At an infant and toddler well-child check-ups, I love to talk to parents about their child's sleep. Sleep is SO important to the current and future health of a child, and all too often, sleep is compromised due to lifestyle issues we have as parents. Young children thrive on consistent schedules, and the linchpin of this schedule is bedtime. This fall there was an important study published which showed that lack of adequate night-time sleep in a child less than 5 years old is associated with an almost 2-fold increase in their risk of being obese. Before that, there was a study that showed a link between ADHD symptoms and young school-aged kids who did not get enough night-time sleep. So, what is a good bedtime schedule for your child? Visit one of my favorite children's health websites-- healthychildren.org, or kidshealth.org to find out. But first, put your child to bed :)
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