By Dani Woodland
Babies have few responsibilities: basically, they are in charge of looking cute and sleeping.
While this workload does not seem heavy, a new nation-wide study revealed that infants and toddlers are not getting enough sleep.
The National Sleep Foundation partnered with Pampers to ask parents about their children?s sleeping habits and consequent behaviors. They found that 41 percent of parents said their infant or toddler wakes up during the night, every night.
'Parents know the value of sleep,? said Dr. Brett R. Kuhn of the National Sleep Foundation in a satellite transmission last week. ?In fact, 98 percent agree that their child is happier after a good night''s sleep, and experts agree that children who get enough sleep are more likely to function better throughout the day.?
Natalie Dayton, a 23-year-old mother of two in Provo, said her toddler, Ally, does not get enough sleep at night. Ally is so tired during the day that she falls asleep even while eating meals at the kitchen table. ?I?m worried just on a day-to-day basis,? she said. ?She could just be so much happier and not get in trouble. She?s so tired, and so she?s grouchy and she is more whiny.?
Dr. Loraine Stern, who has been in private pediatric practice for 30 years, said sleep affects more than just a child?s mood.
?Sleep is vital to a child?s health, growth and overall development, learning and safety,? Stern said in the satellite transmission. ?While it?s normal for infants to awaken during sleep, most often because they are hungry or need to be fed, by four months or so they should be able to soothe themselves back to sleep without requiring parents to tend to them.
In response to the study, the National Sleep Foundation, along with other child development experts, presented suggestions for successful sleeping.
Among other tips, the experts recommended parents establish a permanent bedtime routine.
Josh Dayton, a 28-year-old MBA student at BYU, said his daughter?s routine involves reading scriptures, saying prayers, brushing her teeth and reading stories.
?We?ve always tried to have a routine since she was at the age when she could realize what she?s doing,? Dayton said.
Patricia Zaccaro, a telephone triage nurse for the BYU Student Health Center, said routines make bedtime easier for parents and children.
?It prepares them for bedtime, because most toddlers don?t like to go to bed,? Zaccaro said. ?So if you establish a routine, ?then they kind of know what to expect, and that it?s time to settle down and get ready to go to sleep for the night.?
Additional tips included making sure the baby is dry and comfortable when he or she goes to bed, engaging in ?wind-down? activities and giving bedtime full attention.