I write a lot of baby books. Which means I spend a lot of time researching babies. I don't have to go far though. I come from a family with eleven children and right now my nieces and nephews are becoming parents. There's always a baby to observe and a new mom ready to answer technical questions.
This month, though, my sisters, nieces and I were discussing sleeping habits of kids. One of the hardest things to do is get your kids to accept that it's bedtime.
In our discussion we came up with five things that will help at bedtime.
1. Set a regular time. And stick to it. My oldest son liked going to bed early. So when his sister came along, she saw him going to bed at 6:00 and must have figured that was normal because she never fussed, simply got her blanket and followed suit. When child #3 came along, he also saw the bedtime ritual and followed his brother and sister to bed at 6:00. I'm sorry to say that didn't last past elementary school. (My kids were the most rested in their classes! LOL) But it does prove that systems and structure work! Set a time, stick to it, and make it appear as "normal" as possible. Six is ambitious! (And I was lucky.) But eight or eight-thirty isn't!
2. Have a ritual. Picking up the toys, then having a snack, kissing daddy (or mommy goodnight), getting a bath, putting on pj's sets the mood for your child. Rituals are very comforting. And a comfortable child is a child who will relax and fall asleep!
3. Read a bedtime story. Get your child adjusted to being in his or her room and comfortable by spending a few minutes reading a story. Show him you're not deserting him, but tucking him in for the night. Saying prayers at bedtime is also a great way to ease a child out of his active life and into bedtime.
4. Cut out sugar, caffiene and chocolate hours before bedtime. This eliminates fights over bedtime! A child who isn't revved up on caffiene or sugar may fight a bit, but if he or she has been up for hours they'll be tired enough to drop off. Not so, if they're revved up on caffiene or sugar. Put those things away around three o'clock in the afternoon!
5. White noise can be a comfort to a little mind. I remember one night when I was about six, I couldn't seem to fall asleep. All of a sudden I heard this horrible noise and I was positive a giant cow was on her way to ram down our house. I was terrified! It took me at least an hour to realize my sister was snoring! But by that time I was so anxious and nervous that it took another hour to fall asleep. Children have wonderful imaginations. They see and hear monsters everywhere! A night light and a cd of soothing sounds that block out the kinds of sounds that might awaken their imaginations can be very handy to get a child to relax and fall asleep.
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