Season 3, Episode 9
Hope and Will: A Parenting Podcast from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Is Your Child Getting Enough Sleep?
If you have kids, you won’t be surprised to hear that “Is my child getting enough sleep?” and “hours of sleep by age” are top digital search queries.
In this episode of Hope and Will: A Parenting Podcast from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, we dive into something that keeps parents up at night—literally. Whether you have a younger child whose nighttime routine somehow morphed from a sprint into a marathon or a teenage night owl, this episode has insight for you. We discuss how much sleep kids need by age and signs a child is getting too little—or too much—sleep. We also take on the topic of sleep-aid supplements like melatonin and magnesium, which seem to be everywhere these days.
The episode opens with cathartic insight from two parents who are in the throes of sleep time conundrums, then segues into tips from Dr. Stan Sonu from our Strong4Life team. Dr. Sonu draws from his experience as a pediatrician and a dad to tackle questions he regularly hears from parents. Whether you captain a ship with toddlers, elementary schoolers, teens or all of the above, this episode offers insight you don’t want to miss.
Dr. Stan Sonu, Medical Director for Child Advocacy
Dr. Stan Sonu provides support for Strong4Life, Atlanta Legal Aid and the Health-Law Partnership (HeLP)—a collaborative between Children's and Georgia State University. He also serves as an assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at the Emory University School of Medicine, where his research interests include prevention of adverse childhood experiences and trauma-informed care education. Additionally, Dr. Sonu provides direct care for patients at the Primary Care Clinc at Hughes Spalding Hospital. In his free time, you can find Dr. Sonu drinking good coffee, reading a book, and spending quality time with his wife and two elementary-age kids.
Kelly Thompson, mother of three teens
Kelly was blessed with relatively easy sleepers when her kids were younger. Then they became teenagers and—bam!—everything changed. With the onset of puberty, she watched each of her kids slowly morph into a night owl, sometimes staying up until the wee hours of the morning. Kelly asks Dr. Sonu how hormones affect sleep cycles and what’s within the range of “normal” with teens.
Tina Byrnes, mother of two elementary schoolers
Tina’s son and daughter have a lot in common, but not when it comes to sleep habits. She and her husband have been entrapped in a years-long struggle to help their daughter fall asleep and stay asleep. Conversations about being afraid of the dark, complaints about sleep being “boring” and creative delay tactics often give way to the pitter patter of little feet by early morning. Tina asks Dr. Sonu about sleeptime aids like melatonin and magnesium, and shares helpful insights about how her family tackles the challenge of having kids with very different sleep needs.