How to Help Your Child Fall Asleep

It is impossible to force a child to sleep. Attempting to force a child to sleep usually achieves the opposite effect. Normal children are naturally good sleepers. The expression "sleeping like a baby" was coined because children spend a large proportion of their sleep time in "slow-wave" sleep. They can sleep through situations where adults would find it impossible to sleep. If you often wonder why your child won’t fall asleep, here are ten simple suggestions to help your child "sleep like a baby.”

1. Focus on when your child stays awake. Humans have very powerful sleep drives. If they are awake during the day, they will sleep at night.
2. Keep a regular schedule. Decide on an awake time for your child that is convenient for your lifestyle. Make sure your child gets up at that time every day.
3. Minimize napping. Any child that has difficulty sleeping at night should not be allowed to sleep during the day.
4. Maximize physical activity. The single biggest predictor of the quality of a child's sleep is how active they are during the day. Video games and television are correlated with poor sleep. Increasing a child's physical activity will improve their sleep – just make sure it is not too close to bedtime (within 2 hours).
5. Make the bedroom dark, cool, and provide white noise. No TVs, computers, phones, or lights should be allowed in the room. White noise prevents arousal by masking other noises in the house.
6. Begin rituals that help your child relax each night before bed. Quiet time or reading with your child can promote good sleep. Any strenuous physical activity or exposure to sources of light (TV or computer) can prevent sleep onset.
7. Establish a personal sleeping space for your child. The child should fall asleep in this space every night and stay in this space while sleeping. If the child needs to be comforted (bad dreams, scared, etc.), comfort them in their sleeping space.
8. Reserve this sleeping space exclusively for sleep. Don't let your child read, write, eat, watch TV, talk on the phone, etc., in the sleeping space.
9. Avoid all caffeine and stimulant medications. Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, soda, and chocolate. Stimulant medications are commonly used to treat ADHD. These drugs promote alertness.
10. Avoid sleeping pills. Drugs promoted as sleep medicines are actually sedatives. Sedation and sleep are two different states of the brain. Currently, there are no medications approved by the FDA for sleep in children. Any medicine used for this indication is being used off-label.