Sleepwalking

About Sleepwalking

Hours after bedtime, do you find your little one wandering the hall looking dazed and confused? If you have a sleepwalking child, you're not alone. It can be unnerving to see, but sleepwalking is very common in kids and most sleepwalkers only do so occasionally and outgrow it by the teen years. Still, some simple steps can keep your young sleepwalker safe while traipsing about.

Despite its name, sleepwalking (also called somnambulism) actually involves more than just walking. Sleepwalking behaviors can range from harmless (sitting up), to potentially dangerous (wandering outside), to just inappropriate (kids may even open a closet door and urinate inside). No matter what kids do during sleepwalking episodes, though, it's unlikely that they'll remember ever having done it!

As we sleep, our brains pass through five stages of sleep — stages 1, 2, 3, 4, and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Together, these stages make up a sleep cycle. One complete sleep cycle lasts about 90 to 100 minutes. So a person experiences about four or five sleep cycles during an average night's sleep.

Sleepwalking most often occurs during the deeper sleep of stages 3 and 4. During these stages, it's more difficult to wake someone up, and when awakened, a person may feel groggy and disoriented for a few minutes.

Kids tend to sleepwalk within an hour or two of falling asleep and may walk around for anywhere from a few seconds to 30 minutes.

Causes of Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking is far more common in kids than in adults, as most sleepwalkers outgrow it by the early teen years. It may run in families, so if you or your partner are or were sleepwalkers, your child may be too.

Other factors that may bring on a sleepwalking episode include:

• lack of sleep or fatigue
• irregular sleep schedules
• illness or fever
• certain medications
• stress (sleepwalking is rarely caused by an underlying medical, emotional, or psychological problem)

Behaviors During Sleepwalking

Of course, getting out of bed and walking around while still sleeping is the most obvious sleepwalking symptom. But young sleepwalkers may also:

• sleeptalk
• be hard to wake up
• seem dazed
• be clumsy
• not respond when spoken to
• sit up in bed and go through repeated motions, such as rubbing their eyes or fussing with their pajamas

Also, sleepwalkers' eyes are open, but they don't see the same way they do when they're awake and they often think they're in different rooms of the house or different places altogether.
Sometimes, these other conditions may accompany sleepwalking:

• sleep apnea (brief pauses in breathing while sleeping)
• bedwetting (enuresis)
• night terrors

Is Sleepwalking Harmful?

Sleepwalking itself is not harmful. However, sleepwalking episodes can be hazardous since sleepwalking kids aren't awake and may not realize what they're doing, such as walking down stairs or opening windows.

Sleepwalking is not usually a sign that something is emotionally or psychologically wrong with a child. And it doesn't cause any emotional harm. Sleepwalkers probably won't even remember the nighttime stroll.

How to Keep a Sleepwalker Safe

Although sleepwalking isn't dangerous by itself, it's important to take precautions so that your sleepwalking child is less likely to fall down, run into something, walk out the front door, or drive (if your teen is a sleepwalker).
To help keep your sleepwalker out of harm's way:

• Try not to wake a sleepwalker because this might scare your child. Instead, gently guide him or her back to bed.
• Lock the windows and doors, not just in your child's bedroom but throughout your home, in case your young sleepwalker decides to wander. You may consider extra locks or child safety locks on doors. Keys should be kept out of reach for kids who are old enough to drive.
• To prevent falls, don't let your sleepwalker sleep in a bunk bed.
• Remove sharp or breakable things from around your child's bed.
• Keep dangerous objects out of reach.
• Remove obstacles from your child's room and throughout your home to prevent a stumble. Especially eliminate clutter on the floor (i.e., in your child's bedroom or playroom).
• Install safety gates outside your child's room and/or at the top of any stairs.

Other Ways to Help a Sleepwalker

Unless the episodes are very regular, cause your child to be sleepy during the day, or your child is engaging in dangerous sleepwalking behaviors, there's usually no need to treat sleepwalking. But if the sleepwalking is frequent, causing problems, or your child hasn't outgrown it by the early teen years, talk to your doctor. Also talk to your doctor if you're concerned that something else could be going on, like reflux or trouble breathing.

