5 Tips to Help your Child get a Good Night's Sleep.
1. Bedtime routine:
The bedtime routine should be no longer than 30 minutes and include cues to your baby that it’s nearing bedtime. A bath, story and brushing teeth are examples of what these cues may include. A bath is a particularly great way to start bedtime as it’s usually enjoyable for the child and as it’s a different experience to the rest of the day; it signals it’s the start of the bedtime routine. The most important step is putting your baby in their bed or cot AWAKE.
2. Early bedtime:
A common myth is the later the baby goes to bed, the more likely they will sleep through the night and the later they will wake in the morning. This is not the case. A baby can very quickly become over tired and an age appropriate bedtime, usually around 7:00pm, is best for the baby. The baby is likely to have a worse night’s sleep if they are over tired and will likely wake at the same time in the morning. Babies need 11-12 hours of sleep per night (until they are about 10 years old) so a typical sleep time would be 7pm until 7am.
3. Consistency:
Baby’s love consistency as it helps them understand what’s going to happen next in their day. You should aim for the day time nap schedule, bedtime routine and bedtime to be the same every day.
4. No sleep props:
Babies need to learn to fall asleep without sleep props such as feeding, pacifiers, rocking and patting, otherwise, every time they have a natural wake in the night, they will need this prop to fall back asleep, rather than putting themselves back to sleep. This usually involves parent intervention several times a night. It is important for children to develop healthy sleep skills so they can fall asleep independently.
5. Day time routine:
An age appropriate day time routine, which involves set nap and feeding times, are important for your baby or toddler. It helps them to regulate their body clock and they enjoy the consistency. It also allows the parent/caregiver to plan their day around feeding and naps.
I’d love to be able to help you and your little one sleep better. So if you have any questions about what you’ve just read, please feel free to get in touch! Book a Discovery call today
