How To Build A Sleep Routine For You And Your Children

Life Kit: Parenting

NPR

Kids & Family

4.4 • 634 Ratings

🗓️ 8 November 2021

⏱️ 19 minutes

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Summary

Getting enough sleep helps you focus, retain information and helps to fortify your immune system. But when it comes to children, they aren't always thinking about these benefits. For parents and caretakers struggling to get their little ones to bed on time, here are tips on establishing healthy sleeping habits — that can benefit your entire family.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for NPR and the following message comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
0:05.4	RWJF is a national philanthropy working toward a future where health is no longer a privilege but a right.
0:12.1	Learn more at RWJF.org.
0:15.5	We've all heard the health benefits of getting a good night's rest.
0:19.7	Getting those magical eight hours will help
0:22.0	you focus, retain information, and fortify your immune system. As a parent, if your child is
0:27.6	having trouble falling asleep, or if they can't sleep through the night, that can be exhausting.
0:33.9	I had a two and a half year old, and sleeping was not high on her list of priorities.
0:38.4	It would sometimes take me upward of an hour, maybe even two hours to get her to go to sleep.
0:43.6	Adam Mansbach is an author and screenwriter.
0:46.5	Back in 2011, he was living in Philadelphia and he was teaching at Rutgers University.
0:51.2	Between his writing and teaching, he didn't have a lot of time for himself or time
0:55.8	to spend with his partner or his two-year-old daughter, Vivian. Those couple hours in the
1:00.8	evening are like all you have. So if suddenly you can't get out of that room because this kid
1:04.5	refuses to sleep and refuses to let you leave. And if you leave, you're starting the process
1:08.7	over again. And if you sneak out too early, you're starting the process over again. And if you sneak out too early,
1:11.3	you're starting the process over again because they see you. It's grueling. Man's bag was feeling
1:15.7	frustrated and he was thinking, this isn't a lot of fun. But as a parent, he felt it was taboo to talk
1:22.6	about how aggravating, tiring, and lonely it can feel to be apparent at times.
1:28.5	So he turned to comedy.
1:30.6	One day, while he was away for work, he was reflecting, and he posted something funny on Facebook.
1:37.2	I wrote the Facebook post as a joke.
	...

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