Sleep plays an important part in your baby or young child’s ability to thrive. It is important for health, wellbeing, learning and growing, and restores their body physically. Understanding how to manage your child’s sleep will have a positive impact on your whole family.

The most common sleep problems for children with CP include difficulties settling and getting to sleep, waking during the night, breathing problems, and being sleepy or over-aroused during the day because they are over-tired.

In the first few years of life, your young child’s sleep pattern will vary and change. Children with CP may find sleep difficult due to muscle spasms or other muscular or skeletal pain. Secondary conditions such as epilepsy may also affect the quality and duration of your child’s sleep.

Other factors that can contribute to sleep problems for your young child include:

• difficulties with breathing
• postural discomfort
• positioning
• gastro-esophageal reflux
• disturbances of vision or hearing
• temperature irregularities.

Every baby and young child is unique, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution to sleep problems. When your child isn’t settling or sleeping well, they may not be getting as much sleep as they need.

If you are concerned about your child’s sleep health, talk to your healthcare team. They can refer you and your child to a sleep specialist, who will help you with your child’s sleep issues, including identifying sleep cues, finding out what helps your child sleep, establishing consistent sleep and settling techniques, and finding good sleep positioning. A supported sleep position using foam inserts or other products can help to reduce your child’s pain and the risk of postural deformity, including hip displacement, as well as muscle and joint contractures. It is important that you discuss this with your healthcare team before you consider this option. They can also provide a safe sleep position for young children with breathing difficulties, or who are at risk of aspiration.

Support for parents and caregivers with sleep concerns can also be found in this section.