Problem
I. Marie and Jose are parents of a healthy newborn baby who was born at term. They are extremely anxious about SIDS, particularly because Marie's sister's baby, who was born pre-term died of SIDS. Explain some of the physiology of infant sleep to help reassure them that the risk may not be as severe as they imagine. However, don't forget to mention the risk factors and some things they can do to decrease the risk.
II. Layla and Jadyn recently noticed their 6 year old Damien exhibits some unusual behavior at night. Occasionally he'll wake up screaming and inconsolable, while other times he wanders around his bedroom seemingly getting "lost" in his closet or returning to sleep on the floor after getting out of bed. They decide to make an appointment with Damien's pediatrician to figure out what's going on and to assess how worried they should be. What do you think the pediatrician will diagnose? Explain some of the physiology surrounding child sleep, why Damien might be doing this, and what the doctor might recommend.
III. Nori and Zaid are frustrated with changes in their 3 and a half year old Arya's sleeping habits. She no longer seems willing to nap in the afternoon but becomes extremely fussy and overtired by her usual 7:30PM bedtime. Despite appearing so tired in the evenings and dropping her naps, Arya still wakes around the same time (5:30AM) every morning. Explain to these tired parents why these changes developmentally normal and what is going on physiologically. Do you have any suggestions for how to get their 3.5 year old the highest quality sleep during this transition?