Baby Sleep Disorders
Author Name: Heidi Holvoet, PhD
Apnea
and
night
terrors
are the 2Â primary
baby
sleep disorders
to be aware of. They are rarer than the typical behavioral problems we
know (learning to self soothe and stay asleep) but need your extra attention.
Narcolepsy
(extreme daytime sleepiness) is a third primary disorder that can
start in early infancy
[1]
,
[2]
but it is much rarer still.
When is it normal and when is it a disorder?
If your baby or toddler has huge difficulties sleeping, you may start
thinking of a true
disorder
. That's a natural reaction, and
it's good to follow your instincts in these cases.
If you worry, don't hesitate to talk to your doctor or pediatrician
about it.
Don't be surprised though if they are not too keen on diagnosing a
disorder
, especially if your baby is very young. You may need to
contact your nearest pediatric sleep center for a dedicated study.
Either way, both for you and for the doctors, the first question to
expect will always be "is it a true disorder or is it
just
a normal baby issue?"
I know all too well how daunting
just
a normal issue can be. But to get the right treatment, it's
important to see the difference.
It's good to know that:
-
Even very disruptive issues - such as sleeping only a
couple of hours each day, waking up every hour and not being able to
self settle - are almost always still normal.
Pediatricians call these issues behavioral problems . The solution is in guiding your child consistently and patiently, for example with the techniques discussed throughout this website.
These behavioral problems can be quite extreme, in which none of even the best practice guidelines seem to help. Dedicated help in a specialized pediatric center can then also be necessary.
Also, never hesitate to ask me about baby sleep disorders whenever you're in doubt. - There are basically 3 disorders that babies and toddlers can have. They each have rather clear symptoms so you should be able to spot them quite well.
Three baby sleep disorders to look out for
Night terrors in babies and toddlers
Night terrors are not dreams: it's when a child seemingly wakes up
bewildered, often screams and seems panicky but is not really awake.
It's a typical toddler and older child thing, but also babies under 1
year old can have it. It can be scary and disturbing, especially as a
parent but baby usually hardly notices and is not harmed or affected.
See the detailed
night
terrors in babies
page for how to recognize and how to avoid
the screaming awakenings.
Sleep apnea in babies and toddlers
Central or Obstructive Apnea is when child has abnormally long breathing pauses, longer
than 20 seconds. She'll wake up gasping for breath, may be screaming or
even turn blue.
Central Apnea is the most common form in babies until 1 year old.
The more
typical
toddler and child form of apnea is called Obstructive Apnea (OSA).
Start at the
apnea symptoms
pages for risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis and
treatment.
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a serious disorder most of us only know from adults. The
main symptoms is irresistible sleepiness during the day.
Luckily very very rare in babies and children, studies have shown early
infancy signs of narcolepsy.
[1]
,
[2]
Do talk to your doctor if you are worried about any of the baby sleep
disorders, and contact
me if you want to discuss your concerns.
Sleep Disorders Overview
Overview of the Various Sleeping Disorders
Night TerrorsBedwetting |
Sleep Apnea |
Worried? Questions? Contact me!
Article Author: Heidi Holvoet, PhD - Founder, senior sleep consultant
Heidi Holvoet, PhD, is the founder of the Baby Sleep Advice website and movement, an award-winning author, baby & toddler sleep consultant with 15+ years experience as well as a certified lactation counselor.
Over the years, Heidi has received several awards inluding a Mom's Choice Award (MCA) and National Parenting Awards (NAPPA) for her Baby Sleep Advice website, programs and books. Also, Baby Sleep Advice was awarded "Most Trusted Infant's Sleep Solutions Company 2023" in the Benelux Enterprise Awards 2023.
Heidi continually conducts personal research and participates in continued education and in that way stays up to date with current scientific and pyschosocial infant care.
She is also a member of the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants of which she was one of the earliest contributors. She obtained her PhD degree in physics at the University of Ghent in Belgium.
Heidi is passionate about helping babies and their parents sleep more and better, with her trademark approach that has been proven and praised time and again by parents worldwide to be effective and truly no-tears. Respect for you as a parent and your baby, is at the heart of Heidi's warm and kind support. Her approach always keeps in mind a baby's needs and abilities at any given age, is based on pediatric science and the most up to date knowledge in infant care and sleep science.
As well as the award-winning baby sleep programs, Heidi offers popular 1:1 consults and easy-access 30-minute SOS Sleep sessions.
Back to the
Sleep disorder overview
Resources
[1] Pediatric narcolepsy: complexities of diagnosis Hood BM, Harbord MG. J Paediatr Child Health. 2002 Dec;38(6):618-21.
[2] Infancy Onset of Symptoms of Narcolepsy in a Child Witmans, M. B., Kirk, V. G., doi: 10.1177/000992280204100809 CLIN PEDIATR October 2002 vol. 41 no. 8 609-612.

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