What is the key to helping my child sleep better?

What is the key to helping my child sleep better?

Gary Feldman (Medical Director, Stramski Disorders Center, Miller Children's Hospital ) gives expert video advice on: Why won't my child fall asleep at bedtime?; What are the effects of parental sleep loss?; What is the best way for a parent to cope with sleep loss? and more...

I think the key for good sleep is good routine, in other words, it must be predictable. The child must have a predictable routine, and be consistent about it. So, you can't have a child, for instance, watching TV or running around and then say OK, it's bedtime. It doesn't work like that because their whole body is activated. You really want to have something where it is a progressive wind down phase, and the child knows that. It can be a special time with parents, a time of closeness, a high quality time, and it's got to be predictable so that the child associates it with sleep.