Nosebleed or epistaxis happens when the blood vessels or capillaries inside the nose rupture. In children, nosebleeds generally occur in the front area of the nose, which consists of many tiny blood vessels. Recurrent nosebleeds are common in children, however, parents might be worried as they can be dramatic and seem like the child is losing a lot of blood.

Nosebleeds are rarely serious in children. However, if your child experiences nosebleeds repeatedly or the nose bleeding worsens, you may have to seek your doctor’s advice.

Read this post to learn the causes of nosebleeds in children and the first aid and treatment options you could consider.

Types Of Nosebleeds

There are two types of nosebleeds: anterior nosebleeds and posterior nosebleeds.

• Anterior nosebleeds: These are common in children and occur from the front of the nose.
• Posterior nosebleeds: These occur from deep inside the nose, and the blood usually flows down to the back of the throat. Posterior nosebleeds are rarely seen in children and might occur due to an underlying condition or an injury.

Causes For Nosebleeds In Children

In the majority of cases, the reasons for nosebleeds in children are benign and self-limiting. Anterior nosebleeds are common in children and could be caused by any of the following reasons.

• Nose-picking. This is a common habit in children and is often done to remove an uncomfortable sensation in the nose. However, sometimes, it becomes a habit, and children might pick their noses unconsciously. Picking the nose can scratch the inner surface of the nose, causing it to bleed (1).
• Dry climate. You might notice frequent nosebleeds in children during the winters. The dry weather causes the insides of the nose to dry, crack, and crust, resulting in bleeding (2).
• Nosebleeds could also be a side effect of using nasal sprays or cold and allergy medicines (3).
• Physical trauma. Nosebleeds can also happen in children when they suffer from an injury or a broken nose.
• Infections and allergies. Infections such as the common cold and allergies due to dust mite or hay fever can also cause nosebleeds in children.

Posterior nosebleed

Nosebleeds from the posterior part of the nose can be a symptom of bleeding disorders, tumors, or sinuses (4).

If your child experiences repeated nosebleeds and the reasons mentioned above are ruled out, the problem could be deeper and might require prompt medical attention.

Are Recurring Nosebleeds In Kids A Problem?

A cross-sectional study of 1,218 children aged 11–14 years suggests that about 9% of children experience recurrent nosebleeds, with most of them outgrowing the condition as they age (5). If your child experiences repeated nosebleeds, it can irritate the lining of the nose and rupture the blood vessels, resulting in further nosebleeds even from a slight action or trauma.

Symptoms Of Nosebleeds In Children

The primary symptom of a nose bleed is blood dripping from the nostrils. When the blood drips from the anterior part of the nose, it usually starts from one nostril. However, in posterior nosebleeds, the blood is likely to drip from both nostrils. In both cases, the bleeding is usually painless. However, if the bleeding is due to an injury, your child is likely to experience pain (6).

Diagnosis Of Nosebleeds

Your doctor will do a physical examination of your child’s nose to determine if there is an injury. The doctor may also ask you the child’s medical history and any other symptoms your child might have.

How To Stop Nosebleeds In A Child?

It could be alarming to see blood dripping from your child’s nose. However, you can make it stop with some simple steps.

• Ask your child to stay calm and reassure them it is going to be ok.
• Make your child sit on a chair with their head tilted slightly forward. Do not let them tilt their head back or lie flat, as the blood might flow into the throat and cause gagging.
• Gently pinch the soft part of the nose with a tissue and hold it for ten minutes. You can also place ice on the bridge of the nose.
• Once the bleeding subsides, ask your child to relax and not blow, pick, or rub their nose.

Treatment For Nosebleeds In Children

First aid may stop the nosebleed for the time being, but the nosebleed may occur again if the underlying cause is not treated. The treatment for nosebleeds depends on the cause. These tips can also help prevent nosebleeds in children.

• If your child’s nosebleed is due to nose-picking, keep your child’s fingernails short to prevent them from injuring the insides of their nose. If your child is younger, place mittens on their hands to discourage them from nose-picking.
• Use saline drops or lubricating nasal gels to prevent your child’s nose from getting dry.
• Talk to your pediatrician about the usage of nasal sprays and limit their use as much as possible.
• Make sure your child uses protective gear while playing sports to protect the nose from getting injured.

Risks And Complications Of Nosebleeds in Children

While nosebleeds may seem like a serious issue, they rarely cause complications. However, posterior nosebleeds could be due to an underlying medical condition, such as a tumor or a sinus, and may cause additional complications (4).

Children who have allergies, a deviated septum, or those who live in dry and warm climates are at a higher risk of developing nosebleeds (7).

When To Call The Doctor?

Call your healthcare provider if:

• You are unable to stop the nosebleed using the tips mentioned above.
• There is an injury on the face or head.
• There is heavy bleeding.
• A foreign object is stuck in your child’s nose.
• Your child feels weak, faints, or has trouble breathing.
• The nosebleeds happen frequently (more than once a week).

Nosebleeds can be scary, but often, they are normal and can be contained by following a few simple steps. However, it is important to understand the reason behind the nosebleed in your child so that you can prevent it from happening again. Also, if your child shows other symptoms, it is best to talk to your pediatrician.

References:

The post What Causes Nosebleeds In Children And How To Stop Them? appeared first on Parenting Boss.

With five minutes to go before Liz Brenner’s* six-year-old son, Nate,* had to leave for school, he seemed on the verge of a full-blown tantrum. “He was frustrated about the way his sock seam felt inside his boot—it’s always something sensory, which he has traditionally struggled with,” recalls Brenner. Nate got panicky and started stomping around, even stepping on his mom’s bare foot. After Brenner said “Ow!” to the stomped-on foot, a sudden shift happened: Nate looked up at her and pulled himself together.

“I watched him calm down, recover, shake the tantrum out, and then he came over, said ‘Sorry,’ and gave me a hug—all unprompted. And I remember it distinctly because it felt like a turning point. He definitely wouldn’t have been able to calm down on his own six months ago.”

What Brenner witnessed was a combination of self-regulation and the ability to see something from another person’s perspective. Psychologists call this “theory of mind,” and Nate was just at the age when these two things start to spark in kids’ brains.

Brain development in kids under six is an intense process. “From age zero to two, the brain is making a million new neural connections a second,” says Vanessa Lapointe, a Vancouver-based psychologist and author of Parenting Right from the Start. Things like language, gross and fine motor skills, cognition and emotional intelligence are all developing alongside each other and at differing rates. And it goes beyond the leaps in the popular Wonder Weeks app and book you may have consulted when your kid was a baby. The brain continues to overpopulate itself with neurons and neural connections throughout childhood, through the teen years and into adulthood, but it’s “most prolific” for the first six to eight years of life, says Lapointe.

