AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
I need to go to sleep now8/15/2023 "Bedtime struggles often result from an inconsistent schedule as parents may be trying to put their children to bed too early (when the child isn't tired) or too late (when the child is overtired)," Dr. If the schedule is constantly changing, it's like flying back and forth across time zones every night the body doesn't know when to fall asleep." A consistent sleep schedule will help a child get sleepy and fall asleep around the same time every day. Lisa Meltzer, Ph.D., a pediatric-sleep specialist at National Jewish Health in Denver agrees: "Sleep schedules are very important for setting our internal clocks. "They need regular naptimes and reasonably regular bedtimes to regulate day and night hormone cycles-and their little hearts and minds need the predictability to feel secure." "You may find yourself stuck there for months and even years!" says West.Ĭonsistency is key with children, especially when it comes to sleep, says West. You can make the transition fun by letting your little one choose their own quilt and sheets for the new bed, but resist the urge to lie down with them at night. But just in case, be sure to childproof the room and consider putting a gate up at the bedroom door so you don't have to worry about your child getting up to explore in the middle of the night. Whichever method you choose, explain to your child that they should not get out of the bed without you. "Then pick the big night where sleep in the bed at night." Once your child is sleeping in their big kid bed for naps and nights, you can remove the crib. "If you can fit the new bed and the crib in the same room, you can start with reading books on the bed or have nap in the bed," explains West. The gradual approach: Start by leaving the crib rail down, with a stool at the side so your child can get out by themselves, and some pillows near the bed in case they fall out.Īnother version of the gradual approach includes both the crib and the new bed.Just be sure to have guard rails on both sides (or if the bed is against the wall, place the rail on the open side). The cold turkey method: Simply remove the crib and replace it with the new bed.If you are ready to transition your toddler to a big kid, West says there are two main ways you can approach the change: Until then, "a crib's sides provide a very useful barrier at a time when your baby cannot understand or obey verbal boundaries (such as 'Stay in your bed')," she adds. "This is a classic mistake parents make," says Faure, who advises not transitioning to a big kid bed until your toddler attempts to climb out of their crib on their own and they are at risk of hurting themselves. The key is to put your child to bed drowsy, but awake (preferably starting between six to eight weeks for healthy, full-term babies) so that they'll learn to self-soothe and get back to sleep each time they wake up. So although you can engage in these activities, you shouldn't let your child fall completely asleep to them. This means that each and every time your baby wakes up-and we all wake up several times throughout the night-they will need you to rock, nurse, swing, or sing them back to sleep. "These are not negative or bad behaviors, but they become a problem-or a crutch-when they're so closely linked in the child's mind with slumber that cannot drift off without them," she says. According to West, as your baby gets past 3 or 4 months, these simple habits become sleep crutches. This usually includes rocking, nursing, walking, swinging, singing, rubbing their back, etc. and you're utterly exhausted, you'll do pretty much anything to get your newborn back to sleep. If you're in a situation with an overtired and overstimulated little one, says Faure, remove them from the stimulation and take them to a quiet space and invest a little more time than you usually would in settling them into a drowsy state. If you can't see those signals, West suggests going to a quiet, dimly lit room and engaging in a gentle activity when you think sleep time is approaching-you just might see the signs start to appear. Keep an eye on your little one throughout the day, and chances are you'll see a pattern develop around when they need to nap and go to bed each night. "Instead, adrenal glands will send out a rush of cortisol, a stress-related hormone that will overstimulate your baby, make 'wired,' and create a second wind." "If you miss your child's 'sleep window,' that natural time to sleep, body won't be pumping out calming melatonin," says West. Some of those cues include eye rubbing, yawning, slowed activity, whining and fussing, and loss of interest in people and play. Babies and toddlers send out signals that they're getting tired and need to go to sleep, says Kim West, author of The Sleep Lady's Good Night, Sleep Tight.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |