A text message system to get children to sleep? My views.
‘Groundbreaking text message system to get children to sleep costs under £2 per week’
This is the headline I came across today and whilst I’m always grateful to hear of any help for parents who have sleep-challenging toddlers, I’m stunned to read that people truly believe that a few text messages are going to resolve the issues.
Firstly, the article is promoting to avoid screen time with children but then states it’s sending text messages to parents who will be reading them in front of their screen-hungry toddlers!! So it’s promoting a scenario where it is OK for the parents to look at screens, but not for their children — a case of the old and outdated saying “do as I say, not as I do”?
Secondly, as with many other papers, the research is only referring to children 1 year and older instead of ever addressing the fact that infant sleep problems between the ages of 3 and 12 months is a huge problem and massively on the increase. If a baby hasn’t learnt to sleep during the first 12 months of life it’s highly unlikely that a few text messages are going to help parents resolve this and undo months of previous sleep-associations and expectations that have built up in their little ones.
Thirdly, I feel certain that none of the text messages are going to explore whether there is any underlying digestive discomfort, acid reflux and/or food intolerance in evidence, that is very often the likely cause of why babies and toddlers do not sleep comfortably or easily and stay asleep throughout the night!
I feel I should apologise for sounding so scathing about the scheme and I genuinely hope it does help some parents out there, but for anyone experiencing serious sleep troubles with their little ones I’m certain some of the information in my books would be of more use! Both are available from local libraries so this is not for book sales, but an offer of genuine help. — Alison
