A good night's sleep is hard to come by for many parents of small children. Here are some tips garnered from research and years of personal experience.
Try to stick to a routine. Routine often goes out the window when parents have more then one or two children to take care of, but because sleep is so precious for everyone involved, the work of sticking to a routine is worth it. Come up with what works for your family.
Some parents like having bath time at night because it often relaxes children which leads to them falling asleep quicker. There are also special baby soaps, like those including lavender and chamomile, that promote relaxation.
Story time is also a good bed-time ritual. Most children have a couple favorites they like to hear over and over again. Even if children are too young to listen to a story, flipping through the pages with them is a good way to introduce a love of reading.
It is important to make sure your child has had enough to eat before bedtime. Hunger is one of many reasons children will wake up in the middle of the night. Rice cereal or oatmeal are good, filling foods that will stay with a child all night. Make sure you aren't letting your baby fall asleep with a bottle. This habit ensures that your child will learn to rely on a bottle in order to get to sleep. It is also bad for growing teeth. Tracy Hogg, author of "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" suggests the acronym EASY. Eat, Activity, Sleep, Your Time. Feed your baby, have an activity-like a bath, changing a diaper, or reading a book, then lay them down when they are tired, but not asleep.
Many children have a favorite toy, or blanket they like to sleep with. This can comfort them, and help them learn to get to sleep on their own. Some children like to fall asleep to music. Classical music or lullaby's are good for sleep. There are also white noise machines. These are small plug in devices that produce a whirring background sound that blocks out noises from outside the child's room.
Be aware of special needs your child may have. For example, children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), may need a thick, heavy blanket at night. Others may need complete darkness or complete quiet. In Utah we have daylight savings, so in the summer months it is still light outside at bedtime. It is helpful to have dark colored curtains over windows to keep the sun out.
In her book Hogg says, "Truth be told, it is usually adults, not babies, who create difficult situations. As a parent, you must always take the lead. After all, you know better than your baby does!"
For more information: www.babywhisperer.com, What is sensory processing disorder, or spd?, Recognizing and diagnosing spd, The bike lesson, a fun read for parents and kids
Comments
I loved this article, being a mother of 3 I know who important it is to have rules. When I had my first child someone gave me a couple of easy rules we followed and all three children slept in their beds from birth :) check out my website for the do's and dont's - the-problemsolvers.com/668696/category/my-thoughts
Two points: the baby in the photo should really be on his back. It's the only safe way for babies to sleep. Secondly, the use of familiar background sounds (sometimes referred to as white noise) can help babies to sleep. littlesleepyhead.co.uk for one such white noise baby sleep CD which I have a hand in.
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