Sleep experts say the secret to getting little ones to fall asleep and stay asleep is parents recognizing and respecting a child’s natural rhythms and establishing good bedtime habits early on.

“Parents need to understand that sleep has a strong biological basis. Babies and young children need to sleep when their internal clocks tell them to. You cannot fight circadian rhythms,” says Chicago pediatrician and sleep expert Mark Weissbluth, a clinical professor of pediatrics at Northwestern School of Medicine.

Weissbluth says many parents try to mold their child’s sleep patterns to their adult schedules, but just like with food, there’s good sleep and junk sleep. “When a child sleeps is probably more important than how long he sleeps,” he says…

“Chaotic family schedules interfere with the stabilization of a child’s circadian rhythms,” says Richard Ferber, director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at Children’s Hospital Boston. “The lack of a sleep routine, unenforced bedtimes, and no limit-setting leave a child feeling unwell in a manner analogous to jet lag,” Ferber says…

“Create healthy, consistent routines, then stick with them,” Culbert says. He recommends keeping it simple—a bath, a book, a cuddle. Steer clear of television, computers and caffeine…

… Ferber cautions parents to be patient. A baby’s sleep patterns are often irregular for the first few months, and a child may need nighttime feeding and cuddling. “By 6 months, babies can usually sleep through the night,” he says.

Source: USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-07-22-sleep_N.htm