As an adult who treasures that moment at the end of a long day—when you can finally fall into your bed and close your eyes to welcome sleep—you may have a hard time understanding why your little one resists bedtime with such vehemence. So, let’s discuss the typical reasons children doesn’t want to go to bed, and you can determine which affects your children.
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Mothers have always crooned their babies to sleep with lullabies, fathers have sung nursery rhymes to their toddlers, and families have made folk music a part of everyday life. Why? Because music is calming, music facilitates language development, and most of all, music is enjoyable for both parents and children.
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How many times have you wondered this? To find the answer you first need to fully understand the question. The medical definition of “sleeping through the night” for a young baby is a five-hour stretch. That’s FIVE hours—not the eight, ten, or twelve hours that you may wish for! Most babies still awaken two to three times a night up to six months of age, and once or twice a night up to one year old. A baby is considered to be “sleeping through the night” when he sleeps those five consecutive hours without waking up to feed. While this may not be your definition of sleeping through the night, it is the reasonable yardstick by which we measure a young baby’s sleep. Yes—some babies achieve this stretch much sooner than others, but they do all get there eventually.
Read MoreParents face a number of common problems during their children’s early years. Among them are sleep issues, potty training hurdles, temper tantrums, and – of course – picky eating. All these issues are rooted in normal childhood behavior, and all of them can create intense stress for parents. Picky eating can be one of the worst, because food is the fuel for growth and development, and you need to feed your child three meals plus snacks – every single day. This provides ample opportunity for ongoing frustration. You may feel like feeding issues overshadow every part of your life and put a damper on what should be an enjoyable stage in your child’s growth.
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I remember a professor in college telling the class on the very first day, “If you put the same amount of attention into sharpening your pencil as into writing your thesis you will only succeed in making yourself a nervous wreck.” As a parent, you must deal with a million details every single day of life. If you make everything equal on the scale of importance – from putting toys in the toy box to choosing the right school, you will end up stressing yourself out and robbing yourself of the joys of raising children.
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