I have talked about before in one of my articles which you can find here. It has to do with getting your baby to sleep, but this time, the topic will focus on helping your ‘big’ child fall asleep, every time.
I purposely use the word ‘big’ to refer to any baby that is more than 2 years old. When you have a newborn baby, it is understandable to make sacrifices and be patient while putting the baby to sleep.
But once your baby is more than 2 years old, it’s time to start creating a pattern that will help him stick to a sleep pattern that will probably see him through life.
Ready to learn these tips to help your child who is finding it hard to sleep on time? Let’s go:
1. Avoid caffeinated foods and drinks
My former neighbor’s child who was 4 years at the time had problems falling asleep when everyone else has gone to bed. It became a big concern for her that she took her son to see the doctor. After some questioning, it was discovered that the culprit is the caffeinated soda drink that the boy loves to have at dinner.
She was asked to switch the soda with fresh juice instead. Although her son resisted at first, he eventually accepted the fresh juice. Surprisingly, he started falling asleep few minutes after having his dinner. What a relief for my neighbor!
You should therefore avoid giving your child anything that contains caffeine during dinner. And this means no chocolate and caffeinated drinks for at least 6 hours before night time.
2. Make sure the room is comfortable
If your child’s room is not comfortable to encourage sleep, it might be the reason your child hates going to bed. Always check his room and make sure it is the right temperature before expecting him to fall asleep in it. This also means his nightwear should be comfortable as well.
3. Opt for light meals at dinner
As an adult, I usually have a hard time falling asleep after ‘demolishing’ a heavy meal at night. This is because it will take my digestive system more time to digest the meal. The same thing applies to your child. It’s time you check what you serve him at dinner. Make sure it is light and yet nutritious enough to see him through the night.
4. Stand your ground
If you have a particular time that your child should go to sleep, make sure you stick to it. You may be tempted to give him some leeway from time to time, but if you want to develop a pattern for him, stick to a time. If his sleep time is 8 PM, make sure he is lying on his bed at 8 PM. Don’t fall for those charming eyes of his when he tries to persuade you to give him more time. With constant insistence, he will find himself falling asleep as soon as it is 8 PM.
5. No late night movies or games
In case you didn’t know, allowing kids to watch late night movies or TV games aren’t always very helpful. Some of them might watch movies that are scary and find it hard to go to sleep afterward. And even if they are kid-friendly movies, he might be carried away with the movie and lose hours of sleep in the process.
6. Bedtime stories can help
If you can, you could read an interesting story to your child before he sleeps. It is not only going to be helpful in making him fall asleep but will make your bond stronger. Along the line, encourage him to read the stories out to you. Your aim is teach him how to read himself to sleep which is a better option than watching late night movies.
7. Set up a consistent bedtime routine
You could set up a routine that leads up to bedtime that your child could get used to and help him fall asleep easily. The routine could be taking a warm bath and brushing his teeth before bedtime. It could also be him joining you in washing the dishes after dinner. Just think of anything you too could do that is fun and tiring that will help him fall asleep easily afterward.
8. Avoid tucking in with him
When babies are still tender, it can be tempting to share the same bed with the baby. But as they grow older, this habit may be counterproductive. Resist the urge to sleep on the same bed with him. Let him lie on his bed and stop allowing him sleep on your bed. It’s better he goes through it now than later in life when it might be very difficult to stop.
9. Empower him with tools
This trick may sound funny but it has helped some kids fall asleep peacefully. If your child is afraid of sleeping alone, get his a teddy bear and see if it helps. You could tell him that the teddy bear will not allow the bedbugs bite him. You could also try giving him a flashlight or leaving his door slightly opened.
A mum whose son was always afraid of monsters attacking him when it’s time to sleep found a trick that worked. She filled a spray bottle with green colored water and left it on her son’s bedside. She called it ‘monster juice’ and made the son believe that the juice was going to put off monsters should they attack. With that assurance, the child was able to go to sleep peacefully believing he has a monster juice that would deal with any monster that dared to come close.
These 9 tips will get your child developing a sleep pattern that he can stick to and fall asleep easily.
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