Parents will often report that when their kid is having a burst or progressing in one area, like language, for example, they will become suddenly clumsy, have a really short fuse or experience disrupted sleep. “That’s because of a hyper overdevelopment of neural connections. It causes a muddiness between the neural connections, and that’s where you get that spillover effect,” says Lapointe.

The development of a newborn’s brain into an adult brain—and transforming from an impulsive little kid into a reasonable, mostly rational human—is by no means a smooth process and there will be plenty of meltdowns along the way. But you can take heart in knowing that these growth spurts of the brain will make them more regulated, happier, easier-to-deal-with humans. You just need to get through them first. Here are three major shifts to watch for as your kid grows. 

Managing emotions (age 3 to 7)

A lot of what we eventually expect from kids—the ability to share, do chores, handle disappointment and make compromises—comes from the prefrontal cortex, the last area of the brain to develop. “The brain grows from bottom up,” says Lapointe. The first area of development is the emotional foundation of the brain, called the limbic system, which starts developing at birth. When kids hit the three-to-five-year age range, other layers of the brain start to develop, progressing to the prefrontal cortex, which houses the executive functioning system. Around this age, parents may notice small signs of reasoning and regulation. “We’re starting to see a little bit of sparkiness, but still a complete inability to manage things independently. They are still going to struggle with everyday things, on the regular,” says Lapointe.

Then, somewhere in the five-to-seven-year age range, connections really start to form in the prefrontal cortex region and kids are able to problem-solve and self-regulate. “Instead of having a meltdown, hitting my brother in the face or stealing the toy from my friend, we’re going to think through this and use some logic and some delayed gratification,” Lapointe explains.

It’s not like a light that switches on and stays on, though. Sometimes kids will be able to handle some distress one day, whereas the same situation will send them over the edge the next.

Psychologist Kofi Belfon, associate director of clinical services at the Child Development Institute in Toronto, points out that this is not dissimilar from an adult who has a bad day. “For example, if I had a wonderful day at work and I’m walking in the house and I trip through all the kids’ bags and shoes and all kinds of stuff, I’m much better able to manage that in a regulated way than if I had a crappy day at work. My ability to manage my emotions in that moment was stretched.” The same goes for our kids, he says, adding that whenever we have a behavioural expectation on our kid, we should make sure it’s appropriate for the age they’re at and the situation at hand.

Sharing and empathizing (age 3 to 5)

Have you ever arrived at daycare pickup only to see your kid turn into an unrecognizable wrangy terror? Inevitably, as you stare in bewilderment, the teacher will assure you they were not like this all day long.

What’s going on here, explains Lapointe, is the child’s inability to hold two thoughts in their mind at once. On the one hand, you are their caregiver. On the other hand, so is the daycare teacher. “When they’ve been with the daycare person all day, they know, ‘That’s my person.’ Then their parent walks in the door and now they have to traverse this grey zone.” They’re pulled in two directions and unable to control their emotions, explains Lapointe. “The more intense your child is, the bigger their ‘blah’ at daycare pickup.”

This concept can also impact a kid’s ability to share. “If a child is only able to hold one significant idea in mind at a time, 99.9 percent of the time, that idea is going to be one that’s egocentric. The idea that they are going to hold in mind is the idea that serves them,” says Lapointe. Being self-centred as a toddler is essentially a survival method. It’s not until age five, six or even seven that kids are able to hold on to two ideas at once: for example, the idea that they really want to play with a toy, because it’s their favourite, and the second idea, that if they don’t give their friend a turn, the friend will be sad. “When you can have both those ideas in your mind’s eye at the same time, then you can make a ‘good choice,’” says Lapointe.

Things like sharing also involve the ability to see someone else’s point of view. This is the “theory of mind” concept again. It’s also what allowed Brenner’s son to understand that stepping on her foot hurt her—even if stomping around was making him feel better and providing an emotional release.

“You can weigh out what’s going on and take the perspective of the other person,” explains Lapointe. “You can say, ‘You’re going to have a turn for five minutes, then I’m going to have five minutes.’” But it’s not until age five to seven that kids can really do this. And keep in mind that kids who are tired, hungry or coping with a lot of stressors or things on their mind are not going to be able to see both points of view. “They’ll revert to one or the other, and it will almost always be the egocentric option,” says Lapointe.

Growing up too fast (age 7 to 9)

When kids hit the school-aged years, their worlds suddenly open up beyond the cozy comforts of their homes and primary caregivers. “They become a little too smart, a little too quickly,” says Lapointe.

Children this age are old enough to cognitively understand that there are other forces at work in the world that could disrupt their sense of peace or stability—like their parents could separate or a family member could get in a car accident—but they are not old enough to see the bigger picture and understand that there are systems and other things in place that will provide control, says Lapointe. “It’s a bit of shaky ground to be on developmentally, because you are aware of things cognitively, but emotionally you haven’t developed the complexity of understanding.”

She adds this is why eight- and nine-year-olds seem so grown up some days but other days melt into a puddle over the slightest thing. “It’s like they were looking forward to those preteen years, and then all of a sudden they’re like, ‘Nope, I’m not doing it.’ And they throw the brakes on and slip. They become three and four years old, right before your eyes.”

During the pandemic especially, we’ve seen young kids adapting to new rules, social distancing recommendations, and daily routines, such as switching back and forth between in-person and virtual school—all very grown-up and disruptive things. So Lapointe recommends giving your kid the benefit of the doubt if they are suddenly or uncharacteristically acting like their younger selves: “You should still have rules and boundaries, but when you’re being firm and saying ‘Here’s the expectation,’ the key is to also have some heart and compassion. Match the level of firmness with a giant dose of kindness, so they feel understood rather than shamed.”

Belfon, the psychologist, adds that fear and anxiety are completely natural emotions we all face, and there’s no need to worry if your kid is expressing them. He says the takeaway should be, “As a kid, I might feel sad, but I can manage the sadness because everybody feels sad sometimes.” (If anxiety is interfering with their lives, then you should speak to their doctor.)

Brenner reports that in some moments, Nate’s self-regulation and self-sufficiency skills really shine through, but he’s still struggling at other times. Most days last winter he managed a full day of virtual school on Zoom, mastering grown-up tasks like the mute button and following along with online lessons and journal prompts. But on several occasions he “completely lost it” and dissolved into tears of frustration and lashed out, even during a simple art class YouTube draw-along activity.

