Do healthy sleep habits make a happy child?

Good and quality sleep is one of the crucial necessities for a healthy life. Given this, any one would be able to assume how important it could be while talking of infant health. Research reports reveal that children who sleep better are seen to be happier and do well in school activities besides being less hyper active. In an average, children need about 14 hours of sleep a day. However, during the infant stage this occurs in short packages spread over the 24 hours period. By the time babies reach 6 weeks of age, they get organized to sleep for longer periods over nights. When the babies are in their fourth month, most of them take about three naps which reduce to 2 naps between 5 and 8 months and eventually getting into one long nap.

With the progression of age, regular sleep patterns set up rather unconsciously. If this happens, then the condition is said to be normal and defaults in this pattern would suggest some problem with the individual’s health. Perceiving the importance of sleep in our daily life and studying the effects of good sleep in the health and happiness of babies, Dr. Weissbluth has authored a book under the title Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. His observations, concepts and suggestions throw more light on the best practices in child rearing.

Over the first few years, the total amount of sleep does not alter in a remarkable way. Therefore, it is essential that when a child drop a nap, the bed time needs to be advanced. According to the author, most babies should go to bed somewhere between 6 and 8 pm and wake up around 7am. In case of babies up to 9 months, there could be one or two waking during nights for the sake of feeding. The ideal times for naps would be between 9 and 10, 1 and 3 and 3 and 5.

A striking idea that the author voices in his book is this. He stresses on the importance of ‘cry it out’ meaning the mother should desist from going in to the room other than the regular feeding schedules established during a given stage of the child. The idea is to let the child cry for up to 1 hour during nap time and to the extent needed during nights. He says if this is not done and the baby is attended to immediately upon crying, then you end up teaching the baby that it should cry to be attended.

The author says put down the child when it is tired not waiting to see it yawning and rubbing the eyes. He agrees for any soothing routine that you might feel working well with the baby and also tells there is no need to wake the baby up once you put them down. Dr. Weissbluth does not approve of any kind of motion during sleep. He too lays emphasis on telling put them down once you complete the soothing routine whether they sleep or not. Like some other authors of best selling baby wise books, Dr. Weissbluth does not support attachment parenting. Though he might appear blunt at some points, the suggestions made in the book seem to bestow ultimate good to babies.


Author is a freelance writer and having successful experience in writing about Baby Care. Currently he is writing about Crib Tent and Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child for more information about Infant Baby Healthcare visit:  Twelvehourbaby