Secret #2:
Develop a Bedtime Routine …… and keep to it!
Going to sleep is a habit. And a consistent bedtime routine helps your child develop this habit.
Typically, a good pre-toddler’s sleep routine will go something like this: take a bath, have a bottle or breastfeed, burp, and cuddle a bit until tired (but not overtired), lay in bed while still awake, and sleep.
If your child is a newborn, washing his or her face and hands may replace a full bath. Newborns, especially those under about six to eight weeks old, also may like to be swaddled for sleeping. Some experts think this is comforting because it simulates the tight conditions of the womb. I really don’t know why it works, but it often does.
For a toddler, the routine is a little different. The need for a pre-bedtime feeding is gone. Toddlers also need more mental stimulation, so stories or lullabies are often a good bet.
A good toddler bedtime routine may look more like: take a bath, perhaps a short playtime, brush teeth, tell some stories while sitting in your lap and cuddling, maybe a goodnight song, and lay in crib while tired but still awake.
Whatever you decide to include in your baby’s bedtime routine is entirely up to you ……. A bath is a good starting signal for the routine, some element of relaxed cuddling is helpful, and most of the rest is based on what you need to get done for your child.
Therefore the crux to secret #2 is that when you’ve developed a sleep routine for your child it is VERY important to keep the routine consistent and to follow it night after night after night. This consistent routine will help your child to quickly develop a regular sleep pattern.
One last point. Dimming the lights somewhat as bedtime approaches is extremely important to regulating your child’s biological rhythms. Light is one of the most important external cues that regulates these rhythms, and one study showed that as little as a single 100-watt light bulb at ten feet was sufficient to disrupt sleep patterns in some people.
Secret #3:
Naps
Naps are under appreciated tools in the quest for an easy bedtime. While they obviously don’t happen at bedtime, they can significantly help or hinder your bedtime experience.
The three main points to keep in mind with naps are: how many naps, how long the naps are, and when they occur.
Typically, your child will be napping three times a day up to around nine months to a year old, two times a day until around eighteen months to two years, and once a day until he or she is about three. As the age approaches during which children typically drop a nap, be aware of signs that your child is trying to drop a nap, and follow the cues rather than leading him or her.
A good nap should last at least an hour. A newborn will nap around two to three hours, and this will decrease to around one and-a-half to two hours by six months. By one year of age, when a child is typically napping twice a day, the nap time may be around one to one and-a-half hours a day. This will increase somewhat when the second nap is dropped, and there is often a time when one nap is not quite enough but two is too much.
Naptime should occur at roughly the same time of day. If a nap is too late in the day, your child will have problems falling asleep because he or she is not tired. If it’s too early, baby may have problems falling asleep because he or she is overtired. Typically the naps should be roughly evenly spaced in the daytime hours, so that each block of waking time is similar in duration.
If your child is very far off on any of these standards, naps may be contributing to sleeping problems at night. Most often problems occur from too little napping and an overtired child. If you think this may be a problem, try to make sure that your child is in a stable place each day at naptime (a moving car does not usually result in good sleep). Try to encourage naps in their own crib if possible. If not, use the same place every day.
Many parents find that a simple change in the number of naps, nap length or nap timing can solve a child’s nighttime sleep issues.
Lastly for this secret, naptime can serve as a good starting place for building nighttime sleep patterns. If your child is at home in the daytime, you can start to implement the right sleep habits at naptime before trying them at bedtime.
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