About this topic

Sleep is important to keep your child healthy. And when they don’t feel well, you may notice they sleep more or wake more often. While your child sleeps, their body works to heal.

General

Here are some tips to help your child get rest while they are sick:

• Let your child sleep as much as they want. Your child may be ready to go to bed earlier, may take a longer nap, or sleep later when they are sick.

• Your child may need more time being held, comforted, or rocked when they are sick, and this is normal.

• Your older child may not want to sleep in bed but want to sleep on the couch. Never sleep on the couch with your baby.

• Your child may not sleep in long stretches of time. Your child may wake up more often. If your child normally sleeps all night, they may wake up because their nose is stuffy or they have a dirty diaper.

• Sleep training may need to be paused. If you are helping your child learn to fall asleep by themselves or to not need a bottle to go to sleep, you may have to go back to these habits for a short time. Be sure to only do this for a short time while your child is sick, and then start your sleep training again.

• Instead of bringing your sick child to your bed, go to their room. Let your child sleep in their crib or bed and you sleep nearby on a couch or air mattress in case they need you. You can also use a monitor to watch or listen to your child when they sleep.

Try not to worry about how much sleep your child gets while they are sick. Things will get back to normal when they feel better. As your child starts to feel better, try to get back to your regular schedule for sleep and naps. You may need to start sleep training again to help your child learn to fall asleep on their own. Here are some tips on sleep training:

Limit-setting problems: These happen when your child refuses to go to bed, stalls, or does not want you to leave their bedside. This can happen at naptime, bedtime, or in the middle of the night. It can be hard to tell what problem is a real need and when they just do not want to go to sleep.

• Let your child know the rules. Some families have rules like, "Children may only get up to go to the bathroom" or "Only 1 drink of water after going to bed."

• Be firm and consistent. If you give in, it only encourages and rewards the bad behavior.

• Ignore verbal requests. If your child starts to scream, close their bedroom door. Let your child know you will open it again when the screams have stopped.

• If your child leaves the bedroom, calmly walk or send them back to their room. Do not offer extra drinks of water or extra hugs and kisses. Remind your child of the rules and close the door. Tell your child you will open it when they are in bed.

• Once you start to enforce the rules, don't change them.

Night waking: All children wake a few times during the night. This only becomes a problem if they need a parent or someone to help them go back to sleep.

• Start early to help your baby learn to soothe themselves and fall asleep on their own. Teach older children how to pull up their own covers.

• Remove toys that may distract your child. Keep the lights off or just have a night light on. Think about if your child needs music to fall asleep at bedtime. They may also need you to turn the music on in the middle of the night.

• Offer your child something to make them feel safe. A special blanket, stuffed animal, or other soft item may help them.

Bed sharing: Your child may want to sleep with you or to have you lie down with them. Let your child know that everyone has their own place to sleep and you will no longer share yours.

• Sit in a chair or on the floor near your child for a few nights.

• Each night, move a little farther away from the bed. Move to the door, then the hall, and eventually back to your own room.

• If your child gets up and comes to your bed, walk them back to their own bed, quietly and without emotion, every time.

• Know that your child may scream or cry and resist going back to bed. It is OK to carry them back to their bed. The most important thing is for you to do this each night.

• You may need to close their door or lock your door for a few nights.

• Be consistent and your child will learn the new rules.

When do I need to call the doctor?

• If you are concerned about the length of time your child sleeps

• Your child:

  • Becomes irritable and cannot be soothed

  • Becomes hard to wake from sleep

  • Does not want to eat or drink

  • Cries more than usual

  • Has trouble breathing