Behaviours Page

Bedwetting:
Why it happens: It is perfectly normal for your newly potty-trained toddler to wet the bed at night. Your two- to four-year-old's bladder still may be too small to hold in a night's worth of urine, and he/she hasn't yet learned to wake up and head to the bathroom when his/her bladder feels full. Almost half of all three-year-olds still wet the bed. Most child development experts consider bedwetting normal until about the age of five or six, when only 12 percent of kids still wet the bed.

What you can do about it: Don't scold or embarrass your child. Calmly change the bedding and his/her pajamas. Or let him/her wear absorbent or disposable training pants to bed. If your child still isn't staying dry at night six months after he's mastered daytime toilet training or by the time he is five years old, consult your pediatrician.

Changing Sleeping Patterns:
Why it happens: Your baby's sleep pattern is unique, determined as much by his/her temperament and stage of development as by his/her environment. In general, though, it takes about six weeks before a newborn starts to sleep longer during the night than the day. Until then you should expect your baby to sleep in blocks of two to four hours around the clock. From six months on, he/she should start staying up longer and longer during the day�extending his/her periods of wakefulness from four to eight hours. By his/her third or fourth birthday, he/she'll probably have given up daytime naps altogether.

What you can do about it: As your baby grows, it's normal for his/her sleep patterns to change. The best way to make sure he/she's getting the best sleep possible is to start establishing healthy sleep habits early on.

Head Banging:
Why it happens: Head banging and body rocking are normal behaviors in children under the age of three, who seem to find the rhythmic back-and-forth movements a soothing way to fall asleep. Head banging can start as early as four months or as late as the second year and can last for several months. Some babies bang their foreheads or the back of their heads against the crib's headboard, while others are partial to the crib railings.
Head banging can also soothe a child in pain. Infants and toddlers are more likely to bang their head when they're teething or suffering from an ear infection. Head banging apparently helps them feel better, perhaps by distracting them from the discomfort in their mouth or ear.

What you can do about it: While it may look painful, your child won't get hurt head banging himself to sleep. Head banging in babies and young toddlers is generally not a sign of any behavioral or emotional problem, and you don't need to take any precautionary steps for your baby's sake. Some parents find that their child will stop if they put a ticking metronome in their child's bedroom; the rhythmic sound seems to soothe and distract them from their head banging behavior. If the sound of your child's head banging bothers you, try moving the crib away from the wall, or putting him to sleep on a mattress on the floor.
If your child's head banging starts after 18 months or the behavior continues into the third or fourth year, talk to your pediatrician. Strong head banging that lasts longer than ten to 15 minutes and recurs throughout the night may be a sign of emotional problems.

Nightmares:
Why they happen: If your child wakes up crying and fearful and has trouble falling back to sleep, chances are he/she's had a nightmare. These scary episodes usually occur during the second half of the night when your child's dreaming is most intense. Nightmares can be caused by reading a disturbing story or watching a frightening movie before bed, not getting enough sleep, or too much stress during the day. The experts don't know for sure if children under the age of two can have nightmares; they are most often seen in preschoolers.

What you can do about it: Respond quickly when your child cries out. Hold him/her and talk to your child about the dream, and stay with him/her until he/she calms down. Saying "it's only a dream" won't mean anything to a child younger than two, because they don't understand the difference between reality and dreams. Show himher that there are no monsters under the bed or hiding in the closet. Try reading bedtime books that discuss dreams and sleeping such as Maurice Sendak's "In the Night Kitchen" or Russell Hoban's "Bedtime for Frances." If your child's nightmares persist and he/she is extremely afraid of going to bed, talk to your pediatrician. His/her nighttime fears could be symptom of an emotional problem.

Pacifiers and Bottles:
Why it happens: Giving your baby a bottle of milk or formula in his crib is an easy but ill-advised way to get him/her to sleep. Not only will he come to expect more bottles at night and depend on them to get to sleep, but leaving a bottle in your sleeping infant's mouth can cause tooth decay. There's nothing wrong with using a pacifier to help your baby get to sleep; it's often the only way to soothe an inconsolable child. But you don't want your baby to become too dependent on his binky; babies who use pacifiers may take longer to sleep through the night. Part of developing healthy sleep habits is teaching your child to fall asleep on his own.

What you can do about it: You can break your child's association between the bottle and bedtime by slowly decreasing and then stopping nighttime feedings. Start by cutting the amount of milk in the bottle by an ounce or two each feeding. Continue reducing the amount of milk or formula by one ounce over the next week. At the same time, increase the amount of time between feedings by 30 minutes. Your baby will probably cry when you don't immediately respond to his demands, but consistency and firmness are the keys to success.
If you think your child has become too dependent on a pacifier, begin to cut back on daytime pacifier use. When you first start withholding the pacifier, your child will probably protest. Try diverting his attention with a new toy or activity. Once he gets used to not having a pacifier during the day, he'll eventually give it up at night.

Teeth grinding:
Why it happens: Teeth-grinding, technically known as bruxism, is a common nighttime habit in many babies. About 50 percent of all children will grind their teeth before their first birthday. This behavior usually starts around 10 months, when your child's front teeth two on the top and two on the bottom have come in. Some babies grind their teeth all night long, while others do it off and on.

What you can do about it: Some babies will stop grinding their teeth if they sleep on their side. If that doesn't work, don't worry. The sound may be nerve-racking for you, but the grinding won't hurt your child's teeth and he'll outgrow this habit eventually. A low-key approach is best; making a big deal out of the behavior may only encourage your child to continue the grinding.

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