Many parents experience that there are problems with the child around bedtime and sleep. It drains your energy if you have to use too much effort to get the child to sleep. Perhaps you have a specific problem right now, or you would like to prepare for an upcoming child. Below you will find 4 typical problems in and around the child's sleep that you can correct if it has already gone wrong.
1) The child will not sleep if the parents are not in the room
There comes a time when your child needs to learn to sleep without your presence. It is a big change when the child is used to having you nearby, which has always provided enormous security. It can be incredibly frightening to suddenly lie alone in a room, even though the little one is aware that you are just on the other side of the wall.
What can you do to make the bedtime routine a little easier in this case? You probably don't want your child to cry until sleep takes over.
Is there a teddy bear that your child always wants to have with them? Every time you go out for a walk with the stroller, he or she points to this specific stuffed animal that has been left in the play corner. It is the same teddy bear that your child would be completely unhappy to lose in a supermarket.
If there is such a teddy bear in your child's life, it may help to make it a regular part of the evening routine when it's time to sleep. It can provide the missing security. If the teddy bear is not already part of most situations in daily life, you should also start ensuring that. This way, it becomes a habit and a source of comfort.
2) The child is wide awake in the middle of the night
It is not always that there are only problems when your child is to be put to bed – perhaps the consequence of bad bedtime habits only shows up in the middle of the night.
At 2 AM, you are in your deepest sleep. Here, the little one unfortunately chooses to be as fresh as a daisy and wants mom or dad to be at the same level. The problem is... you are NOT at all. What can you do to correct this annoying sleep pattern that takes all your energy away?
The solution may be quite obvious. What you can do is put your child to bed a little later than you usually do. It doesn't have to be very much at a time. That is to say, you shouldn't start by pushing the routine an hour later. Instead, you should only adjust by 10 minutes at a time. You can do this six times, and suddenly the bedtime routine has shifted an hour, but with a smooth transition.
3) The child wakes up from small noises
Everyone can wake up from an ambulance roaring past the house, or a dog barking at a stray cat. Peace be with that. But perhaps your child wakes up from the smallest sounds that can be in the home. It could be you going to the bathroom, or a sibling dropping a fork on the kitchen floor.
This is most likely due to the fact that small children alternately sleep lightly and deeply during their sleep. It is fairly consistent when they sleep deeply and when they sleep lightly. Therefore, you should try to notice when your child wakes up. During that time, you should then try to be extra cautious.
In this way, you can reduce the number of times you need to go in to the little one to get him or her to sleep again. The best sleep for your child is also the one that is without too many interruptions – we know this from ourselves.
4) The child absolutely does not want to go to bed
Some children prefer to avoid their bed and sleep altogether. This can turn into a really unpleasant routine for both of you, where you have to scold, and the child cries. It should preferably be stopped as soon as possible, so it doesn't become a time of day that you come to dread.
Why does your child fear the bed so much? It could be because you have inadvertently used a phrase like: 'If you don't behave properly, then you will go to bed!' It may seem completely harmless, but your children will take it to heart. Suddenly, the bed becomes negatively charged.
You can fix this by saying positive things about the situation when it's time to go to bed. For example, you can say how nice it will be to go to bed, and how lucky the child is. You can also exclaim: 'Oh, how lovely it is to be tucked under the blanket,' as you give the child their blanket. This way, it becomes a pleasant feeling to go to bed.
5) Bonus - create security around bedtime
Basically, many sleep problems often stem from the fact that the bed is not a safe and cozy place. Therefore, it can be beneficial to invest in a baby nest or a good bed bumper - it creates security and extra coziness around the bed when it’s time to tuck in.
