Our January issue hits the stands this week with a feature about sleep. We all need it. We all talk about it. But are our children getting enough? Are we getting enough?
We spoke with doctors in OHSU’s and Legacy’s pediatric sleep programs – as well as Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, author of Sleepless in America: Practical strategies to help your family get the sleep it deserves – and we were particularly intrigued to learn that research has shown strong links between behavioral problems, including ADHD-related symptoms, and inadequate sleep. At first it sounded simple, a clear and reasonable way to resolve so many common behavioral challenges. But every parent knows it’s not always easy to ensure our children get the sleep they need.
What challenges do you face, or have you faced, around your children’s bedtimes and wake times? How have the challenges changed as your children have grown? Can you offer any advice to other parents who might be facing those same challenges today?
We hope you’ll read the Ages & Stages feature on sleep in our January issue and let us know if the information is helpful to you. If you have any additional advice or tips you can add, we’d love to hear them!
Sweet dreams!
Sleep was a HUGE issue for us as new parents. With our first son – who was “colicky” according to our pediatrician (not true colic but close enough) – it was brutal. He didn’t really sleep through the night until “we” became pregnant with #2 son. Then we bought the Ferber book (can’t recall the exact title) and let him cry it out (we were pretty much at our wits’ end…). We called it “torture crying” – but it was really torture for Mom and Dad to listen to our sweet baby and not respond!! Luckily it only took like two or three nights and that was that; he began sleeping through the night…
This was almost 20 years ago – is this still what is recommended for parents with this problem? Just wondering!