Is Your Child’s FOMO Causing Sleep Disruptions?
Feb 28, 2024
If you have one of these children, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Perhaps you need to find a quiet corner to feed them, or maybe it takes forever to get them to fall asleep, only to have them wake 30 minutes later.
For your information, FOMO stands for Fear of Missing Out. And having a child like this can result in sleep difficulties. Your child's temperament could be affecting the success of sleep training.
Does this sound like your child?
- Needs your support to soothe
- Wants your engagement
- Prefers bouncing to gentle swaying
- Generally not a great sleeper
- Appears wide eyed or distracted
You may have one of those babies who is alert, active, perceptive, and persistent. That’s great news for the future success. . . but for right now, children with an alert temperament can be more difficult to sleep train, and more challenging to parent in general.
You may have heard of Dr. Thomas Boyce’s research of children and how he metaphorically distinguishes biologically differences by comparing a dandelion (grows easily in all kinds of environments) to an orchid(mores sensitive to surroundings).
So before you land on a sleep training method, ask yourself, “Is my child a dandelion or an orchid?”
IDEA:
Temperament impacts sleep! Consider your child’s temperament and your expectations of sleep training.
If your child is more like an orchid, they may experience:
More obstacles on the way to sleep
Don’t feel or recognize when they are tired
Don’t show sleepy cues
More sensitive to sensory experiences
Difficulty disconnecting from their surroundings
RESOURCE:
Check out this podcast-
https://draliza.com/podcast/s3-ep-30-understanding-temperament-will-change-the-way-you-parent/
Here’s a blog by Kim West on baby sleep and temperament.
http://sleeplady.com/baby-sleep/baby-sleep-and-temperament/
TIP:
Consider the Gentle Sleep Coaching approach!
Write notes of what has not worked in the past. Consider if there is anything that has helped your child sleep better?
Rule out medical and physiological reasons for sleep problems.
Watch wake windows rather than sleepy cues (since sleepy cues are nearly invisible for these kinds of kids)
Parents of these alert (sometimes labeled as ‘difficult’ babies) are understandably depleted and frustrated. While their friends recount how easy it was to sleep train their child in a matter of days, they’re still struggling to get a solid chunk of sleep.
The great news is Gentle Sleep Coaches have helped thousands of families get the rest they need. Not only to they help alert babies learn to put themselves to sleep, they help parents learn to work with and empower their child.
Although it might be harder to get your child sleep through the night, these incredible character traits will serve them well later. Remember that these children are highly engaged, persistent and have a great ability to take in information.