For kids who sleepwalk often, doctors may recommend a treatment called scheduled awakening. This disrupts the sleep cycle enough to help stop sleepwalking. In rare cases, a doctor may prescribe medication to help a child sleep.

Other ways to help minimize sleepwalking episodes:

• Have your child relax at bedtime by listening to soft music or relaxation tapes.
• Establish a regular sleep and nap schedule and stick to it — both nighttime and wake-up time.
• Make your child's bedtime earlier. This can improve excessive sleepiness.
• Don't let kids drink a lot in the evening and be sure they go to the bathroom before going to bed. (A full bladder can contribute to sleepwalking.)
• Avoid caffeine near bedtime.
• Make sure your child's bedroom is quiet, cozy, and conducive to sleeping. Keep noise to a minimum while kids are trying to sleep (at bedtime and naptime).

The next time you encounter your nighttime wanderer, don't panic. Simply steer your child back to the safety and comfort of his or her bed.

"I pray that this article empowers you to Get A L.I.F.E."

Preschoolers Need Sleep!

Establishing a Bedtime Routine
Preschoolers sleep about 10 to 12 hours during each 24-hour period, but there's no need to be rigid about which 10 to 12 hours these are. The most important thing is to help kids develop good habits for getting to sleep.

A bedtime routine is a great way to ensure that your preschooler gets enough sleep.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when establishing that routine:

Include a winding-down period during the half hour before bedtime.
Stick to a bedtime, alerting your child both half an hour and 10 minutes beforehand.
Set fixed times for going to bed, waking up, and taking naps.
Keep consistent playtimes and mealtimes.
Avoid stimulants, such as sugar, near bedtime.
Make the bedroom quiet, cozy, and conducive to sleeping.
Use the bed only for sleeping — not for playing or watching TV.
Limit food and drink before bedtime.
Allow your child to choose which pajamas to wear, which stuffed animal to take to bed, etc. Consider playing soft, soothing music.
Tuck your child into bed snugly for a feeling of security.

A Note on Naps

Most preschoolers do still need naps during the day. They tend to be very active — running around, playing, going to school, and exploring their surroundings — so it's a good idea to give them a special opportunity to slow down. Even if your child can't fall asleep, try to set aside some quiet time during the day for relaxing. (And you'll probably benefit from a break too!)

The best way to encourage napping is to set up a routine for your child, just as you do for bedtime. Your preschooler, not wanting to miss out on any of the action, may resist a nap, but it's important to keep the routine firm and consistent. Explain that this is quiet time and that you want your child to start out in bed, but that it's OK to play in the bedroom quietly if he or she can't sleep.

How long should naps last? For however long you feel your child needs to get some rest. Usually, about an hour is sufficient. But there will be times when your child has been going full tilt and will need a longer nap, and others when you hear your child chattering away, playing through the entire naptime.

Sleeping Problems

Preschoolers may have nightmares, or night terrors, and there may be many nights when they have trouble falling asleep.

It may help if you create a "nighttime kit" to keep near your child's bed for these times. That kit might include a flashlight, a favorite book, and a cassette or CD to play. Explain the kit, then put it in a special place where your child can get to it in the middle of the night.

Objects like stuffed animals and blankets also can help kids feel safe. If your child doesn't have a favorite toy and getting to sleep has become consistently difficult, then it might be worth going out together to pick out a warm, soft blanket or stuffed animal.

Some parents get into the habit of lying down next to their young kids until they fall asleep. While this may do the trick temporarily, it won't help sleeping patterns in the long term. It's important to provide comfort and reassurance, but kids need to fall asleep independently for when parents aren't around. If you establish a routine where you have to be there for your child to go to sleep, then it will be difficult for both of you — and unfair to your child — if you start leaving beforehand.

If you're worried about your child's sleeping patterns, talk with your doctor. Although there isn't one sure way to raise a good sleeper, most kids have the ability to sleep well and work through any sleeping problems. The key is to try from early on to establish healthy bedtime habits.

"I pray that this article empowers you to Get A L.I.F.E."

Positional Plagiocephaly

Passage through the birth canal often makes a newborn's head appear pointy or elongated for a short time. It's normal for a baby's skull, which is made up of several separate bones that will eventually fuse together, to be slightly misshapen during the few days or weeks after birth.

