Night wanderers

Once the learn how to climb out of their cribs, some toddlers not only wake up in the middle of the night – they get up. This is when you may have to decide whether you are going to let your child get in bed with you or be firm about her returning to her own bed. Other children, especially those three years or older, actually get out of bed and walk about without waking up. The sleepwalking child’s eyes will be wide open, but when you try to talk to her you will realize that she does not know what is happening. Sleepwalking episodes can be as brief as a few seconds or as long as half an hour. Try to get her back into bed without awakening her. Later, she will not recall the incident. Children usually grow out of a sleepwalking problem, but persistent, frequent episodes may indicate some underlying disturbance that should be explored with your pediatrician, a child psychologist or a sleep clinic.

As a parent, you play critical role in your child’s sexual development and adjustment. Your influence goes far beyond the traditional concept of sex education; in countless subtle ways, from the tone of your talk to the type of toys you buy, you help shape your child’s attitude toward her own sexuality and that of others.

Maintaining good sleep habits

Even if your baby takes readily to drifting off to sleep on her own, your troubles may not be over. At some point between seven and nine months, she may suddenly begin to protest with anguished cries your departure from her room each night. Her panic is a sign of separation anxiety, which emerges at about this time in a child’s life. She has become strongly attached to you and does not yet understand that when someone disappears from view, that person continues to exist and will return. She is afraid you are going away forever.
Soon after this time, the baby’s drive to master body skills such as walking becomes so intense that she often finds it difficult to unwind for sleep. You may discover her in the middle of the night crawling around in her crib or pulling herself up to a standing position, as though her drive to practice her skills outweighed her heed for sleep.
Help your baby find her own methods for soothing herself to sleep, while reassuring her that you are not abandoning her. One way to accomplish this double purpose is to casually leave and reenter the room several times after she has been put to bed, making reassuring sounds but concerning yourself with some other bit of business rather than hovering over your protesting child. Presents sometimes interfere too much at bedtime, when their babies really just need a chance to complain a little before setting down to some humming or jabbering and then to sleep. Small gestures can help ease a baby’s resistance to sleep. Let your child have a favorite toy or blanket for comfort when you leave the room. A night light that allows her to see her familiar surroundings when she awakens at night might also help.

Maintaining good sleep habits

Some parents swear that the best way for everybody to get a good night’s sleep is for everybody, parents and baby to sleep in the same bed or the same room. Their reasoning is that the baby soon gets onto the same sleep cycle as the parents and thus never awakens them during the night. They also contend that the child develops a feeling of security that he simply cannot achieve when he sleeps by himself. Some authorities maintain, however, that this arrangement actually makes it harder for anyone to get a good night’s sleep. And they say that many parents who use it only do so because it is easier than compelling a child to get back in his own bed when he arrives in his parents room at four or so in the morning. Where you want our child to sleep is a purely personal matter, of course, but if you are considering this arrangement you should bear in mind that once your child stars sleeping with you, it may be extremely difficult to switch back to separate accommodations, because the child will be so un happy about being displaced.



Even if your baby takes readily to drifting off to sleep on her own. Your troubles may not be over. At some point between seven and nine months, she may suddenly begin to protest with anguished cries your departure from her room each night. Her panic is a sign of separation anxiety, which emerges at about this time in a child’s life. She has become strongly attached to you and does not yet understand that when someone disappears from view that person continues to exist and will return. She is afraid you are going away forever.