More Zzzs Please: 6 Tips to Help Improve Your Child’s Sleep
Introduction:
Hi Exceptional Parents! It’s me, Dr. Eboni. Let’s chat about some ways to help improve your child’s sleep which in turn, may help improve your entire family’s sleep. Many children, at least 25% of children, experience sleep challenges during their childhood and/or adolescence. Adequate sleep is essential for your child’s healthy development and behavior.
Sleep is a huge deal in many households, including my own! As a mother of a 2-year-old, our family is in the thick of it right now! Many of you likely have heard: “I don’t want to go to sleep!”, “I’m not tired!”, “I don’t want to sleep in my bed!” and the list goes on and on!
I’m saying all that to say that you are not alone! The struggle is real, very real my friends! There are a few things I’d like you to keep in mind before going into some tips to help improve your child’s sleep.
The first is that sleep truly is a developmental skill much like walking and talking. It takes practice and consistency to get good at it! The amount of sleep that a child needs varies by age with newborns requiring the most and teens the least. Also keep in mind, that young infants aren’t developmentally ready to sleep for long stretches until they are about 5 months of age. It is important to understand what is expected for a child’s age, as well as what is expected for their developmental level and their personality and temperament.
Why is getting adequate quality sleep so important??? Well, without it, you child may have increased irritability, crankiness, tantrums, and it may also impair their learning, attention, and concentration. This can be so much of an issue that behaviors resulting from lack of sleep can look a lot like ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)!
Also, if one child in the family is having difficulty sleeping, that can lead to disrupted sleep for parents and siblings. Uh oh! The whole house may end up sleep-deprived! Lastly, impaired sleep can increase family stress and distress and lead to an overall decreased quality of life for everyone. That is why sleep is so important!
Here are 6 tips to help improve your child’s sleep.
You’ll notice that I did not specify if these tips were for infants, toddler, big kids, teens, etc. That is because these tips can help all children improve their sleep.
1. Avoid screen time for at least 1 hour prior to sleep. The blue light put out by screens of cell phones, tablets, etc can interfere with your body’s production of melatonin which is a hormone that helps regulate sleep. Decreased melatonin can make it harder to fall and stay asleep.
2. Avoid late naps. I typically recommend no naps after 3 pm or so. Late naps can disrupt nighttime sleep by making it harder to fall asleep at night.
3. Create a good sleep environment. Ensure that you minimize bright lights, loud sounds, and that it’s not too warm or cool. A comfortable sleep environment can help facilitate better sleep.
4. Don’t try to skip a nap or push back bedtime too late in an attempt to make your child more tired. Some parents do this thinking it may help them sleep better at night. However, this can lead to your child being overtired and disrupt nighttime sleep.
5. Avoid caffeine. Some parents are surprised to hear that the iced tea their child drink with dinner or the chocolate in the cookie they eat for dessert may contribute to their sleep challenges.That’s right! Chocolate contains caffeine and may contribute to sleep woes!
6. Have a consistent and predictable routine in place.
This includes wake time, bedtime, naps, and mealtimes. If your child goes to daycare or a babysitter, be sure to keep his schedule in place at home. All sleep should occur in the same place including bedtime sleep and naps. Use the same routine for naps and nighttime sleep. Consistency is everything!
Every child and every family are different. In general, having consistent and healthy sleep routines in place are helpful to ensure your child and your family are getting enough sleep. I’m wishing better sleep for you and your family!