But if a baby develops a persistent flat spot, either on one side or the back of the head, it could be a sign of document.write(defpositional_plagiocephaly244) positional plagiocephalypositional plagiocephaly. Also known as flattened head syndrome, this can occur when a baby sleeps in the same position repeatedly or because of problems with the neck muscles.

Fortunately, positional plagiocephaly can be treated without surgery and does not cause lasting cosmetic problems.

About Positional Plagiocephaly

Positional plagiocephaly is a disorder in which the back or one side of an infant's head is flattened, often with little hair growing in that area. It's most often the result of babies spending a lot of time lying on their backs or often being in a position where the head is resting against a flat surface (such as in cribs, strollers, swings, and playpens).

Because infants' heads are soft to allow for the incredible brain growth that occurs in the first year of life, they're susceptible to being "molded" into a flat shape.

Causes of Positional Plagiocephaly

The most common cause of a flattened head is a baby's sleep position. Because infants sleep so many hours on their backs, the head sometimes assumes a flat shape.

In almost all infants with plagiocephaly, there is some limit of active neck movement that leads to a preference to turn the head to one side and not to the other. The medical term for this is torticollis. The cause and effect relationship between torticollis and plagiocephaly goes both ways. Many infants are born with torticollis — perhaps related to fetal positioning in the uterus during late pregnancy — and subsequently develop plagiocephaly after birth.

But infants with severe flattening on one side must expend much more energy than normal to turn the head to the other side, so they do not do so, and their necks become stiff from disuse. In many infants with torticollis, their head will be turned to one side (usually to the right, for unknown reasons) while their chin is tilted toward the other.

Premature babies are more prone to positional plagiocephaly — their skulls are softer than those of full-term babies, and they spend a great deal of time on their backs without being moved or picked up because of their medical needs and extreme fragility after birth, which usually requires a stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

A baby might even start to develop positional plagiocephaly before birth, if pressure is placed on the baby's skull by the mother's pelvis or a twin. In fact, it's not at all unusual to see plagiocephaly in multiple birth infants.

If your infant has a misshapen head, your physician will need to decide whether the cause is plagiocephaly, which is very common and does not require surgery, or a condition called craniosynostosis, which is much less common and generally requires surgical treatment.

Craniosynostosis happens when adjacent skull bones become fused together ahead of the normal developmental schedule. This fusion limits the growth of the head in the direction perpendicular to the fused border between the affected bones, and the head grows excessively in other directions. This produces distinctive patterns of skull deformity that look very different from plagiocephaly.

Plagiocephaly is usually easy to recognize, because the deformity affects the back of the head most severely.

Signs and Symptoms

Positional plagiocephaly is usually easy for parents to notice. Typically, the back of the child's head (called the occiput) is flattened on one side, and the ear on the flattened side may be pushed forward as viewed from above.

In severe cases, there may be bulging on the side opposite from the flattening and the forehead may be asymmetrical (or uneven). If torticollis is the cause, the neck, jaw, and face may be asymmetrical. But although other aspects of the head and face may be affected, in positional plagiocephaly the back of the head is always most involved.

Diagnosis

Most often, a doctor can make the diagnosis of positional plagiocephaly simply by examining a child's head, without having to order lab tests or X-rays.

The doctor will also note whether regular repositioning of the child's head during sleep successfully reshapes the growing skull over time (craniosynostosis, on the other hand, typically will worsen).

If there's still some doubt, consultation with a specialist — a pediatric neurosurgeon or a craniofacial plastic surgeon — may be needed. X-rays and CT scans play no role in the management of plagiocephaly and are not necessary to distinguish it from craniosynostosis.

Treatment

Treatment for positional plagiocephaly caused by sleeping position is usually easy and painless, entailing simple repositioning of babies during sleep to encourage them to alternate their head position while sleeping on their backs.

Even though they'll probably move around throughout the night, alternating sides is still beneficial. Wedge pillows are available that keep babies lying on one side or the other, but be sure to check with your doctor before using one to ensure that it's appropriate and safe for your baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend routinely using any devices that might restrict the movement of an infant's head.

