Yes, it may seem like an impossible feat to get toddlers to bed, and the word “mombie” may come to mind to those who have had to wrangle a toddler into a good sleeping routine in the past. But with a few tips and tricks from child behaviour specialists, child therapists and Mom’s ready to share their successes, both you and your toddler be sleeping through the night in no time!
For children, sleep is much more important than you may think. Most kids between 5 and 12 get about 9.5 hours a night, but experts agree that most need 10 or 11 hours each night. Sleep is an individual thing and some kids need more than others. Not only does it aid in growth, it also promotes sleep, helps the heart, boosts learning and beats germs.
Fed up with failure, blogger “Mommyshorts.com” took up an offer from a reader named Erin, who was in fact a certified sleep consultant. What she learned was eye opening. Here are a few of the tips Erin gave for every normal sleep problems parents face with toddlers.
- Honor your child’s biological clock. Does your toddler wake up at 5:30 am like clockwork? You need to wake up with them too. Even if you don’t throw back the covers and immediately turn into Supermom, it’s better than the kicking and screaming they’ll no doubt have if you don’t pay them attention until YOU feel like it. Find a quiet activity for them to do, and try to stay away from television!
- Keep naptime consistent in time and the way you put them down, regardless of the day of the week so they can begin recognizing a sleep routine. Surprisingly, bedtime routines should be no later than four hours after their last nap.
“We officially started TODDLER SLEEP REHAB on Monday,” she writes on her blog. “Erin says to expect it to take four to five days before Mazzy starts to get with the program.”
For the rest of the tips, head on over to mommyshorts.com!
Another important factor in your toddler’s sleep is including your child in the plan, don’t leave them in the dark! Blogger sleepbabylove.com reached out to numerous women in multiple fields for toddler sleep advice. Certified sleep consultant and writer of the blog, brought up one of the most basic components that many many not be practicing.
“Don’t start anything until you’re ready and have a solid plan in place,” she writes. “Think about these questions: What happens when your child wants to read 6 books? What happens when your child yells for 20 more hugs? What happens when your child gets out of his bed? Does your child really understand what will happen at night and will they trust that you will follow through with what you say? So many parents start something but once the going gets tough they stop since they haven’t considered all the scenarios and they just go back to the path of least resistance.”
For the rest of the tips, head on over to sleepbabylove.com!
Remember: one of the most significant reasons your child needs to get their sleep, is that it boosts learning. Neuroscientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst taught a group of 40 preschoolers a memory game. Then the kids took a nap (averaging 77 minutes) one week and stayed awake the other week. When they stayed awake, they forgot 15% of what they’d learned. When they napped they, retained everything. The kids scored better on the game not only after they’d just woken up but the next day too.
So no matter how impossible it may feel, know that your toddler getting an ample amount of sleep is so important to their growth! As your child grows, so should their comfortable bed too! Get them awesome sheets and a therapeutic pillow to set them up for success!
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