Is My Child Overtired?

Wake up! Your kids are tired. More and more often, bedtime is a battle that parents just don't have the energy to fight. With the demands of juggling work, running a household, and raising kids, it is easy for parents to be lax about their children's sleep habits. They may not realize that fatigue is the number-one cause of health and behavioral problems, and it is frequently overlooked. If you find that your kids are often cranky, hyperactive, or prone to headaches and growing pains, these are red flags that they may be overtired. Describing the unique sleep requirements for every stage of a child's development from infancy through adolescence, Is My Child Overtired? is a proactive child-rearing plan that encourages parents to establish and stick to a sleep routine for the whole family. Pediatrician Will Wilkoff, M.D., explains how to recognize the signs of fatigue and gives you specific guidelines to determine how much sleep a child really needs (you'll be surprised -- they need a lot more than you think). Combining practical wisdom with a voice you can trust, Is My Child Overtired? discusses:

• Getting off on the right foot with your new baby
• Helping your child to sleep through the night
• Crafting a relaxing and reliable bedtime ritual
• Adding daytime siestas when nighttime sleep isn't enough
• Finding ways to maintain bedtimes on weekdays, on weekends, and even during school vacations and family trips Simply put, when your kids sleep more, they'll feel better. And so will you.

Will Wilkoff, M.D., has "cured" hundreds of children by prescribing better sleep habits. A pediatrician for twenty-five years and the author of Coping with a Picky Eater (Fireside, 1998), Dr. Wilkoff lives and practices in Brunswick, Maine.

Introduction 1 How Can I Tell If My Child Is Well Rested? 2 The Solution Can Begin Before Your Baby Is Born 3 The First Six Weeks 4 Making It Work 5 Your Well-Rested Baby Is Growing Up 6 Sick and Tired or Just Plain Tired? 7 Bumps in the Night 8 Keeping the Sleep Train on the Tracks 9 The More the Wearier 10 Fatigue and Your School-Aged Child 11 Tired Teenagers 12 It Takes a Well-Rested Parent to Raise a Well-Rested Child 13 Your Last Chance 14 No One Ever Promised You It Was Going to Be Easy Index