How to help your child to sleep through the night

This is the “million dollar” question that most parents are so desperate to find the answer to. It is probably the most common question I get asked as a Sleep Coach.

The problem is everything that happens in our lives can affect and impact our human sleep, and that is the same for small people.

Sleep is a complex concept, for most children it requires a lot more thinking than just leaving your child to cry themselves out of exhaustion to fall to sleep.

It is important to have realistic expectations when considering sleeping through the night.

Each child is different and therefore some children sleep through relatively early, for example when just a few months old. Although in my experience this is less common, most children may not sleep through the night without sleep coaching before they are 1 years old and beyond.

Gentle and holistic sleep coaching can gently help to accelerate this process by ensuring that your child has the best opportunity and environment for good quality sleep for now and the future.

There are so many factors that both positively and negatively impact on your child being able to sleep through. Here are my 5 top tips to help your child to sleep through without upset and tears:

 Physical exertion

It is recommended that children under the age of 5 years old are physically active for a minimum of 3 hours a day. This includes all children in this age bracket, including non mobile babies.

Obviously, physical exertion will look different for a very young baby vs a toddler or older child. For example, with a young baby you may focus on bathing, tummy time, baby massage, swimming, reaching and grabbing where appropriate.

Alternatively for older children, physical exertion may mean sitting, crawling, walking, running, dancing, jumping and climbing. Whatever age your child is, I recommend ensuring that your child is physically active for a minimum of 3 hours a day.

Temperature

Room temperature is key for helping your child to fall asleep. In the UK, the ideal room temperature is 16-18C (60-64F), this is both for sleep safety and for promoting good quality sleep. The recommended temperatures in your country may vary, please refer to your country’s sleep guidelines.

The room is better cooler with your child dressed in appropriate layers, especially in the evening at bedtime. This is because in the early evening humans have a rise in core body temperature, but for sleep to be triggered we need a dip in temperature. Which is why most humans find it difficult to fall asleep in a hot room.

Have a check of room temperature to ensure you are optimising your child’s sleep.

 Self regulation

 

Parental self regulation is an area that is often overlooked. This is how you feel about your child’s sleep or lack of it.

For example if you are feeling low, anxious, frustrated, resentful, angry in general about your child’s sleep challenges and/or when you trying to help your child to sleep, then it is unlikely that your child will be able to fall and stay asleep.

This is due to emotion contagion and the fact that your child needs you to co-regulate in order to relax to sleep. All emotions are normal and acceptable, however I recommend you use strategies to lower the intensity of negative emotions for the sake of your own wellbeing and for your child’s sleep. You may find some first steps strategies in How to feel happier when you are exhausted.

Bedtime routine

The purpose of a bedtime routine is to allow your child to understand the difference between night and day, whilst giving them the opportunity to unwind ready to fall and stay asleep.

Bedtime needs to be around 30-45 minutes depending on the age of your child, and should be consistent, calm, and connected. I recommend that the elements of your bedtime happen at the same time and in the same order every evening. Unsure whether you have the ideal bedtime routine, then download my free bedtime guide.

Reduce overtiredness

 If you child is waking before midnight and/or taking 5/10 minutes to fall asleep at nap and bedtime, then it is possible some of their night wakings are due to overtiredness. I recommend looking at the timing and length of your child’s nap and bedtime. For further tips on this, take a look at Does my toddler need to nap? How much does my baby need to nap? 

There are my 5 top tips on how to help your baby to sleep through the night.

 Exhausted & Drained?

Feel like you have tried everything to help your child sleep & don’t know what to do next? I can help! Book your free sleep consultation to find out how.