With all the hard work you put in your day job, it’s obvious you want to get a shuteye, but with a child who’s a light sleeper, that is challenging. It’s tiring to put your child to bed, especially if they are light or no sleepers. Because if your child doesn’t get sleep, you don’t get to sleep, and that is one big loop that happens, again and again, affecting your entire day.
It’s important to get your child accustomed to healthy sleep patterns; routines and sleep are crucial for their development and growth. There are various ways to help your child sleep better and get plenty of rest so that it doesn’t affect the child’s sleep cycle, as well as yours.
Here are a few things you can do:
Setting an Appropriate Bedtime
School-going children need up to 9-11 hours of sleep, which the National Sleep Foundation started. But kids already have a naturally built sleeping system for themselves. Some of them can still wake up early even if they sleep late, and some don’t even sleep until they are ready.
As parents, it’s important to set a steady sleep cycle that is healthy, and that can get them enough rest and wake up on time.
Setting a Wake-up Time
As much as bedtimes are important, wake-up times are important too. It’s important to set a wake-up schedule so that it helps make your child consistent with their sleep patterns and helps reduce stress for parents in the long run.
However, make sure you are consistent with the schedule, too, your child can have occasional late sleeping and wake up, but not every time, or it could ruin the entire cycle.
Keeping a Bedtime Routine
Keep a routine for your child, like, brushing teeth before sleeping and a bedtime story, and then sleep. When the child follows this routine repeatedly, the body starts getting ready for sleep, and the child automatically starts sleeping at the given time.
However, this change doesn’t happen overnight. The child and parent must keep doing this routine consistently to get proper sleep. In this routine, the body becomes a natural clock.
Don’t Focus on Sleeping
When you are trying to put your child to bed, you can’t force them to sleep; otherwise, they won’t sleep and be more alert than usual. So, try calming tricks on your child instead of trying hard to get them to sleep. When the child is calm, they start feeling tired and fall asleep.
You can try some methods like deep breathing and meditation, or you can even massage their legs for prancing all day in school and at home but be wary that they could associate sleep with the massages and get addicted to it, so you will have to be careful on that part.
Make Sure Your Child Feels Safe at Night
Sometimes, kids don’t like to sleep in their room and would rather sleep with their parents because they’re scared or may have some fear. It’s important to reassure them that they are safe in their room constantly.
Or you can use something that gives assurance like a night guard toy or anything that makes them believe that this will make the monsters or ghosts steer clear of them. Another great option is to keep a night light in the room.
Checking the Noise and Light in the Room
If your child is a real light sleeper, you will want to check anything and everything that could wake them up, especially the light and the noise. If you live in an urban city like New York, the city that never sleeps, there will be obvious noise and a lot of streetlights peeking into your kids’ windows, unless you live in a quiet neighborhood. Although, quiet neighborhoods have streetlights too. So make sure to check that the blinds are closed and close them an hour before your child goes to sleep and not while they are because there is a high possibility they’ll be distracted with something and then take longer to sleep. Check for noise, install noise-proof windows or close the windows altogether so that your child sleeps.
Time Your Meal According to the Bedtime
Putting your child to bed after eating is highly discouraged because the child could feel discomfort with a full belly and won’t fall asleep easily. Also, it could lead to indigestion, making your kid feel sick. Try to have early dinners, so there is a time gap between dinner and bedtime for the food to digest.
A one-and-a-half-hour gap between dinner and bedtime would be a great option for your child.
See Also: Tips for Getting Your Kids to Eat Healthier
Keep Naps Short
Make sure your child sleeps less during his naps. If they sleep more during their naps, their body won’t feel tired to Sleep at Night and end up staying late to sleep off.
Another thing is, even if you are putting your child to sleep for their naps, make sure they take their naps early so that they’ll have enough time to play around and get their body tired to sleep for the Night
Look for Sleep Disorders
Even after everything, if your child still has trouble sleeping, you might want to show them to a professional. There could be a possibility that your child could be having sleep problems, and it should be diagnosed immediately before it affects your child in the long run and even you as parents.
You can always talk to your pediatrician, and they can refer you for help or any sleep consultants.
Conclusion
Sleep is important for kids when they are growing up, and many factors can encourage the child to have a healthy sleep cycle and overall development. Though initially, it can be tough to get them accustomed to the right sleeping pattern, it will help parents and children in the long run and can avoid mental or physical-related health problems.
FAQ
How do you get a three-year-old to sleep through the Night?
Get them accustomed to a routine like a good bedtime story or keep a calm environment that will help them fall asleep, reassuring your child that they’re safe.
What foods make toddlers sleepy?
Foods like pistachios, nut butter, cheese and crackers, oatmeal, and cherries promote sleepiness and help your child sleep better.
At what age should a child sleep alone?
A child should start sleeping alone around the age of 2 and a half or three years old.
Why is my child afraid to sleep alone?
Children usually suffer from daily anxieties like separation from parents at school or homework, or it could even be fear of sleeping in the dark. Because of this, children prefer sleeping with their parents to feel safe.
How to make your child sleep comfortably?
You can fill the child’s bed with their favorite toys or blanket they sleep in. These things usually create a safe space for kids, and they sleep better with their things around.