“It can really be a roller coaster of emotions, which makes it hard for us, as parents, to constantly adapt and respond without always trying to ‘fix’ every problem or hiccup. But I am beginning to see these glimpses of maturity,” says Brenner.

Lapointe says these kinds of ups and downs, as kids work through all these intense feelings, are completely normal. It’s not always a straight, upward trend: Expect some zig-zags, especially during times of stress. “As parents, we want to make sure we give our kids the benefit of the doubt—they are trying their best.” 

*Names have been changed.

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A Valentine need not necessarily be a sweetheart or a crush. Children share precious bonds with parents, grandparents, siblings, and best buddies who can be their Valentine. Your little one can express their love for the people who are close to their hearts. Read through this post for some Valentine’s poems for kids and encourage them to share their feelings through sweet words.

21 Valentine Poem For Kids

Children express their emotions in various ways. Through these poems, some share their love and affection for the most important people in their lives.

1. Mom, You Are The Best

Mom, you are the best,
the sweetest there is around.
Whenever I am sad
you turn that frown upside down!

I love you so much
and just wanted to say
to my very first Valentine,
Happy Valentine’s Day!

2. Daddy, There’s No One Like You

Daddy, there’s no one like you
To put a smile on my face
Make me giggle oh so much
while you tickle me all over the place!

Daddy, you are so special to me.
I am a daddy’s girl; it’s true.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Nobody can ever replace you.

3. You Are My Grandparents

You are my grandparents
therefore I am blessed,
because you gave me parents
who are truly the best!

I love you guys with all my heart.
Happy Valentine’s Day,
I totally made you this card!

4. Happy Valentines For Friends

Valentine’s day is not only for lovebirds.
But for friends we love, too!
I would be a complete wreck each day
if it weren’t because of you!

Thank you, bestie,
for always being by my side
I love you always!
You are my bestie, Valentine!

5. It’s Valentine’s Day!

It’s Valentine’s Day!
You know what that means?
Hugs and kisses and lots of candy!
Exchange Valentine’s Day cards
In class at school
and getting many backs,
hey, that’s pretty cool!

It’s Valentine’s Day!
The day of love
because of that cupid guy
shooting arrows from above.
So let’s sit back and have fun.
While we smile and cheer

Happy Valentine’s Day!
The candy rush is near!

6. Favorite Valentine’s Day Things

Chocolates and flowers and butterfly kisses.
Hearts all around and lots of love wishes!

Who knew all the joy Valentine’s Day brings?
These are a few of my favorite things!

When the arrow strikes, you feel the love bite.
There’s no room to be mad!

I think of all of these Valentine’s Day things.
And I don’t ever feel bad!

7. I Love…

I love Daddy, my first Valentine.
I love Mommy because she made Daddy mine.
I love Brother because I’m supposed to.
I love Sister because she’s who I’m close to.
I love Grandma because she gives the best hugs.
I love Grandpa because he calls me bug!

8. Love To The Stars

What is Valentine’s Day?
There’s so much to say!
It is certainly a really happy day!

People show love.
People kiss and hug.
Cupid sent from up above!

We give gifts
but that’s not what it’s about.
It’s one nice bonus!

So never pout
if you don’t receive something
Because loved, you still are
Very much so

I love you to the stars!

9. Five Little Valentines

Five little Valentines were having a race.
The first little Valentine was frilly with lace.
The second little Valentine had a funny face.
The third little Valentine said, “I love you.”
The fourth little Valentine said, “I do too.”
The fifth little Valentine was sly as a fox.
He ran the fastest to the Valentine box.

10. To a Baby Boy

Who I am I shall not say,
But I send you this bouquet.
With this query, baby mine:
“Will you be my Valentine?”

See these roses blushing blue,
Very like your eyes of hue;
While these violets are the red
Of your cheeks. It can be said.
Ne’er before was babe like you.

And I think it is quite true.
No one e’er before to-day
Sent so wondrous a bouquet
As these posies aforesaid–
Roses blue and violets red!

Sweet, repay me sweets for sweets–
‘Tis, your lover who entreats!
Smile upon me, baby mine–
Be my little Valentine!

– Eugene Field

11. Roses are Red

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Carnations are sweet
And so are you.

And so are they
That send you this
And when we meet
We’ll have a kiss.

12. Veggie Valentine

You may not “carrot” all for me.
The way I care for you.
You may “turnip” your nose.
When I plead with you
But if your “heart” should “beet” with mine.
Forever “lettuce” hope
There is no reason in the world.
Why we two “Cantaloupe.”

13. The Kangaroo’s Courtship

“Oh, will you be my wallaby?”
Asked Mr. Kangaroo.
“For we could find so very many
Jumping things to do.
I have a pocket two feet wide.
And deep inside,
My dear, you’d ride—
Oh, come and be my bouncing bride,
My Valentine, my side-by-side
I am in love with you.”

– Jane Yolen

14. Best Valentine Mom

On Valentine’s day, I think of you, Mom;
I love you really a lot.
In my life, that’s full of many good things,
You’re the very best thing I’ve got!
It’s Valentine’s Day, so I want to say,
I’m the luckiest kid anywhere;
You’re the sweetest, greatest, best mom around.
And I want you to know I care!
Happy Valentine’s Day, Mom!

– Joanna Fuchs

15. Happy Valentine’s Day to My Dad

Dad, you are my favorite man,
And I sure want you to know,
I’ll always respect and love you, Dad.
No matter how big I grow!
I’m lucky to have you as my dad!
I love you.

– Joanna Fuchs

16. A Valentine to a Little Child

Dear heart, on this thrice-blessed day,
Thou my sweetheart be,
The rose of love shall bide always.
Upon the red-rose tree.
And in the garden of my heart.
So ceaselessly shall shine,
The little birds will know thou art.
Mine own true Valentine.

– Evaleen Stein

Valentine Poems For Teens

17. Valentine’s Exchange

Winner, winner
of my heart
How I love you so!

My heart aches
oh so much
Whenever I have to go

To school, back home
away from you.
Please tell me you’ll be mine!

On this lovely day, I say,
let’s exchange
our Valentines!

18. Will You Be Mine?

Valentine, you make me silly;
You make my heart beat willy-nilly;
When I’m with you, the world is hazy;
Valentine, you drive me crazy!

Valentine, when we’re apart,
My need for you goes off the chart.
Will you be mine? Can I be thine?
Say you’ll be my Valentine!

