Gentle sleep solutions for babies, children and adults
Toddlers are notoriously difficult at bedtime. How you deal with this is important in setting good sleep habits.
Set a consistent bedtime routine so your child has clear sleep cues and knows what to expect next. A good routine can involve a bath, possibly a massage, reading stories together,
There is no doubt that starting your day at 5am is exhausting for everyone. In theory, putting your child to bed later should mean they wake up later in the morning, but that tactic doesn’t work in reality. Putting them to bed later or cutting their daytime naps will make them over-tired,
It is important to remember that whatever your child associates with going to bed at bedtime, she will need in the night to help her get back to sleep. So if you want her to sleep in her own bed through the night, make sure that is where you put her at bedtime.
Listen to Maryanne on BBC Radio Asian Network’s ‘Ask the Guru’ programme. Interesting chat and discussion about children’s sleep issues.
Read an article by Maryanne in ‘The Jewish Chronicle’, in which she dispels some myths about babies’ sleep.
One piece of advice – don’t compare your baby’s sleep with others. Every baby is different and comparing your baby’s sleep schedule will serve only one purpose – to make you question your own parenting abilities.
A baby who is reliant on a parent to fall asleep has developed a dependant sleep association. This may involve feeding, rocking, patting, singing etc.
In order to turn this into a positive sleep association, focus on a consistent, predictable and soothing bedtime routine. The predictability every night will help your baby learn good sleep habits.
What may be causing these wake ups? Babies sleep can be disturbed by many things – teething, illness, a change in routine, approaching their next developmental milestone etc.
Your baby may have been a great sleeper and has now started waking up at night, or maybe he has rarely slept through the night.
