Benefits of a disciplined sleep schedule

Pediatric nurse practitioner and parent educator Dana Entin, RN, MN, PNP, explains how to put your child on a sleep schedule by creating a consistent routine and having realistic expectations for sleep time.
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Benefits of a disciplined sleep schedule

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Transcription: 
Putting a child on a disciplined sleep schedule is very much like every aspect of discipline. Now remember, we're really talking about babies over about four months, six months of age. One of the things to remember is to have realistic expectations. That means a parent needs to understand by the number of months a child has about how many hours they should be sleeping during the night. The other one is to remember to be consistent. So what a parent does with a baby before sleep time is really important, so it should be routine and consistent every time before sleep. Maybe it looks like a bath, then the massage, then some cuddle time and singing and then onto sleep. The last thing to remember is that parents should send a very positive message about sleep in general. Sleep is not a bad thing; sleep is a fantastic thing for your body. It helps bodies grow and develop. And those messages that parents relay to children are very important that sleep is viewed as a positive thing.

Pediatric nurse practitioner and parent educator Dana Entin, RN, MN, PNP, explains how to put your child on a sleep schedule by creating a consistent routine and having realistic expectations for sleep time.

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Dana Entin, RN, MN, PNP

Parent Educator

Dana is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner who has been teaching parenting classes for the past 10 years. She understands that all families are unique, but believes that children thrive with healthy values, discipline, respect, and an environment where parents understand normal development and are open and excited about their role as a parent. Dana is a true advocate for children and parents alike. Today’s parents are inundated with blogs, books and boatloads of people telling them what to do.  Dana uses her advanced practice nursing background to help parents better understand research and information pertaining to parenting.

Dana has written many articles, lectures, and does private and small group consultations. She has completed a parent handbook on discipline and is currently working on a new book. 

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Transcription: 
Putting a child on a disciplined sleep schedule is very much like every aspect of discipline. Now remember, we're really talking about babies over about four months, six months of age. One of the things to remember is to have realistic expectations. That means a parent needs to understand by the number of months a child has about how many hours they should be sleeping during the night. The other one is to remember to be consistent. So what a parent does with a baby before sleep time is really important, so it should be routine and consistent every time before sleep. Maybe it looks like a bath, then the massage, then some cuddle time and singing and then onto sleep. The last thing to remember is that parents should send a very positive message about sleep in general. Sleep is not a bad thing; sleep is a fantastic thing for your body. It helps bodies grow and develop. And those messages that parents relay to children are very important that sleep is viewed as a positive thing.