– Joanna Fuchs

19. Little Cupid

I am a little Cupid,
And I come to visit thee,
To tell you that I love you,
And to know if you love me.

And if you’ll be my little wife,
And come along with me,
I’ll take you to a lovely place,
And pretty flowers you’ll see.

– K. Uniake

20. Going Steady

Valentine, O, Valentine,
I’ll be your love, and you’ll be mine.
We’ll care for each other, rain or fine,
and in 90 years, we’ll be 99.

– Ian Serraillier

21. Love is like a Cabbage

My love is like a cabbage.
Divided into two,
The leaves I give to others,
The heart I give to you.

Sharing creative poems on Valentine’s day will help children pour out their love and emotions. We hope these short and sweet poems helped your child to express their feelings to your dear ones. Let them get motivated through these poems and come up with unique verses for their near and dear people.

The post 21 Cute, Short, And Funny Valentine’s Day Poems For Kids appeared first on Parenting Boss.

If you’re looking to pack their baskets with goodies that go beyond the basic chocolate bunnies and cream eggs, look no further than these sweet Easter gifts.

The post 35 egg-cellent Easter gifts for kids appeared first on Parenting Boss.

Everything is new to a newborn, as they are yet to adjust to their body’s various functions and the world around them. So, some babies may cry while pooping as the sensation might be strange for them. However, sometimes, babies may cry while pooping as a result of pain or a tummy issue.

If your baby often cries while pooping, and if you find additional symptoms, it is best to understand the underlying cause and treat it. Here is a post that tells you the possible reasons a baby cries while pooping and what you could do about it.

Why Do Babies Cry While Pooping?

The reasons for your baby crying while pooping may range from your baby getting used to the sensation of pooping to an underlying medical condition. Let us look at each in detail.

1. Getting used to the sensation of pooping

If your baby cries during pooping in the initial days, it could be because they are still adapting to the sensation of pooping. It could also be because the baby’s abdominal muscles are still underdeveloped, making it difficult to pass stools (1).

This is quite normal, and you need not worry if your baby makes faces or grunts while pooping as they will get used to it with time.

2. Constipation

Infants might also suffer from constipation, which can make them cry while pooping. If the bowel movements are hard and irregular, your baby could be constipated. The common signs of constipation in babies include (1):

1. Fussiness
2. Spitting up
3. Hard and dry stools
4. Pain while passing stools
5. Tummy pain and bloating
6. Having less than three bowel movements in a week (this is more common in children)

3. Infant dyschezia

This is a condition in which the infant strains and cries for more than ten minutes before defecating. The baby’s face may turn red or purple until the passage of soft or liquid stool. This is a normal and very common condition and might resolve after a few weeks (2).

4. Anal fissure

If your baby has chronic constipation, they might develop anal fissure. The condition is defined as a small tear of the skin in the lining of the anus or anal canal, which is a consequence of passing hard stools. A recent study suggests that colic in infants is closely associated with anal fissures and painful defecation (3).

5. Colic

Colic affects approximately 10–40% of infants. It peaks at around six weeks of age, and the symptoms start to resolve by three to six months. Babies tend to uncontrollably cry while suffering from colic. Other symptoms include bloody stools, excessive gas and pain during pooping, skin rashes, and vomitings. So, if your baby cries while pooping, try to determine if it is colic (4).

When Should You Worry?

Mild grunting and occasional crying while pooping are common in infants. However, if your baby cries excessively during defecation, and you notice fever, feeding difficulties, and blood in their stools, it is best to take them to your pediatrician.

Tips To Stop Babies From Crying While Pooping

Breastfeeding babies may poop several times a day to once a week, and formula-fed infants may poop several times a day to once in four days (5). So, do not worry if your child occasionally cries while pooping. However, you can always use some handy tips to help them manage pain and stop them from crying.

1. If you are breastfeeding, try and change your diet and see if your baby passes soft stools subsequently. In the case of formula feeding, consult a lactation expert or your pediatrician.

2. Include high fiber foods, such as broccoli, pears, prunes, and bananas in the diet of babies who have started on solids.

3. Keep your baby hydrated by feeding them milk from time to time. For babies older than six months, you can offer them water or pear juice.

4. Gently massage your baby’s belly button and stomach area. You can also bicycle their legs to help them release excess gas.

5. Put a warm compress on their belly to help them pass stools more comfortably. Also, make sure you burp your baby after every feed.

6. Probiotics may help relieve colic symptoms in babies. Talk to your pediatrician and administer them accordingly.

As long as your baby is healthy and happy, you need not worry if they cry while pooping. However, keep track of your baby’s pooping to make sure they do not develop constipation. If you find any early signs of constipation or tummy trouble, take precautionary measures to prevent the problem from getting worse. Always talk to a pediatrician if your baby cries uncontrollably during defecation and passes hard stools with blood.

References:

The post Baby Crying When Pooping: Reasons, When To Worry And Remedies appeared first on Parenting Boss.

Your teenage child has broken a fundamental rule, and what they have done could have ended disastrously for them and others. You know that they need to face the consequences for misbehavior. They should understand how wrong they were and why they should never repeat this mistake. This is where the question of punishment arises.

Many parents allow their anger and frustration to get the better of them and impose punishments that hurt their teens. This could backfire. Your teen could turn more rebellious, and the relationship between you could deteriorate.

Read on as we tell you about appropriate punishments or consequences for a teen’s bad behavior and the dos and don’ts while handing out punishments to discipline your teen.

Are Punishments Good For Teens?

You should mete out age-appropriate punishments when your teen misbehaves to ensure they do not repeat it. Punishments work in some cases but backfire in others. If your parenting style is heavily reliant on severe punishment, it could deter the child from learning self-discipline. Also, a very heavy-handed punishment strategy could turn a teen rebellious and make them resort to lying or hide things from you.

Punishments are necessary, and they do work when they are designed in the right way and with the right approach. When your goal is to discipline your teen and ensure that they are empowered to make better choices or handle similar situations more effectively, the punishment you design will achieve its purpose. It is up to you to think of consequences that will benefit your teenager and guide them to display good behavior.

A good starting point is to get the teen’s active participation in setting up strong yet smooth house rules and impose appropriate punishments for breaking them. The teen’s involvement gives them control over the situation and encourages compliance.

How To Design Appropriate Consequences For Teens?

