Topic: children’s sleep

So Infant Sleep Training Is Kind Of A Bust

You can now add infant sleep training to the list of “Paramount Childrearing Practices” that is ultimately debunked in five years. More »

When You Have An Only Child, Sleepovers Are A Parent’s Best Friend

It’s official: my daughter is allowed to have absolutely anyone sleepover at our house on any day of the week. For the next ten years, I’m happy to house any friend she chooses. To be honest, I’m not sure why it took me four years to figure out how amazing sleepovers are. How could I not realize the joy that comes with having someone there to entertain my little girl all night? More »

Deadly Co-Sleeping Case Causes More Debate For Bed-Sharing Advocates

Co-sleeping is a ferociously debated topic in the parenting community. Even here at Mommyish, we have some parents who choose to cuddle up with their little ones, while others heed the American Academy of Pediatrics warnings about the dangers involved in sharing a bed with your children. Often, the sleep debate is influenced by family tradition (people have been sharing beds with their kids for hundreds of years) or parenting philosophies (attachment parenting firmly supports co-sleeping). Then there are tragic stories like this one that underscore just why the AAP is so firm in their stance. A Utah couple charged with child abuse homicide and reckless endangerment after their second child died from co-sleeping just lost their appeal and will be facing a jury. Trevor Collet Merrill and Echo J. Nielsen are charged with quite simply “killing their baby by sleeping with him.” If that doesn’t send a chill up the spine of those cuddling up to their infants at night, I’m not sure much can. More »

Can I Force My Child To Go To Sleep?

My toddler recently decided that she doesn’t need sleep. The most obnoxious part about this is that she’s not totally wrong. Apparently, my little girl is one of those rare children who can function just fine with a couple hours a night. Bedtime became a battle, with her kicking and screaming that she didn’t want to lie down. My husband and I tried all those awesome sleep tricks, sticking to our routine, putting her back in bed without speaking to her at all. It was a catastrophe.

Finally, my husband sat down and told our little girl, “You don’t have to close your eyes and go to sleep. You can play while you’re in bed, but only if you go without throwing a fit.” That night our little girl stayed up playing untl 11:30pm. Or by that time, I gave up listening and went to sleep. More »

Does SIDS Actually Exist?

SIDS deaths are always horrendous to read about as sleep practices continue to be the subject of debate among parents. But as more and more instances of unsafe sleeping habits are uncovered by specialists and investigators, the term is being used less frequently to describe cases of infants dying in their sleep. So does that mean that SIDS is a legitimate cause of death? More »

Don’t Feel Guilty About Letting Your Kids Sleep With You, Their Social Development Is Safe

No need to feel guilty about letting your little ones share a bed with you several nights out of the week. Despite common parental worries that kids who share beds with their parents will not hit certain independence milestones, new research reveals that as long as the kids are old enough to evade SIDS, they will develop just fine. More »

Your Daughter Can’t Sleep Because She’s Stressing About Being Skinny

Young girls are clearly be confronted with countless media images encouraging them to lose weight and prioritize their looks — but now it turns out some girls may be losing sleep because of such pressures. More »