Kathie Lee & Hoda: Tips for Putting Kids to Bed
Are your “little nose pickers,” as Kathie Lee called them, always begging to stay awake? Are you having trouble just getting your kids into their rooms at night? As much of a struggle as it can be to get your kids to sleep at night, it is very important they get them to sleep everyday at the same time.
Amy McCready, author of If I Have to Tell You One More Time, said there are health problems related with not getting enough sleep,the main one being growth problems. Since the growth hormone is released at night when the child is sleeping, if they do not get enough sleep, they will not grow to their full potential.
Kathie Lee and Hoda talked with two experts who shared their tips on getting the kids to bed, why they need to sleep more and importance of sleeping routines.
Among growth, lack of sleep with affect the child’s mood, their personality may be affected and their intellect with suffer as well.
“They are more irritable, more impulsive and more emotionally dysregulated, meaning it is going to be that much harder to get through the day with them,” said Jennifer Hartstein, a psychologist and author of Princess Recovery.
Today Show: Children Ages 7 to 12 Need 10 Hours of Sleep
Children need to be put on a sleeping schedule because they need a certain amount of sleep every night. For example, children ages zero to six ned to sleep for 12 hours a day, children seven to 12 need 10 hours of sleep a day and teenagers need at least nine hours of sleep a day. Most kids do not get that much sleep, meaning they are less attentive at school and it is harder for them to get their work done.
Kathie Lee & Hoda: Children Need to be Independent Sleepers
Both the experts on the show agreed it was okay to allow your child to sneak into bed with you every once in a while but there needs to be an “exit plan.” The child needs to learn how to sleep on their own.
“The kids need to be independent sleepers meaning they go to sleep alone, they wake up alone and they go back to sleep alone,” said McCready. She commented that the only reason children sneak into their parents bed is because they want to be soothed but they need to learn how to sooth themselves.
Today Show: Children Need Sleeping Routines
Children need to go to sleep the same time every night to avoid all the problems talked about above and because it helps the parents avoid negotiations. When the child goes to bed at different times, they can argue with the parents about their bedtime but when they know what time bedtime starts, they are less likely to argue.
“The parents responsibly is putting the kid in bed and the child’s responsibility is falling asleep,” said Hartstein.
Kathie Lee said when she was raising her children she would pray with them every night. That was their routine.
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