Is Sleep as Important as Diet?

I’m sure you can guess what my answer is to this question, since I am, after all, a pediatric sleep consultant. I tend to put a high priority on sleep and am justifiably passionate about its benefits for babies.

But is my passion for sleep clouding my view on this matter, or is there evidence to support my position? Oh, I am SO glad you asked.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m a firm believer that feeding our kids a healthy, balanced, varied diet is essential to their well-being. I might even go so far as to say that it’s the single most important factor when it comes to our children’s health.

But sleep, if not equally as important, is a very close contender.

Childhood obesity is a huge public health issue, and kids who are obese grow into obese adults, and I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about the myriad health issues that come along with obesity. (But just in case you’re not familiar, they include diabetes, heart disease, cancer, osteoarthritis, and joint inflammation, just to name a few.)

But what does sleep have to do with obesity?

A 2008 study by the National Institute of Health looked at the average number of daily hours of sleep that kids between 6 months and two years old were getting, and then compared those results with their occurrences of obesity. The children who got an average of less than 12 hours of sleep a day were over twice as likely to be obese than those who slept for 12 or more. A much larger study done in the UK showed similar results.

With all of the health issues, as well as the general quality of life concerns that come along with obesity, it seems to me that sleep should be a major concern for parents.

However, every day I hear people advising new parents with what I’m sure is meant to be reassuring rhetoric, but I must admit, given the evidence, I find it really upsetting.

“Babies sleep when they want to sleep. Don’t force it.”
“Not sleeping is totally normal for a baby.”
“Just follow your baby’s lead. They know how much sleep they need.”

Can you imagine this same kind of talk if it was concerning baby’s diet? “Babies know what’s healthy to eat. Just follow their lead.”
“Eating chocolate is totally normal for babies.”
“Kids will eat when they’re ready. You shouldn’t schedule mealtimes.”

If you heard those words coming out of anybody’s mouth, you would immediately qualify them as a lunatic, and you certainly wouldn’t listen to their advice on your kids.

As parents, we all obviously want our kids to live healthy, active lives, and we want to give them every advantage to ensure they get a good start. Making sure they get enough sleep, and teaching them solid sleep skills, will go a long way to promoting their overall health down the road.

A sleep “prop” is anything used to help your infant, baby, or toddler fall asleep. There are two categories of sleep props – the kind the child controls, and the kind parents provide for the child. You guessed it, the most positive sleep props are those which build your child’s self-confidence from an early age – the ones they have control over.

Using Sleep Props for Newborns

For newborns, almost every sleep prop is good. Skin-to-skin contact, feeding, rocking, holding, swaddling, and using a pacifier are examples of positive types of sleep props. Having your newborn in a separate sleep space near your bed can be great as well.

Bed sharing is not recommended because I advocate for not only a restful night sleep for your infant, but also a safe sleeping experience.

Sleep Props for Babies 4-17 Months

Examples of good sleep props for babies (4-17 months) are: a sleep sack, a white noise machine, sucking on their fingers, rolling, and complete darkness.

When considering negative sleep props, my list includes anything requiring you – the parent – to do for or with them. Some examples of sleep props to not integrate into your baby’s sleep routine include: a pacifier you have to repeatedly put back in your baby’s mouth, or any kind of patting, rubbing, or rocking you believe your baby needs to fall asleep.

Sleep Prop Integration for Toddlers

Once your baby progresses to being a toddler, a whole new world of sleep props become available as selected or preferred by your child. Some of my favorite positive sleep props include: a blanket, 1-2 special “loveys”, mom or dad’s t-shirt on their pillow, and white noise.

The most commonly misused sleep prop for toddlers is when he wants to have mom or dad lay with him or wants to sleep in their bed.

Overall, when properly used, sleep props can have a very positive effect on your infant, baby, or toddler’s sleep. Safety is always the number one priority, then considering building independence in your child from an early age (after 4 months) of having some level of control over their sleep props.

If you’re struggling with selecting and utilizing the proper sleep props for your child, or finding yourself beholden to negative sleep prop routines, I’d be thrilled to work with you on building the positive sleep habits for your child utilizing our age-appropriate Sleep Packages.

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