In addition, you will want to consider how you lay your baby down in the crib. Most right-handed parents carry small infants cradled in their left arms and lay them down with the heads to their left. In this position, the infant must turn to the right to look out into the room — and, indeed, torticollis to the right with flattening of the right side of the head is far more common than the left.

Whichever side of your infant's head is flattened, you will want to position your baby in the crib to encourage active turning of the head to the other side.

Always be sure your baby gets plenty of supervised time on the stomach while awake during the day. Not only does "tummy time" promote normal shaping of the back the head, it also helps in other ways. Looking around from a new perspective encourages your baby's learning and discovery of the world. Plus, it helps babies learn to push up on their arms, which helps develop the muscles needed for crawling and sitting up. It also helps to strengthen the neck muscles.

As most infants with plagiocephaly have some degree of torticollis, a course of physical therapy and a home exercise program will usually be part of the recommended treatment. A physical therapist can teach you exercises to do with your baby involving stretching techniques that are gradual and progressive. Most moves will consist of stretching your child's neck to the side opposite the tilt. Eventually, the neck muscles will be elongated and the neck will straighten itself out. Although they're very simple, the exercises must be performed correctly.

For kids with severe positional plagiocephaly, doctors may prescribe a custom-molded helmet or head band. These work best if started between the ages of 4 and 6 months, when a child grows the fastest, and are usually less helpful after 10 months of age. They work by applying gentle but constant pressure on a baby's growing skull in an effort to redirect the growth.

But never purchase or use any devices like these without having your child evaluated by a doctor. Only a small percentage of babies wear helmets. The decision to use helmet therapy is made on a case-by-case basis (for example, if the condition is so severe that a baby's face is becoming misshapen or the parents are very upset). Although helmets might not improve the outcome in all children, some kids with severe torticollis can benefit from their use.

Prognosis

The outlook for babies with positional plagiocephaly is excellent. As babies grow, they begin to reposition themselves naturally during sleep much more often than they did as newborns, which allows their heads to be in different positions throughout the night.

After babies are able to roll over, the AAP still recommends that parents put them to sleep on their backs, but then allow them to move into the position that most suits them without repositioning them onto their backs.

As a general rule, once an infant has attained independent sitting, plagiocephaly will not get any worse. Then, over months and years, as the skull grows, even in severe cases the flattening will improve. The head will never be perfectly symmetrical, but for a variety of developmental reasons the asymmetry becomes much less conspicuous as well. In later childhood the face becomes more prominent in relation to the skull, hair thickens, and children grow into lives of continual motion. Experience and clinical research have shown that by school age, plagiocephaly is no longer a social or cosmetic problem.

It's important to remember that plagiocephaly itself does not affect a child's brain growth or cause developmental delays or brain damage.

Prevention

Babies should be put down to sleep on their backs to help prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), despite the possibility of developing an area of flattening on the back of the head.

However, alternating their head position every night while they sleep and providing lots of tummy time and stimulation during the day while they're awake can reduce the risk of positional plagiocephaly.

"I pray that this article empowers you to Get A L.I.F.E."

Children & Nightmares

It's not clear at what age kids begin to dream, but even toddlers may speak about having dreams — pleasant ones and scary ones. While almost every child has an occasional frightening or upsetting dream, nightmares seem to peak during the preschool years when fear of the dark is common. But older kids (and even adults) have occasional nightmares, too.

Nightmares aren't completely preventable, but parents can set the stage for a peaceful night's rest. That way, when nightmares do creep in, a little reassurance and comfort from you can quickly restore your child's peace of mind.

Helping kids conquer this common childhood fear also equips them to overcome other scary things that might arise down the road.

When Do Nightmares Happen?

Nightmares — like most dreams — occur during the stage of sleep when the brain is very active and sorting through experiences and new information for learning and memory. The vivid images the brain is processing can seem as real as the emotions they might trigger.

This part of sleep is known as the rapid eye movement or REM stage because the eyes are rapidly moving beneath closed eyelids. Nightmares tend to happen during the second half of a night's sleep, when REM intervals are longer.

When kids awaken from a nightmare, its images are still fresh and can seem real. So it's natural for them to feel afraid and upset and to call out to a parent for comfort.

