Your preschooler was sleeping through the night…until suddenly they weren’t. Or maybe yours can’t seem to tire enough to go to sleep. We’ve asked three experts to help us decipher some big preschooler sleep problems.
Once your child passes that infant stage, it can seem like a great gift — sleep! But as they grow, those wonderful hours of sleep can be interrupted by little sleeping issues.
We asked three experts about some common sleep problems for preschoolers.
- Dr. Catherine Darley is a naturopathic physician who specializes in treating sleep disorders using natural medicine.
- Amal Omran, M.D., is a pediatric sleep consultant at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan.
- Rebecca Michi is a children’s sleep specialist who works with families who have children under the age of six.
Here’s what they had to say!
Too much energy at bedtime
My three-year-old is sometimes too energetic to go to sleep at bedtime. What should I do?
We’ve all seen it — your child is falling down tired, and then out of nowhere they get a wicked second wind and are wild-eyed with excitement. Is it normal? What should you do?
The experts say…
Dr Darley: When young children get tired they can become more active because they are working hard to stay awake. Watch to see if he is quieter and more relaxed a little earlier in the evening, and put him to bed earlier. Children age one to three need 12-13 hours of sleep, and age four to five need 11-12 hours of sleep over the 24-hour day.
Dr. Omran: Make sure you that your child sleeps in a quiet dim light bedroom with no TV in the bedroom. Also refrain from giving your child any candy, chocolate, pop or sweets three hours before bed time.
>> How bedtime routines help kids’ sleep
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