When designing consequences for bad behavior, keep the following points in mind:

• Consequence as a resolution to the act: Remember that your intent is to correct the teen, help them rectify their behavior, and understand the trouble they have caused. The best way to do this is to ensure that the consequence or punishment is aimed at resolving the problem. For example, a teen who breaks a neighbor’s window should apologize in person to the neighbor and get their window repaired out of their pocket money. While this may not always be possible, your aim should be to sync the consequence with the issue.

• Consequence in proportion to the misbehavior: Ensure the intensity of the consequence is in proportion to the problem or misbehavior. For example, the teen forgets to take out the garbage. Don’t overreact and ground them for a week. Instead, let them take the garbage out during the weekend.

However, if the teen resorts to violence in a tiff with peers, do not take it lightly and pass it off with a minor consequence. This needs a far stronger, more intense reaction and consequence proportionate to the gravity of the misbehavior.

• Consequence within the boundaries of self-respect: Never put down the teen or attack their self-confidence when meting out punishment. A consequence that is humiliating fails to teach the teen anything and only makes them rebellious.

Effective Punishment Strategies For Teens

As the parent, you know which punishments work best with your teen because you know their likes, dislikes, and preferences. Regardless, here are a few common and effective punishment strategies used by parents of teens.

1. No access to electronics: If the teen ignores academics and remains glued to their cell phone for hours or if they present a very rude picture to guests during dinner by checking their social media updates constantly, a suitable punishment strategy is to get them to give up their phone privileges for a week.

This works well with all electronic gadgets, especially if the teen’s favorite go-to gadget is their phone or laptop. The ‘no electronics’ punishment works well whenever the teen ignores you and their allocated chores and chooses to remain immersed in their digital world.

2. Limited friend time: If your teen has been displaying undesirable behavior with friends, a good consequence would be a time-out from buddies. A stronger message would be to cancel their weekend outings with friends for a while.

3. Stricter house rules: A house rule violation could mean that the teen loses some more freedom. This is a great deterrent and keeps the teen eager to comply with the house rules agreed upon. For example, if the teen breaks curfew by half an hour, set a new curfew that is half an hour earlier than your original one.

4. Reparation as punishment: If the teen has been responsible for someone sustaining a loss, get the teen to make amends by repairing or replacing what was damaged. If the damage is not something that can be resolved this way, make the teen come up with a way to reduce the impact of the loss. For example, if the teen crashes into an elderly neighbor who sustains a sprain, as a result, let the teen take the neighbor to the doctor’s and also get essentials for them for a few weeks. Make sure the consequence is directly related to the issue.

5. Facing the music alone: Let the teen handle the natural consequences of their actions without you stepping in and softening the blow. This is a great way to prep them for adulthood, when they have to face the music alone. Let them handle the angry neighbor who demands to know why the teen destroyed their flower beds or the car owner down the street who wants to talk to the teen about the scratches on his new vehicle from the teen’s cycle.

Common Mistakes In Implementing Punishment

Parents can sometimes get frazzled and stressed with the teen’s latest escapade. This is when they tend to make mistakes when implementing a punishment or consequence. Here are some common mistakes that you should avoid.

1. Using the wrong words: Saying things such as “I knew you would mess up,” “You are just like your useless uncle,” “You can’t do anything right” does not encourage the teen to listen to you. Instead, these statements might make the teen believe they are incapable of doing better. That’s not what you want.

2. Failing to follow through: You tell the teen they would have to go without their phone for a week, but midweek, you give them their cell phone back. This tells the teenager that you do not seriously intend the punishment, and they need not take it seriously.

3. Failing to mention the exact problem: Your teen needs to know why they are being punished. Are they losing driving privileges for taking the car out or for overspeeding? Tell them exactly what the problem is, so they know what will get them in trouble the next time and avoid it. When you set rules, make sure they are crystal clear, and there is no scope for the teen to misunderstand them.

4. Setting consequences that don’t affect them: For a teen who loves solitude, being sent to the room may be a reward, not punishment. Fashion your punishment around your teen’s personality and characteristics, not your own or that of other teens you know.

5. Not communicating how to make amends: The teen may deeply regret their action and would be keen on regaining the trust they lost. Tell them how they can do that. Once they do what it takes, put the incident behind you and do not keep bringing it up to taunt them.

Apart from avoiding these mistakes, always let the teen know that everyone messes up at times but gets second chances if they genuinely regret the mistake. Help the teen figure out why they committed the mistake, how not to repeat it, and what to do to stay away from a similar trouble in the future. The key to this is to have open communication with them, preferably once they are done with the punishment. This gives them time to retrospect and also understand the full impact of their action.

How To Help A Teen Avoid Punishments?

Just as it is your responsibility as a parent to correct your teen by meting out punishment when necessary, it is also your job to help them avert situations that call for punishment. Here are a few points that will encourage your teen to follow the rules and avoid punishment:

1. Maintain an open, friendly relationship with them: As a teenager, your child no longer depends on you for every task, but you can still play an important role in their life by taking an interest in their activities and doing things with them.

Activities that let you give them positive attention, such as playing a game they like or discussing a book or movie they love, can help set the stage for a sound relationship with them. When your teen shares a friendly, good relationship with you, the chances are they will discuss their problems with you without inhibitions.

2. Be accessible: Let the teen know that if they need help or advice, they can reach out to you at any time. Be accessible enough so that the teen can quickly check in with you before taking up something important. You can always tell them specific hours when they cannot disturb you at work or ask them to message you if you are not reachable immediately. Make sure you respond as quickly as you can in such situations.

3. Set a good precedent: Be a good role model for your teen. Take decisions that you want them to take in difficult situations and ensure they understand why you did something in a certain way. Involving them in the decision-making processes is a good idea because it gives them first-hand experience of how to factor in various aspects before taking action.

4. Establish clear-cut rules: What you expect from your teen should be crystal clear, with no room for ambiguity. Write down the house rules if necessary, along with the consequences that you arrived upon along with the teen. For example, ‘Be home by ___ pm on weekdays and ___ pm on the weekends.’ When the teen knows what is expected of them, they are more likely to remember and comply.

5. Avoid arguing: A little bit of flexibility can go a long way in helping your teen toe the line concerning house rules. Avoid being rigid about rules, especially when you know it can lead to an endless argument. Settle for a reasonable compromise instead. For example, instead of arguing with your teen about taking out the garbage right away, give them a more flexible deadline, say before bedtime. However, make it clear that the deadline is non-negotiable.

Creating a respectful, empathetic environment at home also works magic in making teens behave well. After all, if they like being treated with consideration and respect, they have to prove themselves worthy of it too.

