資料來源：註冊臨床心理學家饒方莉
很多家長晚上睡覺的時候都很頭痛的，因為小朋友不是不肯睡覺，就是一定要家長陪伴他們睡覺，甚至到了深夜起來的時候一定要去找家長，如果不是就會哭鬧不願睡。面對小朋友一些睡覺的問題，我們有甚麼方法可以幫到小朋友學習睡得更加好或自行入睡呢？
首先家長要明白小朋友睡得不好或不肯入睡，是一個惡性循環，就是過分依賴家長安撫。這個惡性循環，即是要家長在身邊拍他、抱他、呵他，小朋友才會產生睡意。而家長陪伴他、安撫他的行為成為了一個先決條件，而沒了這個先決條件，小朋友到了深夜的時候就會驚醒，必需要找回家長。
所以我們要幫助小朋友學會自我調節 (Self-Soothing)或讓孩子學習自行入睡，這個方法是很重要。研究指出，三個月大的嬰兒大概會慢慢開始培養一種自我調節Self-sooth的能力。而大概到九個月的嬰兒，其實有50至80%的嬰兒都能夠一覺睡到天光，所以家長必需相信小朋友是有這個能力，幫他自己進行自我調節，可以自行入睡。
但我們要幫助他培養的，我們要先建立一個睡前的常規，包括睡房。最好是一個全黑的環境，因為全黑的環境就可以產生褪黑色素 ，是我們腦部的一種物質幫助我們產生睡意，及可以加速我們睡眠。第二， 是我們嘗試給小朋友建立一個睡前一定會做的指定動作，可以是哄他睡覺、唱歌、按摩又或是說故事，但只有一個指定動作，你可和小朋友討論是甚麼指定動作，他會想做的。每晚在那個時間，我們就做這個指定動作，接著便關燈睡覺去。這個指定動作就會令小朋友腦部開始知道差不多要睡覺了。
Source : Registered Clinical Psychologist, Yiu Fong Lee
Many parents experience headaches when their children have trouble sleeping at night. This could be because the children either refuse to sleep or insist on having their parents with them while they sleep. Some children even wake up in the middle of the night and cry unless they find their parents. What methods can help children learn to sleep better or fall asleep on their own?
First, parents need to understand that a child’s poor sleep habits or refusal to sleep can create a vicious cycle of excessive dependence on parental comfort. In this cycle, children require things like being patted, held, or soothed by their parents in order to feel sleepy. Parental presence and soothing become prerequisites for their sleep, and without these conditions, children may wake up in the middle of the night and seek their parents.
Therefore, it’s important to help children learn self-soothing techniques or to teach them how to fall asleep independently. Research indicates that around three-month-old infants gradually begin to develop the ability to self-soothe. By about nine months of age, 50 to 80% of infants can sleep through the night. Parents should have confidence in their child’s ability to self-soothe and fall asleep on their own, and they can assist in this process.
However, what we need to help them develop is to establish a bedtime routine, including the bedroom environment. It’s best to have a completely dark room because darkness stimulates the production of melatonin, a substance in our brain that helps us feel sleepy and speeds up our sleep. Secondly, we should try to establish a specific bedtime ritual for the child, which could involve cuddling them to sleep, singing, giving a massage, or telling a story – but it should be just one designated activity. You can discuss with the child what this designated activity should be, something they would enjoy. Every night at that time, we perform this designated activity, then turn off the lights and go to sleep. This designated activity will signal to the child’s brain that it’s almost time to sleep.
第三，要記得藍光對小朋友有很多影響。藍光會擾亂我們腦內褪黑色素的分泌，而這會影響睡眠，令到我們失眠或影響睡眠質素。所以家長記著在睡房裡絕對不可以有電子產品，以及在睡前的1個小時不可以讓小朋友使用任何電子產品，這樣都可以幫助小朋友睡覺。
Thirdly, it’s important to remember that blue light can have a significant impact on children. Blue light can disrupt the secretion of melatonin in our brains, which can affect sleep and lead to insomnia or poor sleep quality. Therefore, parents should ensure that there are absolutely no electronic devices in the bedroom, and children should not be allowed to use any electronic devices in the hour leading up to bedtime. This can help children sleep better.
第四個方法是有限度安撫（Control Comforting）。這個方法就是我們會給予一些安撫小朋友，可以隨著他們的年紀，安撫的時間會慢慢縮短。例如和小朋友談天，我陪你5分鐘，然後媽媽便會出去。5分鐘後可以和小朋友說：「媽媽現在出去，一會兒可能隔5分鐘後，再回來看你。如果你可以幫自己閉眼安靜在這裡，嘗試一下自行入睡，媽媽便會親你一下。」然後，將出房間的時間慢慢增加，可能5分鐘、10分鐘、15分鐘，讓小朋友在房裡面單獨慢慢學習，培養自行入睡和self-sooth 自我調整的能力。
如果到了深夜時小朋友醒了找家長的時候，我們應該怎樣處理？其實是同樣的原則就是陪小朋友一會兒，然後鼓勵他自行入睡。如果可以的話，將時間一直延長，直至他可以自行入睡。
The fourth method is controlled comforting. This method involves providing comfort to the child but gradually reducing the comforting time as they grow older. For example, you can engage in a conversation with the child, saying, “I’ll stay with you for 5 minutes, and then Mommy will leave. After 5 minutes, I’ll come back to check on you. If you can try to close your eyes and stay quiet here, Mommy will give you a kiss.” Then, slowly increase the time before leaving the room, maybe 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or 15 minutes, allowing the child to gradually learn to fall asleep on their own and develop self-soothing abilities.
What should we do if the child wakes up in the middle of the night and seeks their parents’ presence? The same principle applies here: stay with the child for a while and then encourage them to fall asleep independently. If possible, keep extending the time until they can fall asleep on their own.
