That saying, “sleep like a baby” implies that a person is sleeping quietly and deeply—lost to the world and floating in a land of sleepy dreams. As many parents realized, however, a large portion of children are NOT sweet, quiet sleepers. These noisy sleepers grunt, groan, cry out, make all sorts of noises, talk in their sleep, and some even get up and wander the house—walking in their sleep. When you are the parent of a child who is a fussy sleeper, it can keep YOU from getting a good night’s sleep.
Just because a child is a noisy sleeper does not mean there is anything wrong with them, but there can be health reasons when a child makes a great deal of noise. A child with allergies or congestion might not be able to breathe through his nose and this can cause him to snore, wheeze or make other sounds while trying to sleep and breathe. Likewise, children who have anxieties or other ailments, may not be able to get to sleep soundly and with dreaming and worries, they verbalize during the night.
Sometimes, the noisemaking can be temporary—a child may sleep fitfully after a move to a new house or you may discover sleep walking when there are other major life changes going on. A child who is worried about starting school, who had a busy day or a stressful event, or who is just a light sleeper may make noise during the sleeping hours.
You may not be able to alleviate all of the stressors that cause fitful sleep, but you can make accommodations. If you have ruled out health reasons (one of my children used to be a very noisy sleeper and after having her tonsils and adenoids removed at the age of 7, everything changed for her and she got better sleep), consider ways that you can diminish the noises so that you can sleep and not startle at every sound. If the child is old enough and there is no need for a monitor any longer, maybe it is time to put them away. A white noise machine, shutting the child’s door, or playing soft music may also help to keep the noise disturbances to a minimum.