Parenting Pep Talk: Are You Putting Your Toddler To Bed Too Early?
Having a consistent bedtime is good for children’s health but putting your child to bed too early could lead to a variety of health disturbances. New research conducted at the University of Colorado (CU-Boulder) linked premature bedtime to kids’ immediate and long-term sleep problems. Such sleep problems are associated with emotional and behavioral issues as well as poor cognitive performance, which can persist into adolescence.
The CU-Boulder study showed that nearly 25 percent of children between the ages of 30 and 36 months struggle to fall asleep when put to bed, and those who were put to bed too early tended to stay awake for up to an hour. “For these toddlers, laying in bed awake for such a long time can lead to the association of bed with arousal, not sleep,” said Monique LeBourgeois, CU-Boulder Assistant Professor and researcher. Similar to adults, when babies associate their beds (or cribs) with stress and frustration, conditions like insomnia are more likely to develop. When adults experience sleep disorders they are told to use bed for sleep and sex only. Babies should associate their cribs with sleep and rest, not stimulation.
The university’s study measured toddlers’ melatonin levels for six hours prior to bedtime. Melatonin is a hormone that rises before children become sleepy. On average the toddlers melatonin onset was at 7:40 p.m. and parents tended to put their toddlers to bed at around 8 p.m. While the parents might have been ready for their little ones to go to sleep, it was just too early for the toddlers and resulted in sleep resistance. The aim, according to the study, is to give toddlers more time between when their melatonin rises and when they are put to sleep. While it isn’t realistic for parents to monitor their children’s melatonin levels at home, LeBourgeois suggests that if parents notice their child “resisting bedtime or having problems falling asleep, it is likely he or she is not physiologically ready for sleep at that time.”
Melatonin production has a lot to do with light exposure so parents can use light to manipulate melatonin in their child to some degree. Too much light in the evening delays production so LeBourgeois suggests dimming lights about an hour prior to bedtime. It’s important to pay attention to morning light exposure too, because morning light exposure is good for the sleep-wake cycle. Avoiding electronics before bed is also recommended. Television and iPods are too stimulating and are likely to delay sleep.
The research is pretty clear about consistent bedtimes and routines being good for most toddlers. Having a consistent sleep-wake cycle can reduce social and emotional problems and decrease behavior problems. That being said, every child has an individual biological clock that may or may not coincide with what parents or parenting websites suggest a bedtime “should” be. Trust your instincts, take cues from your child, and revise as necessary.
Dr. Jaime Black is a licensed psychologist practicing in Westchester and New York City. Jaime works with high-functioning individuals on the autism spectrum, doing psychotherapy, conducting evaluations, and facilitating socialization groups including an improv social skills group . Visit www.spectrumservicesnyc.com, e-mail JaimeBlackPsyD@gmail.com or call (914)712-8208.
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