About three-quarters of all babies and small children experience a period in which they suffer from some kind of sleeping problem. So if bedtime is a problem for you and the child, you’re in big company! So there is probably nothing special going on, but if you are concerned you should contact your doctor. Here are three tips that you can use to improve the sleeping behavior of your baby or small child.
Bedtime
Put the baby to bed when he or she is drowsy, but not really asleep yet. This way the child learns to fall asleep on his own. If the baby is able to do this around bedtime, there is a chance that he or she will wake up once or twice a night. But because the baby gets used to falling asleep in his own bed, you don’t have to walk around with him to get him back to sleep. Falling asleep again will be more natural. And you will feel a lot fitter the next day.
Fixed pattern
Establish a regular bedtime pattern. In this way, the child learns to get tired around the same time every day and evening. It is also wise to introduce this predictability at other times in the baby’s life. Security and safety will make the baby more relaxed and will help him grow into a healthy adult. Make sure the baby goes to bed on time. Exhausted babies have difficulty falling asleep.
Rituals
Maintain strict sleep rituals. Start a fixed bedtime routine at an early age. Use a specific system, where three or four activities are always done in the same way. For example, first wash, then put on pajamas and then tell a story or sing a song. In this way you create a predictable series of actions that ensure that the transition from the day’s activities gradually transitions to a calmer pace for the evening.
Finally, a warning: Never give young children a sleeping pill unless you have first explicitly discussed this with your doctor.