted, frustrated, and losing patience. A sibling’s sleep may be disrupted as well. If a child is not getting enough total sleep and family members are feeling the effects, this is when we encourage parents and/or caregivers to reach out to us at Early Intervention Services. We have a highly-skilled and experienced staff that includes certified sleep specialists who can meet with you and your child to learn more about what is going on and provide ideas and suggestions to consider.
Our Approach
At Partners in Child Development’s Early Intervention Services, our approach is family-focused, with suggestions and approaches that are incorporated into a family’s daily routine, accommodating each family’s values and cultures. Our services are flexible and adaptive to each family’s unique situation.
As such, we start with a free evaluation which is an opportunity for our multi-disciplinary team to meet with you and your child to listen and learn. We want to understand more about your child and their sleeping habits. Examples of questions we may ask during the free evaluation include:
- How many total sleeping hours in a day is your child getting?
- Is the child napping and at what times during the day?
- Tell us about your bedtime routine.
- Where is the child sleeping at night?
- Is the child getting up during the night and, if so, how frequently?
- Are they regularly falling asleep in their car seat?
Answers to such questions help our staff offer suggestions to address your concerns and to help you and your family consider ideas that may help your child sleep more.
Goals for a Child’s Sleep
The primary goal related to a child sleeping is to ensure the child is getting enough total hours of sleep so they are rested and energized. All human beings function better when sufficient sleep is received.
Quality sleep is important. A quality nap should be a minimum of 45 minutes to provide benefit.
Three common scenarios that may negatively affect sleeping habits for a child
Every child is different and there is not one formula that will help every child sleep more and through the night. However, below are three situations that you may want to assess to see if any of these may be affecting your child’s sleeping habits.
1. It’s too quiet.
Normal noise is encouraged. Speak in your everyday voice. It is beneficial for a child to learn to fall asleep with normal ‘household’ noise happening. We encourage you to let life happen around the infant and toddler as they nap and go down for the night.
2. The sleeping area is not separated
To help an infant or toddler sleep and learn to fall asleep on their own, it is important that they have some visible barrier to not be able to see you or others that may distract them as they try to fall asleep. Setting up a screen or hanging a bed sheet creates a simple and safe ‘barrier’ to set off their sleeping area whether in a crib, toddler bed, or bed to help them close their eyes and not be stimulated by seeing others.
3. Moving a sleeping child
It is recommended to not regularly have a child fall asleep in one place and then move them to another for the rest of the night. This disrupts the child’s sleep and may make it more difficult for the child to learn how to fall asleep on their own.
If you know of a family with a child three years or younger, who is experiencing challenges with sleep, we encourage you to reach out Partners in Child Development’s Early Intervention Program. We work with families and children throughout Greater Lowell including Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Lowell, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, and Westford.
We welcome the opportunity to learn more so we can help improve their sleep—and help you and your family feel more rested, too.
Get started with a no cost evaluation.
Learn more about our Early Intervention Services.