The teenage years can be the most challenging ones for you to handle your child as a parent. The disciplining strategies that worked when they were younger no longer hold good, now that they are more independent and have more exposure to the world.

However, you can ensure your teens understand the importance of ground rules by structuring effective disciplinary measures backed by open communication. When handled right, mistakes committed in teenage years can become great learning opportunities for your teenager.

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Dizziness refers to the feeling of lightheadedness or faintness. Children may feel dizzy due to various reasons. It is crucial to determine the underlying cause, as frequent fainting can pose a threat to their safety and well-being.

Children feel dizzy when there is reduced blood flow to the brain for a short time. This can be triggered by various events. Dizziness can be treated when the underlying cause is addressed.

Read this post to understand the various causes of dizziness in children and know its symptoms, risks and complications, and treatment options.

Symptoms Of Dizziness In Children

The common symptoms of dizziness in children include

• Lightheadedness
• Lose of balance and a feeling of unsteadiness
• Inability to think clearly
• Blurred vision for a brief moment
• The feeling that the world around them is revolving

Based on the severity, your child may experience mild, moderate, and severe dizziness.

In mild dizziness, the child may feel slight lightheadedness but can walk normally and perform their activities. In moderate dizziness, the child may feel weak, and the dizziness could affect their ability to stand and take part in activities such as walking and running. In severe dizziness, the child may not be able to stand, and the lightheadedness may worsen, making the child feel as though they are on the verge of fainting (1).

Causes Of Dizziness In Children

Often, dizziness could be due to weakness, but sometimes, it can signal an underlying medical condition. Here are a few causes of dizziness in children.

1. Prolonged standing

Dizziness due to prolonged standing commonly affects children who have a slender build and reduced blood volume. When the child stands in the same position for longer periods, the blood tends to pool in the legs, slowing down blood supply to the brain. Often, the symptoms of dizziness may subside in 30-60 seconds, and the child may seem well and free of any symptoms if they remain upright or are held upright (2).

2. Orthostatic hypertension (OHT)

Orthostatic hypertension is a condition characterized by an increase in blood pressure when in the upright position. Studies suggest that OHT can increase the risk of hypertension in young adults. The common symptoms of OHT include dizziness, headache, chest tightness, chest pain, palpitations, and syncope (fainting or passing out). Sudden postural changes, prolonged standing, emotional stress, and a stuffy environment can trigger OHT (3).

3. Dehydration

Children may also feel dizzy when they are dehydrated. When there is excess water loss from the body, it can cause lightheadedness and syncope. Other signs of dehydration include dry lips, dry tongue, fatigue, muscle weakness, headache, and lethargy (4).

4. Ear infections

Conditions such as labyrinthitis (problem inside the inner ear) and vestibular neuritis (inflammation of the vestibular nerve in the inner ear) can cause sudden dizziness in children. Ear infections are often self limiting, but the doctor might prescribe antibiotics if there is any bacterial infection (5).

5. Anemia

It is a condition in which the blood does not have enough healthy red blood cells, resulting in reduced oxygen flow to the organs. Some common signs of anemia are dizziness, fatigue, general body weakness, loss of appetite, pale skin, and low immunity (6). If your child often feels dizzy, it is important to get their hemoglobin levels checked.

6. Vestibular migraine

This could be caused by a hereditary condition, lack of sleep, dehydration, or allergy to certain foods. Although the exact cause is unknown, experts believe that it might be due to the constriction of blood vessels around the brain. Besides dizziness, vestibular migraine is characterized by motion sickness, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and loss of balance (7).

7. Benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood (BPVC)

The cause for this condition is not known; however, it is thought to be a precursor to migraine at an older age. It is characterized by symptoms such as nystagmus (fluttering eye movements), loss of balance, vomiting, pale appearance, sweating, and head tilt. It typically affects children aged 3-4 years, and most children outgrow these symptoms as they get older (8).

8. Other causes

Dizziness in children can also be caused by a concussion, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, juvenile arthritis, and usage of aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (9).

Risks And Complications Of Dizziness

Children who are malnourished or those who have a family history of autoimmune diseases are at a higher risk of developing dizziness.

As dizziness is a symptom of an underlying problem, the complications depend on the severity of the underlying issue. Also, frequent episodes of dizziness may lead to fainting, which can cause injury and affect children’s well-being.

Diagnosis Of Frequent Dizziness

If your child often complains of dizziness, or if you spot the signs, it is best to seek medical advice. Your doctor would do a physical examination and take your family’s medical history to determine the underlying cause. They may also recommend tests such as audiometry, vestibular function tests, electronystagmography, blood tests, CT scans, and X-rays.

Treatment For Dizziness In Children

The treatment for dizziness depends on the underlying cause. However, the first line of treatment for dizziness involves asking the child to sit with their legs at an elevated position. This helps the blood to circulate to the brain.

Dizziness is often a self-limiting condition. However, if the dizziness persists, then it is best to seek medical advice. Here are a few ways to manage dizziness in children (9).

• Prescribing medications such as antibiotics, decongestant, or antihistamines in the case of ear infections.

• Administering antidepressants to alleviate migraine-related vertigo or dizziness

• Instructing your child to get up from the bed slowly and avoid sudden changes in position

• Giving them plenty of water and juices to replenish the lost body fluids

• Ensuring they shift their body weight from one leg to another or distribute the weight equally on both legs when they have to stand for long hours.

Dizziness is often a symptom of an underlying cause. Make sure you are aware of your child’s condition to prevent repeated episodes of dizziness. Also, teach your child to take care of themselves whenever they experience any signs of dizziness. You may also seek help from your child’s teachers or caregivers.

References:

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Koalas are marsupials that live on trees, mainly in Australia. These small, furry, cute-looking animals are the only extant representatives that belong to the family Phascolarctidae (sub-order Vombatiformes), and are known to be closely related to wombats.

They are around 60 to 85cm (24 to 33in) long and weigh approximately 14kg (31lb). They are generally solitary animals that move within the range of selected trees.

Due to their distinctive appearance, koalas are referred to as the symbols of Australia’s unique wildlife. Want to know some more interesting facts about these furry creatures? Go through this post about koalas for kids and ignite the kid’s interest. 

Are Koalas Bears?

No, koalas are not bears. Like kangaroos, koalas carry their young ones in their pouches. As they resemble living teddy bears, they are mistakenly called ‘koala bears.’ However, koalas are marsupials, and their scientific name is Phascolarctos cinereus. 

Where Are Koala Bears Found?

