Gemma Farrar of Little Dreams Bath and Swindon offers advice to parents and carers to learn independent sleep skills for toddlers and children up to the age of 10
When you have a newborn, everyone will tell you ‘the sleepless nights won’t last forever’ and they are right, but they can last a long time, sometimes long into childhood. There are things, however, that you can do to implement good sleeping habits, even from early on, and turn those sleepless nights into dreamy nights.
First of all, be aware of your little one’s sleep needs. Newborn babies need around 14-17 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. This reduces to 11-15 hours when they reach four months, gradually reducing within this bracket until they reach two years old.
When the child reaches three years old, the amount of sleep they need reduces again to between 10-13 hours in a 24 hour period. Once they reach 6-10 years old, this decreases to 9-11 hours.
Finding the right bedtime can be tricky for older children so it is best to work back from the time they need to be awake in the morning. For example, if your nine year old has to wake up at 7:30am, then work back 10 hours from there and be ready to sleep by 9.30pm.
If you are experiencing difficulties with your little ones sleep, here are some of my top tips:
- Consistency is key, children thrive on predictability and routine, so whatever method you choose to help your little one sleep, ensure it is consistent or you may end up with a child who is overtired and does not want to sleep.
- Keep the bedtime routine short, no more than 30 minutes to avoid your little one getting a ‘second wind’ and becoming overtired. Check out my blog on bedtime routines here: A Better Bedtime Routine
- If your child uses a ‘prop’ to help them fall asleep, they may need that prop every time they wake in order to get back to sleep. They need to be able to sleep without relying upon something or you doing something specific to help them fall asleep.
- If your child is napping in the daytime you need to be mindful of the hours they are awake before a nap or bedtime. Too much awake time and the child will become overtired making it difficult to fall asleep, not enough awake time and there will not be enough ‘sleep pressure’ for them to sleep.
- Don’t be tempted to skip a nap as overtiredness will make them more likely to wake throughout the night.
- If your child is not sleeping well, maybe consider an earlier bedtime to try and help their little body clocks adjust to the hours of sleep required for their age.
- The way a child spends their day has an impact on how they will sleep at night. Playing outdoors is a great way to expend energy that may otherwise creep in at bedtime and fresh air always aids sleep. Daylight regulates our sleep-wake cycle, also referred to as our ‘circadian rhythm’. The sun’s light waves help to regulate alertness during the day.
- We want to make sure that a child’s bedroom is as dark as possible for when they go to bed. This is especially important in spring and summer with mornings and evenings becoming lighter. Investing in a good quality black out blind or gro-blind ensures any residual light that might creep in around curtains and blinds is blocked out.
- Be mindful of any possible sleep disorders. If your child is getting the amount of hours of sleep required for their age and they are unable to wake in the morning without help or are very tired during the day, there may be an underlying sleep disorder and I would recommend consulting your GP.
I have lots more hints and tips on my social media platforms including awake windows, nap transitions, early wake ups and lots more on Instagram. Alternatively, if you would like to book a free and no obligation 15 minute call with me to discuss your little ones sleep and how I can help, please do not hesitate to get in touch.