Sleep comfort habits and aids
What is a comfort habit?
A comfort habit is something that literally helps to soothe and relax your child. It can be anything from a dummy to a beloved toy, your child's own thumb or a blanket.
Some people believe that comfort habits have noteworthy benefits. Not only can they help children fall asleep; they can also help them through a traumatic experience and provide reassurance and - as the name suggests - comfort.
Pacifiers
Since their invention, opinion has always been split over whether pacifiers - or dummies - are a good idea. Some people object to them as they fear children can become overly reliant on them. It's also thought they can be unhygenic.
Occasionally, dummies can cause dermatitis around the mouth and, although they can help a child fall asleep, if a child becomes too reliant on a dummy he could wake up whenever it falls out during this sleep.
There is also a school of thought that maintains that dummies can damage children's teeth, although it's generally thought that if a dummy isn't used past their toddler years the risks are fairly minimal.
There is a view that dummies can put babies off breast feeding. If a baby is given a dummy when newborn, so the thinking goes, they would rather suckle on that than feed from their mum. Although there's no evidence to prove this, it's probably wise to wait until you've established a breastfeeding routine before giving your baby a dummy, just in case.
In the short-term, dummies aren't likely to cause any harm. Indeed, not only can they help to soothe and comfort a crying baby or young child; as they can help a child to go to sleep a bedtime routine might be more readily established.
Having said that, it's probably advisable to try to stop your child using a dummy by the age of three. They will no doubt go through a period of missing the dummy and pining after it, but this will happen at whatever stage you wean your child off it.
Thumb/finger sucking
Another comfort habit popular with young children is thumb or finger sucking. It can also have benefits such as helping a child get to sleep at night. Indeed, many children find it hard to fall asleep without sucking their thumb. This comfort habit is usually associated with babies and toddlers, although some children do continue the habit into their teenage years. As with other comfort habits such as dummies or blankets, thumb sucking isn't indicative of a problem; it doesn't mean your child is traumatised in any way and should not therefore be a cause for concern.
There are those who believe that thumb sucking isn't a good idea. Prolonged use might have an adverse effect on the development of a child's teeth, pushing them forwards. However, a child's milk teeth will be replaced at the age of five or six; so if a child sucks his thumb in the early years it isn't likely to cause him any long-term damage.
If, however, a child continues to suck his thumb on a regular basis after his adult teeth have come in, there is a chance that it could cause the teeth to become bucked. Therefore, it is advisable that a child is discouraged from thumb or finger sucking after the age of six. It's likely, anyway, that your child will grow out of this habit once he goes to school, especially if his friends aren't fellow thumb suckers.
Blankets and cuddly toys
Other popular comfort habits include a favourite toy or blanket. And teddies aren't necessarily reserved for children… hands up all those proud owners of well-loved teddies which are falling apart at the seams and still live in bed with them?
Young children are often inseparable from their teddies and insist on taking them everywhere. A teddy bear can act as a constant in a child's life - a faithful friend that is cuddly and familiar and doesn't answer back! Unlike dummies or thumb sucking, cuddly toys and blankets are pretty harmless as they won't affect the development of your child's teeth in any way. Having comfort habits such as these - far from being an indicator that your child is lacking in anything - might actually help to promote your child's confidence and happiness, providing your child with a certain stability. Obviously, you don't want your child to be taking his favourite cuddly bunny off to university with him, but in those early, formative years, comfort habits - particularly of the teddy or blanket variety - aren't likely to do your child any lasting damage. If your child is happy, then you should be too.
How do I wean my child off his favourite comfort habit?
If your child has reached the age of three or four and you're trying to wean him off a comfort habit, there are a few tried and tested methods which might help:
• Reward charts. You could suggest to your child that for every night he sleeps without his dummy, for example, he gets a star or smiley face on his chart
• If your child is missing his favourite blanket or the comfort of sucking his thumb, give him lots of cuddles and affection.
• It's not a good idea to promise to buy him toys or presents as you don't want to resort to bribery. However, not everything costs money. Promise a trip to the playground or outing to the local pool.
The benefits of sleep aids:
In an ideal world, your child would go to sleep on his own. The reality, however, is that many children need a bit of help. One very popular sleep aid is a night light. These provide reassurance to children as they give off a nice warm glow which can help a child to get to sleep in the first place, and if the child does wake up in the night he's likely to feel far happier if the room isn't pitch-black.
Teddies and cuddly toys can also be considered sleep aids as they do just that - help the child get to sleep. As with comfort habits, don't worry that there's anything abnormal with your child's behaviour if he needs these - on the contrary, it's perfectly natural and healthy.
Other sleep aids include musical mobiles, which young children often find soothing and therapeutic. The colours and musical nature of mobiles can help to lull children to sleep and act in much the same way as a lullaby. Although sleep aids won't be effective for every child, they might really benefit some children, if your child is having difficulties getting to sleep at night, it might be worth considering investing in a night light or musical mobile. Anything that serves to calm your child down and help him (and you!) to have a peaceful night's sleep shouldn't be sniffed at!
How to create a relaxing environment for your child:
When attempting to establish a bedtime routine, it's worth giving some thought to how you can create a soothing, calming environment for your child so that he's in the right frame of mind to go to sleep - and stay asleep!
Try to eliminate anything that might make him hyper in the run-up to bedtime. Letting your child watch television or play a computer game just before bed is not a good idea. Aside from making him over-excited, it might even mean that his sleep patterns are disrupted and he could experience nightmares. At this age it's inadvisable to have a computer or television in your child's room as it encourages anti-social behaviour; watching the television and playing computer games should be closely monitored until your child reaches adulthood.
It's a much better idea to read your child a nice relaxing bedtime story; not only is he more likely to have a peaceful night's sleep, but it's a great chance for the two of you to spend quality time together. Another option is to listen to some nice, calming music for you both; some classical music or perhaps a lullaby. Remember that your main aim is to ensure that your baby is relaxed and calm before bed, so that, with luck, all the family will get a good night's rest.
The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.