Sleep Problems in Two-Year-Olds

The parents of children aged between 18 and 32 months attending a south-west London general practice were asked to complete a questionnaire and diary about their child's sleep behaviour. Of the 142 parents approached, 116 (82%) responded and 99 completed both the sleep diary and questionnaire. One-quarter of the respondents were found to be troubled by their child's sleeping patterns. Analysis showed that the children of these parents had more disturbed sleeping-waking rhythms, and slept less time both during the day and night compared with the children of parents who had no complaints about the child's sleeping pattern. No demographic or social factors were found to be associated with disturbed sleep patterns. However, children with sleep problems were less often given an attachment object at bedtime, less often cuddled on waking at night and more often taken into their parents' bed than other children. These findings raise the possibility that modification of the way parents handle the child with sleep problems might effect an improvement in the child's sleep.