Koalas are natives of Eastern and Southeastern Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. The fascinating arboreal and cuddly-looking animals usually live in open eucalyptus woodlands.

Their tailless, stout body, yellow eyes, black round leathery nose, a huge and round head, large fluffy ears make them look unique.

What Do Koala Bears Eat?

Koalas are herbivores and feed on the leaves of certain types of eucalyptus trees. Their daily diet includes around 1.3kg (3lb) of eucalyptus leaves. The koalas have a long intestinal pouch and cecum, which is two meters or seven feet long. It nurtures beneficial, symbiotic bacteria to break down the toxic substances and tannins present in the leaves to help their digestion. They also eat mud or dirt in intervals to help digest eucalyptus leaves.

The strong claws and toes help them grasp the branches. As they are picky eaters, it sometimes becomes difficult for koalas to find food on their own. Also because their diet is low in nutrients and provides less energy, koalas sit or sleep for long hours in tree forks. They sleep for up to 18 hours a day.

38 Interesting Facts About Koalas For Kids

Here are some intriguing facts about koalas. 

1. The term koala means ‘no water.’ It is speculated that koalas get the water they need from the moisture of eucalyptus leaves. Therefore, they rarely drink water.

2. Koala fossils unearthed in Australia date back to about 20 million years.

3. Koala is divided into three recognized subspecies, Queensland koala (P. c. adustus), New South Wales koala (P. c. cinereus), and the Victorian koala (P. c. victor).

4. It is said that the brain size of modern-day koalas is reduced compared to their ancestors probably to adapt itself to the less energy derived from their diets.

5. Koalas are nocturnal animals. They sleep throughout the day and rummage for food at night.

6. Though koalas are peaceful and calm most of the time, they produce loud and hollow grunts from time to time.

7. Koalas’ fingerprints are almost similar to human beings.

8. They have sharp claws that help them climb

9. Koalas have a low metabolic rate since a diet rich in fiber provides the least nutrients.

10. Since koalas cannot store too much fat in the body, they spend most of their time sleeping to save energy.

11. They have soft, thick fur, long ears with white hair on the tips, beady eyes, and a leathery nose. Their small mouth opens wide.

12. Koalas have two thumbs on their front paws, and all toes have curved and sharp claws. On the hindfoot, its second and third toes are joined together and have rough pads to help climb and groom.

13. They are the only marsupials without tails. They can run as fast as a rabbit.

14. Besides their tree-climbing ability, they also have a powerful sense of hearing and smell.

15. They make grunting or wailing sounds to communicate with each other.

16. The male koala is called a buck. The female koala is called a doe.

17. Male koalas are 50% larger than females and have a vast, dark scent patch on the center of their chest. Females have a smaller patch than males. These scent patches are used for marking tree territories.

18. The koalas are usually quiet and solitary animals except during breeding seasons.

19. They breed in the summer and give birth to only one young one called ‘joeys.’

20. The gestation time is about 35 days.

21. Joeys are around 2cm, about the size of a large jelly bean, at birth and are born without fur. Besides, at the time of delivery, their eyes and ears are closed.

22. The newly born joeys are delicate until they grow fur because they cannot regulate their body temperature.

23. The joeys continue to develop in their mother’s abdominal pouch for five to six months.

24. The koala’s pouch is in the rearward direction.

25. For up to six weeks, the joeys are weaned on a soupy, predigested eucalyptus called pap that is directly lapped up from the mother’s anus. Presumably, pap is derived from the cecum.

26. After weaning, they emerge from their mother’s However, the joeys continue to cling to their mother’s back till they are about one–year-old.

27. Interestingly, koalas have a firm and supportive butt. They have strong cartilage at the end of their curved spines, allowing them to build a comfortable home for themselves on eucalyptus trees.

28. Koalas can live up to 15 years when in the wild and longer in captivity.

29. When koalas are under stress, they are also susceptible to chlamydia. This disease causes blindness and makes females infertile.

30. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed koalas as vulnerable in 2016.

31. The Australian government included koalas in the country’s threatened species list in 2012.

32. It is illegal to keep koalas as pets. 

Threat To Koalas

33. According to a survey, koalas have steadily declined by about 28% between 1984 and 2012.

34. In April 2012, the Australian government declared koalas as vulnerable under the federal EPBC, and New South Wales and Queensland acts. However, Victoria and South Australia are excluded from this listing.

35. Due to deforestation, the koalas’ habitat is under severe threat. With no trees, koalas forage on the ground for food, exposing themselves to dangers.

36. Between 1920 and 1930, koalas were killed for their fur. As a result, their population decreased from millions to hundreds and became extinct in some places.

37. To prevent their complete extinction, scientists have moved koalas to smaller offshore islands, where they thrived.

38. Although there are many koalas, their habitat has been dramatically reduced due to encroachment by farmland and urban development, putting them in danger of extinction.

Koalas are cute and furry animals. They have lived on the earth for millions of years. Many of us are fascinated by this adorable animal. But the loss of habitat bush fires and drought have led to the decline of the koalas’ population. Share these facts with your chidren and let them appreciate the need to conserve this cute animal.

References:

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Soon after John and Priya Miller* discovered they were expecting a second child, they knew they’d have to get their first-born, then 18 months old, on a sleep schedule—fast.

Aria had been zooming through milestones (walking at nine months and speaking in short sentences by 12 months), but sleep remained a struggle. The strong-willed toddler resisted an early bedtime and seemed just like her dad, a self-described night owl.

From the time she was three months old, Aria didn’t get to sleep until 11 p.m. or midnight, but since Priya wasn’t working outside the house and John was self-employed, Aria could sleep in until 8 or 9 a.m.  “When she was really little, we’d roll with her sleep schedule,” says John. “We just wanted her to get a block of sleep that was reasonable.” But this wouldn’t work so well with an infant in the mix.

After reading books, talking to Aria’s paediatrician and scouring the internet, the couple bravely embarked on their mission to teach Aria to fall asleep at a more normal hour. For three months, Aria resisted every strategy they attempted; in fact, for the first 40 days or so that they tried the cry-it-out (CIO) or extinction method, she would cry so long and so hard that she’d throw up in her crib. “My god, she fought us so hard,” says Priya. “We did a lot of laundry,” John adds. Despite the couple’s best efforts, they abandoned the intense sleep training and Aria was still a night owl at 26 months, when baby number two arrived. She has remained so through her childhood.

