Improving sleeping patterns in pre-schoolers

               Sleep is essential for our healthy well being. It relaxes the body and rejuvinates it for the onjcoming day's routine. After a good night's sleep person wakes up fresh and full of energy. But if sleep gets disturbed due to some reason or the other, it could result in lack of concentration, headache and dullness. In the similar manner sleep is important for the children as well, or it may result in behavioural problems.

               Although the duration for which the child sleeps differs from child to child, but on average pre-schoolers(2 to 5 yrs age) sleep for about 10-12 hrs.This may or may not include the day time nap. All this was general information regarding the importance of sleep and sleep requirements of the pre-schoolers. In this article I would like to give some tips for improving the sleeping habits of the children. Most of the parents approach doctors for advice on improving sleeping habits in children. I feel that they can solve this problem on their own, very easily by putting in some efforts themselves. These are tips which may help you:

*Make a bedtime routine. Change your child's clothes, help him brush his teeth and read him a bedtime story when you put him in bed. Make the lights in the room dim. All this procedure will help him relax and eventually he will fall asleep. He will also become familiar with the bed time.

*Giving the child a bath before taking him to bed will also help him relax. Let him play for a while in water before taking him to bed.

*Try to follow the same routine everyday and take him to bed approximately at the same time.

*Try to follow the same routine yourself as well. If you cannot, then pretend to sleep for sometime by switching off all the lights in the house and not talking. When the child falls asleep you may continue with your work.

*If the child is sleeping and you are busy in some work or watching TV try to keep the noise level minimum as it may interfare in his sleep.

*If the child wakes up in the middle of the night attend to him immediately. Hold him close to yourself, rub his back and donot talk to him unless he wants to do so. Most probably he will fall back to sleep in some time. All these activities make him feel safe and secure.

*Children are full of energy and enthusiasm. They need to spend this energy to have proper sleep and appetite. So take your child outdoors in the evenings somewhere, where he can play and spend some time with his friends. Be his friend and play with him if there is no-one around. If you take him with you to the shopping mall, let him walk around and explore things. Let him play for atleast one hour which will make him tired and hungry. So he will eat well and sleep on time.