Many parents don’t realize the link between their child’s behavior and sleep, but it is most definitely correlated!  On this episode of The Real Parenting Show With Dr. Pete & Sara, we examine the growing body of research indicating a strong link between the quality and amount of children’s sleep and their cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and health outcomes.

A recent study published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics suggested that children whose parents do not enforce a regular bedtime are at greater risk for worse health. Another study recently published in the journal Sleep found that families who used a bedtime routine had children who tended to fall asleep faster at bed time. It has been established that not getting enough sleep affects children’s behavior, memory, attention, and emotional functioning. We are sure that those of us who either occasionally or routinely do not get enough sleep can certainly relate to these negative effects!

Dr. Pete takes us through how the outcomes of these studies relate to what we are doing with our own kids in terms of their total hours of sleep, explains how many hours each age child needs, and how to keep bedtime from becoming a battle of wills.

Incidentally, he recommends yanking the TV out of your child’s bedroom cold turkey if they rely on it to fall asleep – listen in to find out why and how to accomplish this!

Download The Real Parenting Show with Dr. Pete & Sara now and remember, even though you may not always feel like it, you are the most influential person in your child’s life! If you have any questions or topics you’d like to suggest for future shows, please comment on this blog or call 877.980.2828. Click below to listen to all of Dr. Pete’s straightforward advice and practical tips for real parents raising real kids in the real world, and we hope you’ll subscribe to get our podcast each week.

Dr. Pete and Sara are also the co-authors of Stress-Free Potty Training, A Commonsense Guide To Finding The Right Approach For Your Child (AMACOM Books, 2008). We include an entire chapter on potty training sensitive children who may exhibit shyness. Check out our website, www.StressFreePottyTraining.com, for more information.

Please note that nothing on The Real Parenting Show should be construed as professional psychological advice specific to you or your child. If you have concerns for anyone in your family, it’s important to make an appointment with a licensed mental health professional in your local area.

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