photo credit: EraPhernalia Vintage (somewhat busy)

When your child can’t sleep, it wreaks havoc on the entire household. Babies are notorious for keeping mom and dad awake for hours on end, but that’s to be expected. It’s when a child grows into toddler stage and beyond that it can be frustrating to expect a good night’s sleep, only to be interrupted by the pitter patter of little feet and your child coming to tell you they’re wide awake!

Children’s sleeping issues are the result of any number of things. If your child is sick, the simple stuffiness of his nose may be all it takes to rouse him from a deep slumber, making it difficult to get back to the land of nod. But while it may be tempting to dole out medicine that makes your child sleep, professionals warn against this practice – make sure you get a doctor’s okay before giving your child medications like this.

Monsters and nightmares can also interrupt children’s sleeping habits. When they accidentally walk into the room during a fright fest on TV, a simple glimpse of a frightening scene can make a lasting imprint on the imagination of your little one – especially right before it’s lights out time.

Other issues that affect children’s sleep are restless leg syndrome, sleepwalking, sleep talking, and even sleep terrors. You sometimes have to watch your child to see if he or she is suffering from a lack of sleep. They may just be overly tired and not know what the reason, if that is the case, sometimes it can be something like sleep apnea that hasn’t been diagnosed yet.

If you are having trouble getting your child to sleep you might want to check out my post on How to get your child to sleep.