Get Your Child to Sleep Through the Night
Everyone with children longs for a good night’s sleep! A good night’s sleep seems to be a very elusive dream for parents of very young children. Most new parents are quite familiar with sleep deprivation and are searching diligently for a secret solution for getting their children to sleep through the night.
To understand how to get your child to sleep through the night, it is important to know several things about sleep. You’ll need to understand what children and adults go through during the process of attempting to sleep so that you can better adjust your life to help your child get a good night’s sleep so that you, too, can sleep well.
Sleep Cycles
The first thing to understand is about sleep cycles. Children, much like adults, have their own sleep cycle. Deep sleep is followed by light sleep about every 90 minutes and sleep cycles transition to almost waking every three to four hours.
Whether a person can return to deep sleep after one of these transitions to almost-waking is dependent upon the kind of self-soothing rituals and behaviors he/she has. For a baby, this might mean finding his/her thumb or pacifier. For an adult, it might mean getting back into one’s favorite go-to-sleep position.
Preparation for Sleep
Preparation for sleep also plays an important role. If the person has a sleep preparation ritual or routine, repeating the routine can be soothing enough to return to deep sleep.
Sleep, like many issues with children, has a developmental nature. Different problems or challenges present themselves at different times.
Waking frequently, waking to eat or go to the bathroom, difficulty in getting to sleep, and sleep interruptions or nightmares are a few of the potential challenges faced by parents of very young children.
How to Create a Bedtime Routine
Most specialists recommend a three to four step process for sleep problems. If your child is experiencing sleep issues and you want to get a good night’s rest, follow the below procedure to create a bedtime routine.
Talk About Goals
The first step is to discuss the goals you have for bedtime routine and sleep patterns for your child with your spouse. It’s imperative that you’re both on the same page in regards to developing and sticking with a consistent bedtime routine.
Establish a Sleep Ritual
The next step for creating a bedtime routine is to establish and follow a sleep ritual routine every night. Perhaps you’ll read a book before bed, then brush your teeth and get pajamas on. Be sure to repeat this same sleep ritual every night.
Try Waiting
Once you’ve tucked your child into bed make sure they’ve already gone to the bathroom and are comfortable. Always plan on waiting a minute or two when your child starts to fuss or cry. This will allow your child to start developing their unique self-soothing habits.
In conclusion, it’s best to be persistent with your goal of getting your child to sleep through the night. You must work together with your spouse to ensure you’re on the same page in how you respond to your child during sleep time. In a few weeks, up to six weeks, of using this bedtime routine, you should be able to have everyone in the home getting a good night’s sleep every night.
If you’re struggling with creating a sleep ritual or a child who simply won’t sleep through the night no matter how much you adjust your schedule then consider joining our Parent Advisor private Facebook group to connect with experts in this field.
Here’s a great resource you can print to help you keep up with your child’s sleep cycle and bedtime routine
Visit our Parent Advisor and The Buzz Blogs to learn more about related topics and parenting tips. You are welcome to join our private Parent Advisor Facebook group. It’s a growing community of parents and preschool teachers where you can learn and share more parenting tips.