Sleep. Along with baby bowel movements, it’s one of the topics we find comes up the most in class. We caught up with Lucy from Little Dreams Chelmsford and Colchester to get some top tips on how to get more of those elusive zzzzzz’s.
As a sleep consultant, I have one of the best jobs in the world – helping everyone get more sleep. Whilst there is no magic formula for helping little ones sleep, there are some key things that you can do to help set the right environment and routine to help your little one to sleep soundly and independently.
The sleep tips below are written for little ones between 4 months and 3 years, however most of them can be really helpful for older children as well. To find out more about newborn sleep head to my blog which focuses just on those early days.
Sleep environment
Make sure your little one’s bedroom sets the perfect scene for sleeping. Make it as dark as possible, the right temperature, and check their cot follows the Lullaby Trusts safer sleep advice. Try to avoid lots of stimulation or bright lights, and support a calm and relaxing environment. One of the things we all see in the “perfect” babies room, is a mobile above the cot. Whilst these look lovely, it may actually be keeping your little one awake, so maybe move it above the changing mat so they can play with it (and fingers crossed this will make them less wriggly!)
Bedtime routine
Children thrive on routine, so make sure it is the same every evening. Start with some quiet play and a snack for older babies and children before moving to a bath or wash and getting ready for bed. We then recommend those who have milk to have it before a story or song, and then going into their cot or bed awake. Some massage can be a great aspect to introduce during bedtime as well, and Basking Babies classes are the perfect place to learn these.
Avoid sleep props
We use the term prop to mean anything that a little one needs to get to sleep. As parents, often we do anything we can to help our little ones sleep, so you certainly aren’t the only one who has spent hours walking, singing or rocking their baby to sleep. Little ones who can fall asleep independently tend to sleep better throughout the night. This can be tricky to remove, however it absolutely can be done and can really help babies, toddler, and even older children to sleep more soundly.
Check your timings
Using awake windows can be the difference between a tricky nap and a great night’s sleep. To find out all about awake windows, and what is right for your little ones age, check out this blog. Avoid skipping naps, they will jut make your little one overtired which makes it much harder for them to fall asleep.
Consider an earlier bedtime
It is easy to think that a later bedtime would mean that they will sleep for longer, however the opposite is often the case. If your little one is overtired, they will find it harder to go to sleep, and may wake up in the night, so consider an earlier bedtime. This can also help if you start having mornings that start before 6am!
Sometimes all you need is a tweak to your routine, and this can make sleep look for much beter, however if you need more support, there are sleep consultants all over the country ready to guide you towards a more restful sleep.
