Hey there! You’re listening to the Mighty Mommy with some quick and dirty tips for practical parenting.

When you have a new baby in the house, it’s a common assumption that the baby isn’t going to sleep through the night and you may spend a few months longing for more than three or four hours of sleep. Then one night, suddenly, you will wake up on your own. If you are like most parents, you will jump up, run to your baby’s room and find that he’s sleeping peacefully through the night for the very first time. It is a beautiful thing. As your baby grows into a toddler and throughout the toddler years, your child will go through stages where he won’t sleep through the night. This episode is going to talk about the possible reasons for night-waking and what you as a parent can do about it.

My daughter has never really slept through the night. She still wakes up in the early morning hours and silently climbs into our bed. I am only assuming it’s the early morning because she’s not there when I go to bed, but she’s there when I wake up in the morning. I don’t worry about this because it doesn’t bother me, but that’s a personal decision. It’s up to you, as a parent, to decide what you will allow as far as sleeping accommodations are concerned. If you don’t ever want your child to sleep in your bed, don’t ever bring your child to bed with you. It’s much easier to prevent a behavior from starting than it is to change an existing habit.

If your child is regularly sleeping through the night and suddenly begins waking up sporadically throughout the night, it probably won’t last long. Some things that may be causing the unusual sleep patterns are separation anxiety, discomfort from teething or an illness, noisy neighbors, bad dreams or the sudden realization that the world doesn’t stop just because everyone is sleeping. All children wake up to some extent during the night, just like adults. There will be times when toddlers will have trouble getting back to sleep. Some experts believe that you should never go in to comfort a crying child who has woken up. I do understand that children need to learn to get back to sleep on their own, but I also believe that if your child is crying, you should not ignore him. He may be fine and you can leave him to fall back to sleep, but unless you check on him, you have no way of learning what is causing him to wake up. He may have fallen out of bed, wet his diaper, or had a bad dream. All of these things will need your attention and if you don’t check on him, you may never know.

Sometimes a child is simply scared or needs some attention. Again, we are dealing with a personal choice in raising children, but I feel it’s necessary to comfort your child in these situations. When my son wakes up during the night, I go to him. I find out what, if anything, he needs and then I let him fall back to sleep on his own. Sometimes he will cry when I leave and sometimes he won’t. I always let him know that I’m there for him if he needs me, but I do let him go back to sleep on his own. I believe it’s perfectly acceptable to pick up, cuddle with and physically comfort your child. If you want to hold your child until he’s asleep, then you should. Sleep is important for everyone’s health so do whatever is best for your household.

Another reason children might wake up at night is a sleep disorder called night terrors. If your child wakes up hysterical, screaming, and seems inconsolable, he might be experiencing night terrors. In cases like this your child may not be entirely awake and may not realize who you are. If you suspect that your child is suffering from night terrors, talk to your pediatrician. Most children outgrow them without treatment, but it’s a good idea to let your pediatrician know in case there is an underlying issue. In the meantime, do whatever you can to make your child comfortable so he can get back to sleep.

Finally, I just want to mention that even if your child is having trouble sleeping or is waking up at night, the best thing you can do is stick to your routine. Make sure your child is participating in regular daily activities, taking his usual nap and going to bed at the same time every night. Don’t remove naps or create overtiring activities to combat night-waking. Doing this can backfire and an overtired or overstimulated child is less likely to sleep well. If you stick to your routine and keep your child feeling comforted and safe, he will most likely return to his normal sleep pattern within a week or so if not sooner.

That’s it for now. I hope you’ve enjoyed the show. or leave a message on our new listener line at 206-202-2185. Also, if you haven’t already done so, please take a moment to post a review at iTunes. I’d really appreciate it.

If you would like to request a topic for the Mighty Mommy, or if you’d like to share a wonderful tip of your own, you can e-mail mommy@qdnow.com

The Mighty Mommy’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Practical Parenting is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips network at quickanddirtytips.com. Grammar Girl is traveling this week and won’t be putting up a new show until the 27th, but my husband and I recorded a parody of a popular Christmas song and she has included it on her feed. I’ll be out of town until after the first of the year so my next episode will be on January 4th. Until then, have a Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year!

This is your friend the Mighty Mommy wishing you happy and fun parenting!"

Music – “Golly Gee” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons "Attribution 2.0" http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/