Night, night Johnnie!
I
t’s important for toddlers and preschoolers
to get 10 to 14 hours of sleep per day,
including naps. But what if getting your
child to sleep is a constant struggle? Here
are some common bedtime troubles and tips
on how to fix them:
Resisting Bedtime
Some children will blatantly refuse to go to
bed, while others will have long, sometimes
elaborate, bedtime routines to buy them as
much awake time as possible. While this can
be frustrating, it is important to see things from
your child’s perspective.
Bedtime can be the scariest part of
the day for your child. Not only are they
separated from the ones they love, but it is
a time when they’re left alone in the dark.
At this age, toddlers and preschoolers are
starting to develop very active imaginations
and they may become convinced that there
are monsters lurking in their room.
To help your child feel more in control of
the transition to bedtime, let him know when
bedtime is approaching. Advanced warning
gives your child time to mentally prepare for
separating from you when it’s time to say
goodnight. If your child requires a long bed-
time routine to get to sleep, you can make
it manageable by reducing the amount of
things you have to do. If you usually read
5 books, have him choose 1 or 2 of his
favorites. If he likes all the stuffed animals in
the room to be strategically placed, have him
pick the 3 best ones to arrange. Your child
may initially protest to these changes, but if
you are loving, yet firm, while maintaining
the spirit of the routine, your child will adjust
over time.
Children who are afraid of the dark
can become more comfortable with it if
you give them a flashlight to explore dark
places, especially during the day. To tackle
the monster issue, give them a bottle of
“monster spray” to banish the monsters if they
appear. Another option is to give them tape
recordings of their favorite stories and songs,
preferably told with your voice, to play if they
get scared.
Waking up — moving around
in the middle of the night
Sometimes, if the conditions children initially
had to get to sleep aren’t there when they
wake in the middle of the night, they will
cry out to get it. Giving them something to
snuggle with, like a teddy bear as big as
they are or a blanket, will help them feel safe
enough to go back to sleep on their own.
If your child has recently moved from
a crib to a big kid bed, she may get up
simply because she can. Children don’t
understand that beds still have boundaries,
albeit invisible ones. When your child gets
up, immediately return her to her bed and
tell her to go back to sleep. Consistency is
key. Creating a sticker chart that rewards her
for staying in bed can help show your child
that sleeping in her own bed is a positive
experience.
If your child has been sleeping in your
bed since infancy, transitioning to her own
bed can be a difficult experience. The best
method to help your child adjust is to put
her to bed and tell her you’ll come back to
check on her in 5 minutes. Follow through
with this promise and keep checking on her,
G M H T O D A Y M A G A Z I N E
MAY / JUNE 2015
waiting for longer intervals between each
visit. Eventually, your child will get bored and
fall asleep.
Trouble with Naptime
With so much fun and excitement going
on during the day, your child may fight to
stay awake when it’s time to settle down. To
help make naptime more inviting, have a
designated naptime area filled with blankets,
pillows, and stuffed animals that soothe your
child. If your child starts fussing when you put
him down, either let him fuss until he learns
to fall asleep on his own, while checking
on him frequently, or promptly pick him up
and play with him for 5 to 10 minutes, then
put him back down again. For children who
don’t need long naps, it’s still important to
designate some quiet time and have them
engage in calm activities.
A child’s temperament plays a huge
part in how they respond to problems and
it is always important to talk to your child
about what she is experiencing. There may
be underlying medical or anxiety issues
preventing your child from a good night’s
sleep. With awareness and understanding of
what your child is feeling, you can turn this
difficult situation into something that will help
your child feel better about herself and much
closer to you.
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