Ask any parent what they want for their children and it invariably comes back to something along the lines of “health and happiness“. Although the health that often comes to mind usually relates to physical health, we are beginning to understand more about mental health. When we talk about the health of our children, weContinue reading “Children Sleep and Mental Health”
Category Archives: Sleep
Sleep Helps Children Perform Better
We go on and on about how sleep deprivation is bad for our kids… Well, here’s a terrific video that explains more about the effects of sleep deprivation and the harm it causes: Notes from the video: sleep deprivation can cause hormonal imbalance, illness, and even death sleeplessness is also linked to inflammation, hallucinations, high blood pressure,Continue reading “Sleep Helps Children Perform Better”
A Call to End Early Starts in Education
We all know about the damaging effects of losing sleep. Some of us have also acknowledged how devastating it can be on our adolescents who have altered circadian rhythms that affect their ability to fall asleep early enough to accommodate the early school starting times. Yet, despite knowing all this, nothing much is happening on the frontContinue reading “A Call to End Early Starts in Education”
The Dark Side of Smart Devices
I love technology, I love my smart phone, and I love my computer. In fact, I’m probably more addicted to them than my boys are. And while I love all my smart devices and think they are the best inventions since sliced bread, I do agree that we need to find an optimal balance in the useContinue reading “The Dark Side of Smart Devices”
How to Maximise Your Child’s Learning Potential
When I was growing up, there were a lot of things we didn’t know about the brain and how it functioned. In fact, we knew so little about it that we often did a lot of things that negatively impacted our learning. For instance, pulling all-nighters before an exam was a norm, perhaps even expected ifContinue reading “How to Maximise Your Child’s Learning Potential”
Adolescents and Sleep Deprivation: AAP Recommends Delaying School Starting Time
This is a topic that has been bugging me ever since I read the chapter in Nurture Shock on The Lost Hour – schools are starting too early and our teenagers are not getting enough sleep. Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a new policy statement recommending that middle and high schools delay the start ofContinue reading “Adolescents and Sleep Deprivation: AAP Recommends Delaying School Starting Time”
Children and Sleep: If They Don’t Snooze, They Lose…
If your child isn’t getting enough sleep, his performance in school drops. Well that’s obvious. But what may not be obvious is how significantly it impacts your child if he misses just one hour of sleep a night. “A sleep deprivation study on a group of elementary students revealed that sixth graders, missing one hourContinue reading “Children and Sleep: If They Don’t Snooze, They Lose…”
Forge of Honor – Fighting Bedtime Monsters in the Name of Imaginative Play
When I was little, I would pretend I had an imaginary friend under my bed to keep me company at night because I was afraid of the dark. When I grew older, the fear of the dark became the fear of the boogie man who would come through the windows and kidnap little children fromContinue reading “Forge of Honor – Fighting Bedtime Monsters in the Name of Imaginative Play”
Night-time Sleep is More Important than Day-time Napping
As a parent, we all know that sleep is important for brain development. Even missing out on one hour of sleep a day cumulatively can have a negative impact on children right up until adulthood. Unfortunately, getting young children to sleep has always been a battle of wills and so it has been for us…Continue reading “Night-time Sleep is More Important than Day-time Napping”
Toddler Development: Moving the Toddler into His Own Bed
With Gavin having rolled off the bed three times already and Gareth starting to gain more movement, I have been pondering over new sleeping arrangements that would keep everyone safe and happy. Then we stumbled upon the solution by accident… Recently, hubby and I were at Robinson’s looking for Chinese New Year clothes for theContinue reading “Toddler Development: Moving the Toddler into His Own Bed”
Nurture for the Future 