When a toddler or young child is awake at night, it means that mom and dad are awake too. Therefore, it is important for everyone’s physical and mental health to put a plan in place to ensure that a child sleeps until morning. Let’s go over a few ways that you can accomplish this goal.
Make Sure Your Child Naps During the Day
Research has shown that children who sleep well during the day are more likely to sleep well at night. You should ensure that your son or daughter has a soothing and relaxing environment in which to rest in the middle of the day. Ideally, your child will nap in his or her own bed. Take into account that just like you want to sleep in a comfortable bed, make sure the mattress your little one sleeps on fit’s their sleep needs.
Check for Health Issues
It is also important that you rule out any health issues that cause difficultly sleeping or stay asleep. For instance, your child could have a fever, a sore tooth or other maladies that make resting comfortably a difficult task to handle. In addition to diagnosing any health issues, a pediatrician may be able to provide more insight into helping your son or daughter sleep through the night.
Don’t Provide Extra Attention at Night
Although it can be alright to be flexible when it comes to where your child naps during the day, you should set strict rules about sleeping at night.
Get Into a Bedtime Routine
Consistency and boundaries tend to help children develop good habits whether it comes to sleeping at night or anything else that you want them to do. A typical bedtime routine should consist of a toddler eating dinner, taking a bath and brushing his or her teeth. This minimizes the chances that he or she will wake up needing to eat, to use the bathroom or for any other reason. Ideally, the bedtime routine will take place at roughly the same time each night so that it has a better chance of working.
Keep Light to a Minimum
It isn’t uncommon for younger children to be afraid of the dark. However, you shouldn’t allow your son or daughter to sleep with a light on. Doing so can reduce the quality of rest that he or she will get throughout the night. Instead, buy a nightlight that provides a gentle glow through a limited area such as by the bedroom door. You can also put a nightlight in the hallway to help calm your toddler when it’s time to go to sleep or stay asleep.
There are a myriad of reasons why a toddler won’t stay asleep at night, but it doesn’t mean that your little guy or girl can’t learn how to do so. By incorporating a few minor changes, there is a good chance that your kid will learn how to get the rest that he or she needs.
Photo by Leo Rivas on Unsplash