Chronotypes and kids

While bedtime struggles seem like a parenting rite of passage, research shows that some kids are “wired” to stay up late, just as others rise with the sun. These sleep tendencies are known as “chronotypes”—a concept that has been studied extensively since being coined by Swedish researcher Oscar Öquist in 1970. There are four main categories of chronotypes: larks, morning types, evening types and owls, although some researchers break those categories down even further. One author, clinical psychologist Michael Breus, classifies them as animals. A lion is a morning person; wolves enjoy staying up late. Bears avoid extremes (both late nights and early mornings). Dolphins are those with sleep problems: anyone with inconsistent sleep or who wakes up feeling unrefreshed, kids who struggle to nap and those who get a spurt of energy in the evening.

Chronotypes vary by individual, but they change predictably over the human life cycle. As children, we are more prone to what sleep experts call “morningness,” but we shift toward “eveningness” by adolescence (which supports the argument that high schools should start later). By adulthood, most people have shifted toward morningness again.

Child psychologist Penny Corkum, a sleep researcher at Dalhousie University in Halifax, says that these tendencies are as much the product of nature as nurture—both are at play. Individual genetics strongly influence how our internal clock is set, but environmental cues—like light exposure from screens at night—can affect our sleep patterns significantly. “The nice thing about most of our biology is that it’s somewhat flexible to our environment, because that’s what makes us adaptable,” says Corkum.

Whether you’re a child or an adult, the default setting on your internal clock can be reprogrammed, she says. Almost anyone who needs to get to sleep earlier in order to get enough hours of sleep before their alarm chimes can shift to a new schedule with the right strategies (the exception being those with diagnosed sleep disorders—more about that later). Corkum points out that research also shows we get better-quality rest in the hours before midnight—going to bed earlier is better for us than sleeping in.

Reprogramming our internal clocks

Parents of suspected night owls or evening types will likely never get confirmation of this from a healthcare professional. That’s because chronotypes are difficult to assess in children due in part to a lack of research and the simple fact that kids’ schedules are decided by parents. While you can ask an adult questions about their sleep habits and preferences—like how long they sleep in during the weekend or their ideal time to take an exam or get complex work done—a child can’t give meaningful answers.

Fortunately, most parents don’t need this information to help their kids. Regardless of whether you think you’re raising a night owl or a morning lark, behavioural modifications can make a tremendous difference to when and how well your child sleeps.

Our circadian clocks are primarily set by light and darkness, which means we can help kids adjust to earlier bedtimes with strategies like early-morning exposure to bright light and ending screen time at least one hour before bed. The latter is likely the most effective way to improve sleep, she says, as research shows the blue light emitted by phones, tablets and other devices prevents children’s brains from producing enough of the hormone melatonin, which triggers sleepiness. To make matters worse, screen time also stimulates kids’ brains at a time when they need to be calming down. 

COVID-19 has not helped. “We’re all home on our computers and devices, and everything’s portable,” says Corkum. It’s also not as simple as wearing blue-light glasses or adding a blue-light blocker app to your phone or computer screen—these won’t address the amount of visual stimulation caused by the device and the lack of physical activity. She suggests parents lead by example and join their kids in putting away electronics and screens well before bedtime—try to leave everyone’s devices in the same spot in a separate room each night.

Kids also benefit from a predictable bedtime routine and consistent schedules and wake times—on both school days and weekends. “It’s not just about changing things at nighttime—it’s about what happens in the daytime, too,” Corkum says, including exercise and meals. Kids should go to bed feeling neither full, nor hungry, she says. A small snack of a protein and a carbohydrate, such as cheese and crackers, or peanut butter on toast, is ideal. Offer it at the beginning of the routine—about 30 to 60 minutes before lights out.

Corkum advises parents to follow the new Canadian 24-hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth released by ParticipACTION. For kids and teens, the guidelines now recommend 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity (like bouncing on a trampoline or playing soccer), several hours of light physical activity (like helping with chores or flying a kite), and no more than two hours per day of sedentary activity (like playing on a tablet or watching TV).

This 24-hour perspective is also at the heart of Better Nights, Better Days, an e-health program for parents of children with difficulties falling or staying asleep. Shelly Weiss, a paediatric neurologist at the Hospital for Sick Children and professor at University of Toronto, developed it with a team of sleep experts from across Canada. The interventions are delivered online to participants ages 1-10 over the course of six to 10 weeks, with a focus on sleeping better, creating resiliency and improving kids’ overall functioning despite COVID-19 lifestyle changes.

“Through the software we’ve developed, [families] get personalized information on what they’re doing well and what they can do to make changes,” says Weiss. In her experience, parents can almost always solve their children’s sleep problems by being consistent, patient and firm. “Usually it comes down to scheduling, putting limits on children, and good bedtime routines,” she says.

As trying as it can be, it’s worth the effort. “A child who isn’t getting enough sleep can have trouble with learning, memory, socialization, attention, and behavioural and emotional regulation,” explains Weiss. The effects of chronic sleep debt can even mimic the symptoms of ADHD.

Weiss warns against resorting to melatonin supplements to help kids sleep better, even if you’ve heard other parents singing its praises. “Kids who are typically developing shouldn’t be taking melatonin at night,” she says.

Are sleep disorders common in kids?

Like adults, kids can have underlying physical or mental health problems, like anxiety, that prevent them from falling or staying asleep. But sleep disorders like sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome are fairly unusual in children. Sleep apnea can cause frequent “rousing” periods, which would make kids feel less rested when they wake up, but it wouldn’t impact how easy it is for them to fall asleep at the beginning of the night.

There’s a difference between a a night-owl kid who drifts off a bit later than most kids their age versus the night-owl child who’s consistently up past midnight, Weiss explains. “Having a later chronotype makes a child go to bed 30 to 45 minutes later [than most kids], not a full two hours later.” (One note: If your child is still napping, your first step is to cut out the nap, obviously.)

Children with schedules that consistently resemble an adult night owl—staying up until the wee hours of the night—may actually have a sleep disorder. It’s called delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (DSWPD), and it’s very rare, though it can run in families. With DSWPD, the onset of sleep is delayed due to a delayed secretion of melatonin. This is more likely in adolescence, when our chronotypes naturally shift toward eveningness, largely in response to biological changes during puberty.

Both Corkum and Weiss emphasize that the vast majority of night-owl kids don’t have diagnosable disorders—just stubborn habits that can change with lots of parental effort, and sometimes, expert help. If you need more support, don’t hesitate to seek advice from a healthcare professional, such as your family doctor or paediatrician, and check out the sleep experts on the website of the Canadian Sleep Society.

*Names have been changed.

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