The Top 10 Sleep Mistakes Parents Make

Lisa Meltzer، Ph.D.، a pediatric-sleep specialist at National Jewish Health in Denver agrees: "Sleep schedules are very important for setting our internal clocks. A consistent sleep schedule will help a child get sleepy and fall asleep around the same time every day. If the schedule is constantly changing، it's like flying back and forth across time zones every night; the body doesn't know when to fall asleep."

"Bedtime struggles often result from an inconsistent schedule as parents may be trying to put their children to bed too early (when the child isn't tired) or too late (when the child is overtired)،" Dr. Meltzer adds.

Of course، there's room for some flexibility. Some days your child will nap more، and others they will nap less. "As you learn to read [their] sleep cues and recognize [their] sleep windows، you'll be able to adjust the schedule more easily،" says West.

If your little one is content، you've probably got a good sleep schedule going on. If they're fussy and demanding، they may need longer naps، an earlier bedtime، a later wake-up، or all of the above.

Letting Them Stay Up Late، Hoping They'll Sleep In

It sounds like a good idea—after all، when teens go to bed late، don't they want to sleep until noon the next day? Unfortunately، that just doesn't work for little ones.

"Again، the internal clock is a powerful force that typically wakes young children up around the same time every morning، no matter what time they go to sleep at night،" says Dr. Meltzer. "So parents who let their child stay up late are simply asking for an overtired child the next day." Instead، keep a set bedtime to make sure your child gets the 10 to 11 hours of sleep they need each night.

And if your little one is getting up way too early (before 6 a.m.)، it could be a sign that your child is going to bed too late، so try putting them to bed 30 minutes or even an hour earlier. But some little ones are just early birds and tend to wake up early.

Making Sleep Decisions in the Middle of the Night

Let's face it: It's hard to make wise decisions at 2 a.m. And those middle-of-the-night wakings are usually when parents make their biggest sleep mistakes. According to West، one of the biggest is reactive co-sleeping. "This is when a family co-sleeps because it's the only way to get their child to sleep، not because they've made a decision to co-sleep as a family،" says West.