Helping Children Settle at Bedtime
Most adults take sleep for granted but once they they have children, it may feel like an elusive dream for all family members. Sleep is essential for you and your children, and children ages three to 12 need at least 10 hours of sleep, according to the website, Web MD. Helping them settle at bedtime is important for the entire family and creating and following a routine is required in establishing a regular bedtime and good sleep habits.
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Three B's
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Reading to your child is always a good idea. Bathe your child, brush his teeth and read him a book are the three "B's" before bedtime. Perform this ritual every night to establish a routine. After a few nights, your child understands the routine and your family can get into a bedtime rhythm. The bath relaxes your child, the teeth brushing is essential to oral hygiene, and reading is another way to settle into a quieter mode of activity. Your family may use different activities, such as soothing music or prayers. Whatever you decide, stick to it always in the same sequence to form the routine.
Quiet
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A quiet evening settles a family to sleep. An hour before bedtime should be household quiet time. Turn off television sets, computers or any loud noises. It's hard to settle children who hear loud sounds in the next room. They may feel left out or unable to sleep. Dim the lights and ask everyone in the house to participate in quiet activities, such as reading or working on puzzles. Children transition into their beds easier with this plan.
Sleeping Alone
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Praise your child for staying in bed. If your child wants a parent to stay with her until she falls asleep, ease her into sleeping alone comfortably. Help her choose a soothing toy, such as a stuffed toy or blanket to sleep with. Place a night-light in her room. Promise to check up on her after a specific amount of time. Transition her to sleeping by herself slowly. Stay with her for the first night for 10 minutes and in two days, lessen the time. Slowly stay with your child less and less until she can sleep alone easily. Stick to your plan but be flexible if your child is truly scared to be alone in her room.
Waking Up
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Some children do have sleep problems, such as snoring and trouble breathing. A regular bedtime needs a regular wake-up time, too. This is important on the weekends and holidays when children don't need to wake up for school. Consistent bedtimes and wake-up times are essential in a child's body clock. Also, if your child wakes up too late, then he can't necessarily fall asleep easily at his normal bedtime. Once this happens, his bedtime may drift later and later. Patience and placing an importance on sleep is essential in making sure that you and your children are getting enough sleep. All children have different needs and creating power struggles at bedtime doesn't help anyone. Stick to the routine and the consistency should pay off.
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References
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