Reply to Can you create a bad or good sleeper?

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[quote=Anonymous]Yes. As a parent you control a lot about how sleep develops, assuming your child is neurotypical and has no major health issues.

1) schedule — regular bedtime that aligns sleep pressure with circadian rhythm. Kids have a strong circadian rhythm, and if kept up too late on a regular basis will start to need melatonin to fall asleep. I can’t tell you how many people I met who are proud of their flexible sleepers who sleep anywhere! Anytime! Only to learn they keep their kids up til ridiculous hours, have them on adult schedules, and now medicate nightly with melatonin to regulate them. A good nap schedule to ensure adequate sleep pressure at bedtime is also important, there are lots of resources online now if you want to learn how to adjust this as they drop naps.
2) ramp down parental intervention at an appropriate age to allow your child to develop self-soothing skills. A parent-led sleep cue is not something you want your child to become dependent on, unless you want your sleep and theirs to be disrupted for several years. Most children are more than ready for you to withdraw parent-led sleep associations around age 6-7 months.
3) nutrition — adequate calorie intake during the day, make sure they get all their vitamins and minerals
4) no screens — blue light messes with melatonin production 
5) exercise and outdoor time
Etc.[/quote]

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