By about preschool age, kids begin to understand that a nightmare is only a dream — and that what's happening isn't real and can't hurt them. But knowing that doesn't prevent them from feeling scared. Even older kids feel frightened when they awaken from a nightmare and may need your reassurance and comfort.

What Causes Nightmares?

No one knows exactly what causes nightmares. Dreams — and nightmares — seem to be one way kids process thoughts and feelings about situations they face, and to work through worries and concerns.

Most times nightmares occur for no apparent reason. Other times they happen when a child is experiencing stress or change. Events or situations that might feel unsettling — such as moving, attending a new school, the birth of a sibling, or family tensions — might also be reflected in unsettling dreams.

Sometimes nightmares occur as part of a child's reaction to trauma — such as a natural disaster, accident, or injury. For some kids, especially those with a good imagination, reading scary books or watching scary movies or TV shows just before bedtime can inspire nightmares.

Themes of a nightmare tend to reflect whatever the child is going through at that age, whether it's struggles with aggressive feelings, independence, or fears of separation. The cast of characters might include monsters, bad guys, animals, imaginary creatures, or familiar people, places, and events combined in unusual ways.

Young kids might have nightmares of being gobbled up, lost, chased, or punished. Sometimes a nightmare contains recognizable bits and pieces of the day's events and experiences, but with a scary twist. A child might not remember every detail, but can usually recall some of the images, characters, or situations, and the scary parts.

Encouraging Sweet Dreams

Parents can't prevent nightmares, but can help kids get a good night's sleep — and that encourages sweet dreams.

To help them relax when it's time to sleep and associate bedtime with safety and comfort, be sure that kids:

have a regular bedtime and wake-up time
have a sleep routine that helps them slow down, and feel safe and secure as they drift off to sleep. This might include a bath, a snuggle from you, reading, or some quiet talk about the pleasant events of the day.
have a bed that's a cozy, peaceful place to quiet down. A favorite toy, stuffed animal, night-light, or dream catcher can help.
avoid scary movies, TV shows, and stories before bed — especially if they've triggered nightmares before.
know that nightmares aren't real, that they're just dreams and can't hurt them.

After a Nightmare

Here's how to help your child cope after a nightmare:

Reassure your child that you’re there. Your calm presence helps your child feel safe and protected after waking up feeling afraid. Knowing you'll be there helps strengthen your child's sense of security.

Label what’s happened. Let your child know that it was a nightmare and now it's over. You might say something like, "You had a bad dream, but now you're awake and everything is OK." Reassure your child that the scary stuff in the nightmare didn't happen in the real world.

Offer comfort. Show that you understand that your child feels afraid and it's OK. Remind your child that everyone dreams and sometimes the dreams are scary, upsetting, and can seem very real, so it's natural to feel scared by them.

Do your magic. With preschoolers and young school-age kids who have vivid imaginations, the magical powers of your love and protection can work wonders. You might be able to make the pretend monsters disappear with a dose of pretend monster spray. Go ahead and check the closet and under the bed, reassuring your child that all's clear.

Mood lighting. A night-light or a hall light can help kids feel safe in a darkened room as they get ready to go back to sleep. A bedside flashlight can be a good nightmare-chaser.

Help your child go back to sleep. Offering something comforting might help change the mood. Try any of these to aid the transition back to sleep: a favorite stuffed animal to hold, a blanket, pillow, night-light, dream catcher, or soft music. Or discuss some pleasant dreams your child would like to have. And maybe seal it by giving your child a kiss to hold — in the palm of his or her hand — as you tiptoe out of the room.

Be a good listener. No need to talk more than briefly about the nightmare in the wee hours — just help your child feel calm, safe, and protected, and ready to go back to sleep. But in the morning, your child may want to tell you all about last night's scary dream. By talking about it — maybe even drawing the dream or writing about it — in the daylight, many scary images lose their power. Your child might enjoy thinking up a new (more satisfying) ending to the scary dream.

For most kids, nightmares happen only now and then, are not cause for concern, and simply require a parent's comfort and reassurance. Talk to your doctor if nightmares often prevent your child from getting enough sleep or if they occur along with other emotional or behavioral troubles.

