Why does your kid wake up at night?

Nocturnal awakenings are some of the most common issues that plague parents of young children. There’s something about having your sleep interrupted that makes you feel lousy the next day— not to mention the fact that parents almost always lie in bed after children finally fall back asleep.

Here are the most common reasons why:

1. Inappropriate sleep onset associations:One of the most common causes of sleep difficulties in children, and a major focus of this course.
2. ”Too much time in bed” syndrome: If you read Dr. Weissbluth’s (excellent) book, you may have gotten in the habit of putting your child to bed reallyearly in infancy. This can cause you issues later on.
3. Learned hunger: Most healthy kids don’t need to eat at night. If yours is, weaning off of those night time calories can yield big dividends in improving his sleep.
4. Early morning awakenings:One of the toughest issues to deal with. Is your child really getting up too early? Five thirty or 6 AM is not terribly rare, and if your child is happy in the morning and not running out of steam in the mid morning, this is probably normal. However, if they are getting up earlier, or waking up grumpy, this may be another sleep onset association.
5. Medical disorders: Don’t forget these.