Many parents say their kids still have trouble going to sleep at night despite their best efforts. Kids’ sleeping habits and attitudes change as they grow up. Their perception of sleep may change, which can cause them to resist going to bed. This can be extremely frustrating.

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There are many things that may affect your child’s sleep. These include his or her physical and emotional environment, level of activity, amount of screen time, and diet. You are probably fed up of going over it again and again to figure out what the issue is. Timing and the child’s experience of bedtime are two major factors that can affect sleep. So, let’s have a look at some of the things you can do to help you child with a good bedtime routine: 

Creating The Right Bedtime Routine 

Many of the difficulties may disappear if you handle bedtime before your child is overtired, and if you nurture their sleep pattern so that they are confident and motivated to get the sleep that they need. 

The key to a successful bedtime schedule is knowing your child’s sleep needs. You may also need to look at things like how to help child with asthma sleep.  Subtle changes take place between the ages of two and three, so your child may go from needing a daytime nap to not needing sleep during the day at all. Don’t worry though, they will get all the sleep that they need during the night. 

Get Rid Of Day Time Naps 

When your child adjusts, you may need to delay bedtime by gradually shortening naps so that they no longer interfere with sleep but are still necessary. Most young children need a nap until they are closer to three years old, and it can take a little bit of balancing to get this just right. Every child is different, therefore, your child may need to cut them altogether or just have a shorted day time sleep. 

Recognizing and appreciating your child’s originality and personality is crucial to his or her success in establishing and maintaining a regular sleep routine. When your child reaches the age where they no longer need naps, you may find that bedtime becomes less of a struggle. Yet, it’s important to remember that earlier bedtime is usually necessary when children don’t nap.

Create A Nice Bedroom 

Your child’s input is critical to the effectiveness of new sleep routines and any changes you may need to make to your child’s sleep once they are able to communicate with you.

Important choices, like as where your child will sleep, need to be made before you set off on this adventure. Give kids a sense of control over their personal sleeping area by naming their bed or cot and decorating their bedroom. Let your child to have input into the room’s layout, including where furniture will go and, if possible, the duvet’s colour and pattern. At the end of the day, everyone has a space in their room where they feel more comfortable to drift off. For example, your child may feel more comfortable with one side of the bed against the wall or when they are able to see the bedroom door from their bed. 

A bed area in the bedroom is a good idea. Make it  clearly recognizable by a few key details like a plush area rug and scatter cushions. Your child will have the smoothest transition into bedtime ever if they have their favorite books and toys right here with them. A timed lamp to turn on at the end of the night-time ritual, marking the transition from getting ready for bed to really falling asleep.

Spend Non-Sleep Time In Their Room

With your child’s help, make a storyboard or a photo book that shows the bedtime routine that they need ot follow. This will help by giving them clear instructions and guiding them with the best routine.  Show them which task need to be done and in what order. 

Use both words and pictures to explain to your kid how we get ready for bed. For instance, the kitchen is where we eat dinner, the bathroom is where we take a shower, and the bedroom is where we get ready for bed.

How Long Should The Bedtime Routine Be? 

20-30 minutes is the sweet spot for a relaxing nightly ritual (this is additional to your bath time). Focusing on retiring to bed and bidding farewell follows a natural progression and is therefore a logical choice. The habits that bring you closer to bedtime should be planned: 

• Enter the bedroom, shut the curtain, and turn down the lights to help your child change into their pajamas.
• Use lots of touch and eye contact to connect. Spend time with your kid by reading aloud, singing songs, chatting, and asking them to list three things they enjoyed today and two things they’re looking forward to tomorrow.
• Make sure you’ve finished what you need to before bed so it’s clear when you’re done.

Remember A New Routine Will Take Time 

It takes some time for the benefits to become evident, as is the case with the majority of the adjustments that parents make. In many cases, the process will involve reevaluating the “timing” of bedtime in order to ensure that your child is exhausted enough to actually go to sleep or refining what you do during your bedtime routine in order to reduce stalling; however, you will need to exercise patience throughout the process. Be compassionate to yourself as you continue on your road toward getting your child to sleep. Although it may be difficult, there is always a chance for you and your child to work together to support their natural sleeping patterns.

 

Hopefully, these tips will help you to establish a better sleep pattern and bedtime routine for your children. Do you have any other tips that could help? Please share them in the comments below.