"I pray that this article empowers you to Get A L.I.F.E."

What Are Night Terrors?

Most parents have comforted their child after the occasional nightmare. But if your child has ever experienced what's known as a night terror (or sleep terror), his or her fear was likely inconsolable, no matter what you tried.

A night terror is a sleep disruption that seems similar to a nightmare, but with a far more dramatic presentation. Though night terrors can be alarming for parents who witness them, they're not usually cause for concern or a sign of a deeper medical issue.

During a typical night, sleep occurs in several stages. Each is associated with particular brain activity, and it's during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage that most dreaming occurs.

Night terrors happen during deep non-REM sleep. Unlike nightmares (which occur during REM sleep), a night terror is not technically a dream, but more like a sudden reaction of fear that happens during the transition from one sleep phase to another.

Night terrors usually occur about 2 or 3 hours after a child falls asleep, when sleep transitions from the deepest stage of non-REM sleep to lighter REM sleep, a stage where dreams occur. Usually this transition is a smooth one. But rarely, a child becomes agitated and frightened — and that fear reaction is a night terror.

During a night terror, a child might suddenly sit upright in bed and shout out or scream in distress. The child's breathing and heartbeat might be faster, he or she might sweat, thrash around, and act upset and scared. After a few minutes, or sometimes longer, a child simply calms down and returns to sleep.

Unlike nightmares, which kids often remember, kids won't have any memory of a night terror the next day because they were in deep sleep when it happened — and there are no mental images to recall.

What Causes Night Terrors?

Night terrors are caused by over-arousal of the central nervous system (CNS) during sleep. This may happen because the CNS (which regulates sleep and waking brain activity) is still maturing. Some kids may inherit a tendency for this over-arousal — about 80% who have night terrors have a family member who also experienced them or sleepwalking (a similar type of sleep disturbance).

Night terrors have been noted in kids who are:
overtired or ill, stressed, or fatigued
taking a new medication
sleeping in a new environment or away from home

Night terrors are relatively rare — they happen in only 3-6% of kids, while almost every child will have a nightmare occasionally. Night terrors usually occur between the ages of 4 and 12, but have been reported in kids as young as 18 months. They seem to be a little more common among boys.

A child might have a single night terror or several before they cease altogether. Most of the time, night terrors simply disappear on their own as the nervous system matures.

Coping With Night Terrors

Night terrors can be very upsetting for parents, who might feel helpless at not being able to comfort or soothe their child. The best way to handle a night terror is to wait it out patiently and make sure the child doesn't get hurt by thrashing around. Kids usually will settle down and return to sleep on their own in a few minutes.

It's best not to try to wake kids during a night terror. Attempts usually don't work, and kids who do wake are likely to be disoriented and confused, and may take longer to settle down and go back to sleep.

There's no treatment for night terrors, but you can help prevent them. Try to:
reduce your child's stress
establish and stick to a bedtime routine that's simple and relaxing
make sure your child gets enough rest
prevent your child from becoming overtired by staying up too late

Understanding night terrors can reduce your worry — and help you get a good night's sleep yourself. But if night terrors happen repeatedly, talk to your doctor about whether a referral to a sleep specialist is needed.

"I pray that this article empowers you to Get A L.I.F.E."

Co-sleeping and Your Baby

The image of a baby and parent dozing off together isn't an uncommon one. But the practice of co-sleeping, or sharing a bed with your infant, is controversial in the United States. Supporters of co-sleeping believe that a parent's bed is just where an infant belongs. But is it safe?

Why Do Some People Choose to Co-sleep?

Co-sleeping supporters believe — and some studies support their beliefs — that co-sleeping:

• encourages breastfeeding by making nighttime breastfeeding more convenient
• makes it easier for a nursing mother to get her sleep cycle in sync with her baby's
• helps babies fall asleep more easily, especially during their first few months and when they wake up in the middle of the night
• helps babies get more nighttime sleep (because they awaken more frequently with shorter duration of feeds, which can add up to a greater amount of sleep throughout the night)
• helps parents who are separated from their babies during the day regain the closeness with their infant that they feel they missed

But do the risks of co-sleeping outweigh the benefits?

Is Co-sleeping Safe?

