Clinical Tool
Sleep Diary
Instructions. Write F to mark the last time food was eaten. Write R when the bedtime routine is started. Place ✱ when you bid your child goodnight. Draw an up arrow (↑) at wake time and a down arrow (↓) at sleep-onset time. Next to the down arrow, write P if your child fell asleep with parental presence or I if your child fell asleep independently. Next to the up arrow, write P if your child was woken by parent or alarm, or I if your child woke up independently. Write the specific time (e.g., 9:30) next to each arrow. For naps, use the same arrows and write the specific times. Shade in the times when your child is asleep; leave blank the times when your child is awake.
Mark legend
FLast food/drink. Write the time.
RBedtime routine started. Write the time.
✱You bid your child goodnight. Write the time.
↓Sleep-onset. Add P (with parent) or I (independent) and the time.
↑Wake-up. Add P (parent/alarm woke) or I (woke independently) and the time.
Shade hours asleep. Leave awake hours blank. Use arrows + times for naps too.
Tool:
Shade mode: click or drag across an hour cell to fill 15-minute blocks (asleep). Click again to clear.
← swipe to see all 24 hours →
Date / Parent
6 PM
7
8
9
10
11
12AM
1
2
3
4
5
6AM
7
8
9
10
11
12PM
1
2
3
4
5 PM
Example
F8:21
R8:52
✱9:35
↓P10:18
↑I12:30
↓P1:10
↑I7:32
Sleep notes
Context for the week
A few prompts that help us interpret the diary
Where and when did naps happen? Crib, car, stroller, couch?
Instructions given, whether your child cooperated, any problem behavior (tantrum, refusal), how long it lasted, what you did.
TV, snacks, toys, crying, calling out. How often and how long. What you did.
Own bed alone, own bed with parent, couch, parents' bed. Minutes spent out-of-bed or in-bed-not-alone.
Calling out, crying, getting up. How long, how many times, what you did in response.
Illness, travel, schedule changes, daycare days, new sibling, new room, medications.