A study shows that most babies' sleeping habits are dictated by the genes.
A group of researchers in Canada analyzed the sleeping habits of 1,000 identical and fraternal twins in Quebec reveal that a child's genetic makeup determines the quality of sleep at night while during the day it is affected by the environment.
Evelyne Touchette, lead author of the study and psychology researcher at Laval University in Quebec, reminds parents that they should still try correcting their child's inadequate sleep duration early in their childhood. According to her, a good time to implement sleep strategies to improve a child's nighttime sleep habits is as soon as the baby is on its 18 months.
She also pointed out that parents should use caution before concluding that their children are "short persistent sleepers," or those who seem to need less than 10 hours of sleep nightly, because there may be other reasons that come along with insufficient sleep.
More so, Dr. Dennis Rosen, associate medical director of the center for pediatric sleep disorders at Boston Children's Hospital, highlighted some milestones to look for in the sleep habits of children-infants begin napping 2 to 3 times a day at their sixth week, whereas at the age of 6 months, they take two naps, eventually shifting to one nap during toddler years. It is also important to establish control on the amount of time spent in bed. Children not having sufficient amount of sleep will often become irritable while those who oversleep during the day will have difficulty sleeping at night.
The research team suggests that at approximately six months, children should be put to bed when they are drowsy but still awake so that they would be able to learn to put themselves to sleep. Parents may always consult a pediatrician who has knowledge about children's sleep if they need assistance.
