Sleep problems in infants and young children are one of the most common concerns raised by parents. A sleep problem can be defined as any sleep habit that hinders the invigorating nature of sleep or interferes with the sleep of others (Adair & Bauchner, 1993). These sleep problems, particularly nighttime awakenings, can lead to fragmented sleep, a common phenomenon. As a result, this reduced total sleep time may have detrimental effects on cognitive and social development, as well as poor emotional regulation and possible behavioral problems; the links with maternal depression illustrate that the well-being of parents can also be affected (Touchette, Petit and Paquet, 2005). This review will explore “normal” sleep expectations in young children, as well as the influence of parent and child characteristics. These characteristics may be important contributing factors to the development of such sleep problems and, as such, a critical assessment of existing literature and research data will contribute to a better understanding of these characteristics and the underlying influences that cause them. underlie. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay. What constitutes “normal” or adequate sleep in infants and young children is not particularly well defined in the existing literature (Dahl, 1998; Davis, Parker, & Montgomery, 2004). The total amount of sleep required for optimal functioning differs for each individual, making it difficult to conclusively answer frequently asked questions from parents regarding how much sleep their child needs. Davis et al. (2004) provides several physiological measures that can be used to get a general idea of ​​what is considered “normal” sleep. A child sleeps well if he or she has the ability to fall asleep easily at night; this is stated as falling asleep in less than 20 minutes. Other measures include the ability to wake up easily at the usual wake-up time (this “normal” wake-up time varies for each infant or child), as well as not needing to nap during the day. Additionally, children's sleep problems can also be defined in the context of parental expectations (Davis et al., 2004). For example, a sleep pattern involving a child sleeping in and waking up early is not necessarily abnormal, but may be a problem for parents. whose routines are disrupted. It is therefore important to educate parents about what is “normal” in order to avoid unrealistic expectations. One characteristic that persistent findings in the literature suggest has a crucial influence on the development of sleep problems in early childhood is parental involvement. These interactive parental behaviors, such as holding, rocking, or feeding their child, can interfere with the development of the infant's or child's ability to self-soothe (Morrel & Cortina-Borja, 2002). Infants who fall asleep with meaningful parental involvement are more likely to experience longer and more frequent nighttime awakenings, due to the inability to adequately develop their own self-regulation and reassurance skills (Ferber, 1996). Children who experience continued parental interventions throughout the night learn to expect these conditions to be present from the onset of sleep and often seek to reestablish these conditions, thus becoming dependent on these interactions to return to sleep afterexperienced nocturnal awakening (Davis et et al., 2004; Ferber, 1996). Thus, minimal parental involvement during the nighttime settling-in process can promote more consolidated sleep. Additionally, parental presence in the form of co-sleeping or bed-sharing has also been associated with poor sleep habits of infants and children (Mindell, Sadeh, Kohyama, & How, 2010) and hinders their independence (Owens, France et al. Wiggs, 1999). However, many studies in this area have focused on Western cultures (Latz, Wolf, & Lozoff, 1999). These findings also provide multiple avenues for future research, for example to determine the extent to which parental interaction is related to sleep problems, as well as to study cultural differences in terms of parenting behaviors and characteristics. Exploring parental involvement and its effects on sleep consolidation in infants and young children, Touchette et al. (2005) conducted a longitudinal study that examined the factors most strongly associated with fragmented sleep in children, specifically at five, 17, and 29 months of age. Parental reports were used to identify the number of consecutive hours slept by the 1,741 children in these age groups. Feeding the child after waking was the factor most associated with fragmented sleep at five months of age, while parental presence until sleep onset was associated with the 17 and 29 month age groups. One of the main strengths of this study was the quantity of variables measured longitudinally in a large sample of children. However, there were also several limitations, one being that although the study identified factors linked to sleep consolidation in young children, it did not examine the underlying mechanisms. to these factors nor the direction of their influence. Additionally, the subjective nature of parental reports meant that the number of hours slept consecutively could include awakenings, with the possibility of the infant or child waking briefly and falling back to sleep without the parent realizing it. However, Sekine et al. (2002) found a strong correlation between a parent's estimate of their child's sleep hours and objective sleep laboratory data. As such, this study opens many avenues for future research, particularly to determine the extent to which parental interaction is linked to child sleep problems. The transactional model also highlights the role of another characteristic, parental cognitions, which may impact infant and youth sleep. children (Sadeh, Tikotzky and Scher, 2010). Tikotzky and Shaashua (2012) explored early predictors of sleep patterns in four-year-old children in relation to parental cognitions at 12 months. Results revealed that maternal cognitions focused on the idea that infants felt distress upon waking and therefore required direct assistance, were associated with more frequent night wakings at a few months of age, and predicted greater parental involvement at age four. Conversely, maternal cognitions emphasizing the importance of restricting nocturnal interactions predicted more consolidated sleep. Morrell (1999) also explored this cognition regarding difficulty setting limits, as well as parents' doubts about their competence and anger at their child's nighttime demands. These findings provide some clinical implications, particularly in terms of parent education programs that address early parental cognitions and help prevent the development of sleep problems. THE..