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Infants
like to sleep. A normal sleeping pattern for infants consists of
napping 2-4 times per day for up to 2 hours at a time. By 6-9 months
the baby usually only takes 2 naps per day. This will reduce to one
nap at around 18 months and by 2 ½ years, the baby will no
longer require afternoon naps. Insomnia among infants has been linked
to the following; a desire for parental attention, infantile colic or
other digestive problems, indigestion, teething, fever or other
illness.
Infant
insomnia has been linked to an allergic reaction to certain proteins
contained in cow’s milk. If your baby suffers from insomnia, he/she
may be reacting to milk. Try changing to non-cow’s milk and see if
a better night’s rest results.
The
following suggestions have been helpful to other parents with infants
who suffer from insomnia.
- Do not become automatically
available to your child during the night. Otherwise they become
overly dependant on you.
- Ensure that the child attempting
to get to sleep is not affected by outside disturbances.
- Don’t send the child to bed as a
punishment.
- Never treat infant or child
insomnia with medication unless you have been advised to do so by
your doctor.
(Archbold
KH, et al. (2002). Symptoms of sleep disturbances among children at
two general pediatric clinics. Journal of Pediatrics, 140(1):
97–102).
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