Episode 2 of the ParentTalk podcast marks our first of many forays into one of our favorite topics, and one of parents’ favorite foils: sleep routines.
At the heart of the discussion is the nature and demands of sleep in infants and young children, how different parenting styles can be used to effectively encourage healthy sleep routines, and seeing sleep as the first in a sequence of essential parent/child conflicts which engender growth and development in children, and nurturing relational bonds between children and their parent(s).
Join pediatrician Dr. Arthur Lavin and child development specialist Susan Glaser, M.A. in this discussion of sleep patterns, sleep training, and sleep routines, and get back to sleep once again.
“We’re seeing a shift, with parents beginning to realize that they can set parameters for their child, and set up an environment where the child can make choices. What we sometimes forget is that when the child makes the choice, the child is much more likely to embrace that choice, whether that’s getting themselves to sleep, using the toilet, or figuring out what foods they can eat. It’s not just about sleep. This cuts across all of these challenges.”
– Susan Glaser
Episode Highlights:
– The emotional impact of sleeplessness in parents.
– The ongoing challenge of sleep routines and sleep regression.
– Seeing sleep as among the first opposing desires between parents and their children.
– The relationship between environment and sleep habits.
– Managing feedings with sleep demands.
– How nurturing and healthy sleep habits can coexist in parents.
– Parenting styles and sleep routines.
– The need for food at night in infants, and the dramatic shift in this need at 4 months of age.