Despite the possible pros, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns parents not to place their infants to sleep in adult beds, stating that the practice puts babies at risk of suffocation and strangulation. And the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) agrees.

Co-sleeping is a widespread practice in many non-Western cultures. However, differences in mattresses, bedding, and other cultural practices may account for the lower risk in these countries as compared with the United States.

According to the CPSC, at least 515 deaths were linked to infants and toddlers under 2 years of age sleeping in adult beds from January 1990 to December 1997:

121 of the deaths were attributed to a parent, caregiver, or sibling rolling on top of or against a baby while sleeping
more than 75% of the deaths involved infants younger than 3 months old

Co-sleeping advocates say it isn't inherently dangerous and that the CPSC went too far in recommending that parents never sleep with children under 2 years of age. According to supporters of co-sleeping, parents won't roll over onto a baby because they're conscious of the baby's presence — even during sleep.

Those who should not co-sleep with an infant, however, include:

other children — particularly toddlers — because they might not be aware of the baby's presence parents who are under the influence of alcohol or any drug because that could diminish their awareness of the baby
parents who smoke because the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is greater

But can co-sleeping cause SIDS? The connection between co-sleeping and SIDS is unclear and research is ongoing. Some co sleeping researchers have suggested that it can reduce the risk of SIDS because co sleeping parents and babies tend to wake up more often throughout the night. However, the AAP reports that some studies suggest that, under certain conditions, co-sleeping may increase the risk of SIDS, especially co-sleeping environments involving mothers who smoke.

CPSC also reported more than 100 infant deaths between January 1999 and December 2001 attributable to hidden hazards for babies on adult beds, including:

suffocation when an infant gets trapped or wedged between a mattress and headboard, wall, or other object
suffocation resulting from a baby being face-down on a waterbed, a regular mattress, or on soft bedding such as pillows, blankets, or quilts
strangulation in a bed frame that allows part of an infant's body to pass through an area while trapping the baby's head

In addition to the potential safety risks, sharing a bed with a baby can sometimes prevent parents from getting a good night's sleep. And infants who co-sleep can learn to associate sleep with being close to a parent in the parent's bed, which may become a problem at naptime or when the infant needs to go to sleep before the parent is ready.

Making Co-sleeping as Safe as Possible

If you do choose to share your bed with your baby, make sure to follow these precautions:

Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep to reduce the risk of SIDS.
Always leave your child's head uncovered while sleeping.
Make sure your bed's headboard and footboard don't have openings or cutouts that could trap your baby's head.
Make sure your mattress fits snugly in the bed frame so that your baby won't become trapped in between the frame and the mattress.
Don't place a baby to sleep in an adult bed alone.
Don't use pillows, comforters, quilts, and other soft or plush items on the bed.
Don't drink alcohol or use medications or drugs that may keep you from waking and may cause you to roll over onto, and therefore suffocate, your baby.
Don't place your bed near draperies or blinds where your child could be strangled by cords.

Transitioning Out of the Parent's Bed

Most medical experts say the safest place to put an infant to sleep is in a crib that meets current standards and has no soft bedding. But if you've been co-sleeping with your little one and would like to stop, talk to your doctor about making a plan for when your baby will sleep in a crib.

Transitioning to the crib by 6 months is usually easier — for both parents and baby — before the co-sleeping habit is ingrained and other developmental issues (such as separation anxiety) come into play. Eventually, though, the co-sleeping routine will likely be broken at some point, either naturally because the child wants to or by the parents' choice.

But there are ways that you can still keep your little one close by, just not in your bed. You could:

Put a bassinet, play yard, or crib next to your bed. This can help you maintain that desired closeness, which can be especially important if you're breastfeeding. The AAP says that having an infant sleep in a separate crib, bassinet, or play yard in the same room as the mother reduces the risk of SIDS.

Buy a device that looks like a bassinet or play yard minus one side, which attaches to your bed to allow you to be next to each other while eliminating the possibility of rolling over onto your infant.

Of course, where your child sleeps — whether it's in your bed or a crib — is a personal decision. As you're weighing the pros and cons, talk to your child's doctor about the risks, possible personal benefits, and your family's own sleeping arrangements.

