“Infant Sleep Problems”?

Many behaviors labeled as “infant sleep problems” are actually normal patterns of infant and child sleep. Many new parents worry that their babies have “sleep problems” if they wake frequently, fall asleep while breastfeeding, stay up late, or only sleep while being held. A new white paper from Praeclarus Press finds that many of the behaviors labeled as problems are actually normal, which can reassure new parents. Most new parents complain about lack of sleep. Many are also concerned that their babies have a “sleep problem,” and that what they are experiencing is not “normal.” So they worry about it … a lot. Part of this epidemic of parental angst about children’s sleep is that we live in a culture in which parents are repeatedly told that they need to worry about their child’s sleep, that there will be dire consequences if their child does not get enough sleep. Another problem is that most new parents, having had little experience with children prior to having their own, have little awareness about what truly is “normal” when it comes to infant sleep.

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Posted by Patty Brennan on September 24, 2013 • Filed under
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