Western Morning News (Saturday)
Negative impact technology can have on children’s sleep
Lisa Salmon
amount of bedding for the room temperature. 7. Attention please!
During the preparation for bed, give your child or children your fullest possible attention, and try not to take telephone calls.
8. Don’t use bedrooms as punishment.
Children need to have happy associations with the room in which they sleep if they’re going to really relax and sleep well.
9. Give reassurance for sleep problems.
School-age children can demonstrate a range of sleep difficulties, including settling problems, delayed sleep onset, waking during the night and nightmares. Grace says that with most simple settling and waking problems, parents should work with their child to reassure them and also to help them to go off to sleep happily and alone at the beginning of the night.
“It’s quite normal for all of us to wake several times during the night,” she says, “and if you’re with your child when they first go off to sleep, then they’ll need to get you back to act as a sleep prompt at later wakings.”
10. Don’t let them get in your bed.
If your child is accustomed to getting into your bed during the night, they’ll wake in anticipation of this move, warns Grace. “Knowing they’re going to be moving during the night actually prevents many children from being able to sleep really well,” she adds.