Solving Kids’ Sleeping Problems

Most parents will agree that part of having kids is getting woken up in the middle of the night, or early in the morning! But while a few wake-up calls here and there are perfectly normal, constant sleep problems can quickly become an issue, hurting both you and your child’s sleep. There’s no need to keep suffering and worrying though – here’s everything you need to know about solving sleeping problems for good. They won’t go to bed The only way to get your tot to sleep is to be consistent. First, you need to set a bedtime you want them to adhere to – a definite thing to do if they’re going to sleep very late. Each night, let them know it’s bedtime half an hour before, having no screen time and only doing calmer, quieter activities in the hour or two up to and during this wind-down period. Each week, bring the bedtime back five to fifteen minutes until you get it to where you want it to be. If you read with them, keep story time short, and give them a comforter or favourite toy to sleep with to help them feel at ease. A beaker or glass of water within reach can also be a good idea, and a night light, if they are afraid of the dark. If your child gets up in the middle of the night, calmly and quietly take them back to bed – don’t stay up with them for longer or read to them again – and most of all, be persistent. They won’t sleep without you If your child is finding it hard to adjust to sleeping away from you, then chances are you’ll have to establish a routine when they go to sleep. In essence, let your child know that you’ll come back and visit them every five minutes, returning on the dot to give them a kiss or a stroke on the head. If there’s any problem, you can sort it, and eventually they should fall asleep. With each passing week, increase the increment of time by a few minutes until they feel at ease enough to sleep without you. They take a while to get to sleep Not nodding off quickly enough can be down to a few different things. Firstly, it might be because your child is having too many naps during the day – particularly in the late afternoon. If this is the case, reschedule naps for 10am (45 minutes) and 1pm (up to two hours), or two hours at 1pm for toddlers who nap once during the day. Alternatively, the problem might be that they don’t have a consistent sleep routine, in which case, follow the tips in the first section above. They have bedtime fears or nightmares As a child’s mind develops, their budding mind can start imagining scary things, either in the form of night terrors or nightmares. Night terrors – where a child may scream, thrash and get out of bed, but has no recollection of their dream in the morning – should be dealt with by waking up your child after the activity has passed, then letting them go back to sleep. They can be caused by simply having more deep sleep (being tired or on certain medications, for example) or being awoken from a deep sleep. A family history of sleepwalking or night terrors can also be the culprit. Nightmares, on the other hand, can be recalled by a child, and may wake them up. They’re usually caused by experiencing a scary situation, watching spooky films, or feeling anxious or afraid about something in their lives – have a chat to them and try to work out what might be troubling them, and don’t let them watch films or read books that have scary themes, especially before bedtime. They get up too early in the morning Toddlers are particularly sensitive to light in the morning, and as any parent knows, will happily get up between six and seven. The trick here is to try and get them to go back to sleep, explaining to them that it’s not time to get up yet, and that they can quietly play until you come and let them know when the right time to get up is. If it becomes an issue, investing in blackout curtains or altering when your child goes to bed – moving their nap time and bedtime forward slightly – might also help. Getting your child to sleep better is really important for their wellbeing and development, and there are all sorts of things you can do to promote a positive sleeping environment – click here to view our guide on creating the perfect space to sleep. Images: ©iStock.com/Yuricazac, ©iStock.com/Choreograph.