Sleep is an issue for many people. It is often difficult for adults who have trouble sleeping to teach their children how to sleep. If you practice certain routines, both you and your children are more likely to sleep well.

Signs that a child needs more sleep include irritability, falling asleep quickly in the car or if the lights are low during the day, and not being engaged with what's going on around her. One-year-olds need about fifteen hours of sleep in every twenty-four-hour period, which usually means a ten- to twelve-hour sleep period at night, with a long nap during the day.

If your child isn't falling asleep when you want her to, it's possible that she needs to sleep less during the day, be more active during the day, or wake up earlier in the morning. Try to adjust her sleep hours by fifteen minutes each day until she is going to bed when you want her to. If she's going to bed at ten and waking at eight, but you want her to go to bed two hours earlier, then you'll need to wake her fifteen minutes early and put her to bed fifteen minutes early each day. Keep increasing that time by fifteen minutes every day until she's going to bed at the time you want.

If your child wakes up very early, rest assured that this is very common. Most young children have their internal clock set at a more natural rhythm than those of us who stay up reading well past sundown. Be sure her room stays dark until whatever time you are ready for her to get up. You also might want to encourage her to simply come into your bed and go back to sleep. Early mornings together are often just enough cuddling for a family.