About 1 in 4 parents have trouble getting their child to sleep Poor sleep hygiene contributes to this Kids also are kept awake by their own fears and worries MONDAY, June 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly 1 in 4 parents struggle to get their child to sleep, a new poll reports. Some of this is related to poor sleep hygiene, but some also is due to dark worries harbored by the kids, researchers report. Parents of sleepless children are less likely to have a bedtime routine, more likely to leave on a video or TV show and more likely to stay with their child until they’re asleep, researchers said.
“Establishing a consistent bedtime routine is crucial,” said Sarah Clark , a pediatrician and co-director of the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.
“When this transition to bedtime becomes a nightly conflict, some parents may fall into habits that work in the moment but could set them up for more sleep issues down the road,” Clark said in a university news release. However, nearly a quarter of parents say their children’s sleep is often or occasionally delayed because they’re worried or anxious. More than a third of parents say their child tends to wake upset or crying in the night.
More than 40% say their child moves to their parents’ bed and about 30% say the kid insists a parent sleep in their room. “Many young children go through stages when they become scared of the dark or worry that something bad.
