Getting children to sleep

Press, 14 June 1984, Page 20

Getting children to sleep

Sir,—My original objection was to people in positions of authority stating that leaving children to cry is an acceptable solution to “sleep problems.” This is like saying that it is acceptable to hit or ridicule children. All these are understandable reactions by frustrated and desperate parents — they are not desirable “techniques.” A baby cannot comprehend that his mother loves him — or even that she exists — if she is not within reach of his physical senses. Curiously, one correspondent sees it as “banishment” when a grown man sleeps alone, but not when a child, with no choice in the matter, sleeps alone. The child’s parents are his only resource. I believe meeting a child’s urgent needs leads to more stable adults; I know from my own experience that it leads to more relaxed childen and parents. — Yours, etc.,

CATHERINE GLUE. June 12, 1984.

Sir,—As a competent father who once won a nap-changing contest on Plunket night, I wish to submit that to induce children to sleep, four basic rules apply: deal with hunger, discomfort (dirty naps), need for security, or teething problems. The first three are all controllable, teething is a cookiecrumbling problem. I suggest a snack, fresh dry naps, a hottie, maybe a rock in the cradle or a cuddle from mum. Teething: a roster is called for, mum on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and dad on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Sundays, toss up. A selfadjusted problem corrected by passage of time. — Yours, etc., W. JACKSON. June 12, 1984.