Parenting Services May Be an Opportunity for Improving Bedtime Routines Among At-Risk Preschoolers

Abstract

Several interventions aimed at improving children's sleep behaviors have been successful. However, a less expensive alternative with broader coverage might be for existing parenting programs to incorporate sleep promotion into their curricula. This study examines approximately 1,800 low-income children according to whether their mothers received 5 types of parenting services in the child's first 3 years of life: case management, home visiting, parent–child groups, parenting classes, and parenting support groups. Children whose mothers participated in a parent–child group or parenting class by the child's 10th month of life, or in case management between the child's 11th and 19th months of life, were more likely to have a regular bedtime at age 3. Children whose mother participated in a parent–child group between the child's 11th and 19th months of life were more likely to have a regular bedtime routine (i.e., bathing or reading a story) at age 3. Home visiting and parent support groups were not associated with children's sleep-related behaviors. Further research should explore the potential for integrating sleep-related behaviors into the curriculum for case management, parent–child groups, and parenting classes in children's first 3 years of life.