"I pray that this article empowers you to Get A L.I.F.E."

Bruxism

When you look in on your sleeping child, you want to hear the sounds of sweet dreams: easy breathing and perhaps an occasional sigh. But some parents hear the harsher sounds of gnashing and grinding teeth, called bruxism, which is common in kids.

About Bruxism
Bruxism is the medical term for the grinding of teeth or the clenching of jaws. Bruxism often occurs during deep sleep or while under stress. Two to three out of every 10 kids will grind or clench, experts say, but most outgrow it.

Causes of Bruxism
Though studies have been done, no one knows why bruxism happens. But in some cases, kids may grind because the top and bottom teeth aren't aligned properly. Others do it as a response to pain, such as an earache or teething. Kids might grind their teeth as a way to ease the pain, just as they might rub a sore muscle. Many kids outgrow these fairly common causes for grinding. Stress — usually nervous tension or anger — is another cause. For instance, a child might worry about a test at school or a change in routine (a new sibling or a new teacher). Even arguing with parents and siblings can cause enough stress to prompt teeth grinding or jaw clenching.

Some kids who are hyperactive also experience bruxism. And sometimes kids with other medical conditions (such as cerebral palsy) or on certain medications can develop bruxism.

Effects of Bruxism
Many cases of bruxism go undetected with no adverse effects, while others cause headaches or earaches. Usually, though, it's more bothersome to other family members because of the grinding sound.

In some circumstances, nighttime grinding and clenching can wear down tooth enamel, chip teeth, increase temperature sensitivity, and cause severe facial pain and jaw problems, such as temporomandibular joint disease (TMJ). Most kids who grind, however, do not have TMJ problems unless their grinding and clenching is chronic.

Diagnosing Bruxism
Lots of kids who grind their teeth aren't even aware of it, so it's often siblings or parents who identify the problem.

Some signs to watch for:
grinding noises when your child is sleeping
complaints of a sore jaw or face in the morning
pain with chewing

If you think your child is grinding his or her teeth, visit the dentist, who will examine the teeth for chipped enamel and unusual wear and tear, and spray air and water on the teeth to check for unusual sensitivity.

If damage is detected, the dentist may ask your child a few questions, such as:
How do you feel before bed?
Are you worried about anything at home or school?
Are you angry with someone?
What do you do before bed?

The exam will help the dentist determine whether the grinding is caused by anatomical (misaligned teeth) or psychological (stress) factors and come up with an effective treatment plan.

Treating Bruxism
Most kids outgrow bruxism, but a combination of parental observation and dental visits can help keep the problem in check until they do.

In cases where the grinding and clenching make a child's face and jaw sore or damage the teeth, dentists may prescribe a special night guard. Molded to a child's teeth, the night guard is similar to the protective mouthpieces worn by football players. Though a mouthpiece may take some getting used to, positive results happen quickly.

Helping Kids With Bruxism
Whether the cause is physical or psychological, kids might be able to control bruxism by relaxing before bedtime — for example, by taking a warm bath or shower, listening to a few minutes of soothing music, or reading a book.

For bruxism that's caused by stress, ask about what's upsetting your child and find a way to help. For example, a kid who is worried about being away from home for a first camping trip might need reassurance that mom or dad will be nearby if anything happens.

If the issue is more complicated, such as moving to a new town, discuss your child's concerns and try to ease any fears. If you're concerned, talk to your doctor.

In rare cases, basic stress relievers aren't enough to stop bruxism. If your child has trouble sleeping or is acting differently than usual, your dentist or doctor may suggest further evaluation. This can help determine the cause of the stress and an appropriate course of treatment.

How Long Does Bruxism Last?
Childhood bruxism is usually outgrown by adolescence. Most kids stop grinding when they lose their baby teeth. However, a few kids do continue to grind into adolescence. And if the bruxism is caused by stress, it will continue until the stress is relieved.

Preventing Bruxism
Because some bruxism is a child's natural reaction to growth and development, most cases can't be prevented. Stress-induced bruxism can be avoided, however, by talking with kids regularly about their feelings and helping them deal with stress. Take your child for routine dental visits to find and, if needed, treat bruxism.

"I pray that this article empowers you to Get A L.I.F.E."