Patient's question:
My baby is 3 years and 7 months old, already attending kindergarten. During the day, he has a very regular sleep schedule, but at night, he's like a night owl. Every day, he's full of energy and doesn't go to bed until around 10 p.m. He then tosses and turns in bed for about an hour before finally falling asleep, talking and singing the whole time. He only falls asleep when he's completely exhausted! In the morning, he struggles to get up and always needs to be forcibly woken up and urged to go to kindergarten on time. I've tried everything to solve this problem, but it's making the adults very frustrated. What can we do to help him?First follow-up question: After reading the experts' answers, I have some doubts and would like to consult further. Is it a medical condition if a child goes to bed late? Does it affect their physical development? Is acupuncture strictly necessary? Such a young child won't be able to handle acupuncture, will they?
Doctor's answer:
Hello, according to your description, the child's late bedtime is unrelated to the cyst removal surgery and is related to lifestyle habits, such as being very excited before going to bed, a noisy sleep environment, or too much daytime napping. If the child has no other discomfort symptoms, it is recommended to start by adjusting lifestyle habits one by one, especially parents should not have the habit of staying up late.If the baby cries incessantly at night, as long as there are no signs of illness or pain, it is considered emotional crying. When the baby demands comfort, parents can ignore it but should remain quietly observant. Once the baby cries itself out of energy, it will naturally fall asleep. After some time, the baby will psychologically realize (learn) that even if it cries when it opens its eyes to a dark room, it will not be fed or held. As long as parents persevere, they can definitely change the baby's habit of not sleeping at night.