Sometimes getting your little one down to sleep can feel like a struggle. Sleepless nights don’t always end when your child is a baby, with many toddlers finding it hard to get a good rest. If you’ve been having problems then this blog could really help you out.
Whether your child has been having sleepless nights for a while or this is a recent development, these top tips might be just what you’ve been looking for to get them to fall into a deep slumber.
Tips For Getting Your Toddler To Have A Good Night’s Sleep
Start with their bed
Just like Goldilocks, having the perfect-sized bed for your toddler will do a lot for their sleep schedule. If their bed is too small or too big, they could become restless and wake themselves up in the night. It’s also important to pay attention to the quality of their mattress and whether they have too many blankets or not enough. Being too hot or cold is a big reason why children find it hard to sleep, but they might not always be able to articulate why. Sometimes a bit of trial and error is needed to get things right, so don’t assume that the way their bed is set up is perfect automatically.
Have a routine
Getting your toddler to go to sleep at the same time each night can help them to get more hours of sleep. If they’re going to bed too late on the weekends and then having to go earlier before they go to school or nursery, it’s likely that they’ll struggle to fall asleep. It can also help to have the same routine leading up to bedtime, such as having a snack, then a shower and finally reading a book before the lights go out. This will help your kids prepare themselves for sleep each night.
Reduce screen time before bed
While lots of children might want to watch a cartoon before they go to sleep, it’s best to turn off their electronic devices a couple of hours before they go to sleep. The blue light in these devices can make your kids less sleepy, so try to make reading or playing a board game a part of your evening routine rather than watching TV.
Reduce noise and light
Lots of parents play soothing music for their children while they sleep, or keep a night light on until the morning. While this can be comforting for some children if yours isn’t sleeping as well as they should, try to make the room as dark and as quiet as possible. You might not realize it, but these external stimuli could be encouraging your toddler to stay awake for longer.
Speak to a doctor
If your child is really having trouble sleeping for an extended period of time or complaining about night terrors, take them to a doctor. It’s likely to be nothing serious, but a professional opinion can go a long way and might help you nip the problem in the bud.