Since day one, sleep poses itself to be the hardest task parents have to deal with. During the first couple of months, newborns don’t yet have an internal biological clock that helps them differentiate between day and night. They go through physiological and psychological changes that make them resist sleep patterns or any patterns at all. However, having a fixed sleep time is necessary for their health and growth, and it can be a doable task if parents equip themselves with a bit of patience.
Babies start to have some kind of a sleep pattern after they aresix months old. During their first year, they need to get around 13 hours of sleep, 11 of which should be during the night.
According to specialists and based on parents’ experiences, there are someeffective methods that can helpyour babyhavea regular sleep cycle. Before attempting to tackle the issue, you need to make sure that your child doesn’t have any reasonspreventing him from sleeping soundly as they might be feeling pain, wearing something tight or uncomfortable, feeling cold, hot, or hungry.
Let’s also agree that maintaining sleep patterns is a gradual process that takes longer thanexpected. If your child is used to stay up late at night, try to make them sleep 15 minutes earlier every passing day until you get to the desired time. Babies love daily routines, socreate them a certain routine and have bedtime rituals like telling them a bedtime story, singing them a lullaby, and dimming the lights. Make sure you don’t start this routine while they are sick, travelling, or teething.
It is also important to try to determine your child’s sleep and nap timesand communicate them to the nursery to help us coordinate with you. At Little Academy Nursery, we believe we have a shared responsibility with the parents,sowe try to maintain the sleep patterns of each child in a way thattheir needs are met.
Day naps are so important for the health of your child, but they have to be taken before 3:00 in the afternoon. At our nursery, we specify a certain napping period for each age group as the younger children get longer or shorter breaks depending on their needs. However, the older one have one resting period during the day.
To help you stabilize your child’s sleep patterns, it is vital you don’t burden their stomach with a greasy dinner. It is also important that they don’t consume a lot of liquids in the evening. Take them to the toilet before so their sleep won’t be disrupted by the need to go after a few hours. Also, alertthem when sleep time gets closer to mentally prepare them and avoid surprises.
Spare yourself unnecessary tantrums and take all these steps with a calm attitude, so contain your nervousness and never shout at them to get them to their beds. Children need to feel safe and loved to sleep soundly and peacefully. Take care of their sleep and you’ll enjoy your good night sleep in return.