Teaching children to sleep through the night has its own challenges. However, if you make an effort to establish a regular, healthy and consistent sleep schedule for your child, and if you've also made preparations about how to deal with distractions that occur in the middle of the night, you will be successful in helping your child to sleep through the night.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Establish a Regular Sleep Schedule
Step 1. Make sure your child's sleep schedule is consistent
It is very important for children to have the same sleep schedule every night with slight variations in sleep time (note that there are special exceptions on certain days, such as on weekends or other special events, so it's okay if the child wakes up 30 minutes later than usual). usually; however, avoid too much variation in sleep time). A consistent sleep schedule can optimize a child's sleep schedule and train his brain to be able to recognize sleep and wake times.
- In addition to a consistent bedtime, you should also make sure that your child has a consistent wake-up schedule as well (the child gets out of bed within 30 minutes of being awakened).
- Sleeping longer on the weekends (days when the child doesn't go to school) is not a good idea, especially if he has trouble staying asleep through the night because he shouldn't oversleep.
Step 2. Have a regular sleep schedule every night
Another step that can be done to help your child sleep through the night is to establish a regular sleep schedule every night. This stage helps children find the right frame of mind before going to bed so that they can increase their chances of being able to sleep through the night without being disturbed. Many parents read a story or two before bed, and bathe their child in warm, comfortable water.
- The important thing about bedtime activities is that you should make your child feel comfortable, and do activities that help your child find a positive frame of mind. For example, you can do activities that can calm the child's mind before putting him to sleep.
- In addition, it would be better if you do activities that strengthen your relationship with the child. Paying attention to your child before bedtime can prevent distractions from occurring at night or prevent crying caused by wanting to be with you longer.
Step 3. Keep your child away from electronic screens before going to bed
Research shows that spending time in front of a screen -- whether it's a television screen, computer, phone, or video game -- deprives the brain of natural production of melatonin (a hormone that helps with circadian rhythm and sleep cycles). Therefore, staring at a screen before bed has been linked to problems experienced when trying to sleep and trying to stay asleep. If possible, try to schedule regular bedtime activities from a young age, such as reading stories together or bathing them.
Step 4. Optimize the child's sleep environment
Make sure the child's bedroom is dark, and install sun curtains or blackout curtains if needed. A dark environment signals the brain that it is time for bed, so a dark environment can help your child fall asleep and stay sound asleep through the night.
- Also, if you live at home or in a crowded area, consider setting up white noise, a sound that contains multiple frequencies of the same intensity that is used to drown out other sounds, or playing recordings that are linked to white noise. in a child's room because it can help drown out sounds that wake a child at night.
- Make sure the room temperature is comfortable for the child -- neither too warm nor too cold.
Step 5. Put the child to sleep when he is sleepy, not when he is very tired
If your child is very tired, he or she tends not to sleep well throughout the night. He may also be missing lessons on the ability to fall asleep quickly as well as the ability to self-soothe. Therefore, it would be better if you put your child to sleep when he is sleepy, and leave him alone when he falls asleep.
- In addition, it is very important not to reduce your child's nap time until he can sleep through the night.
- Contrary to popular belief, reducing naps too early can have a negative impact on children's sleep patterns.
- When your child is able to sleep through the night, you can reduce their nap time from twice a day to once, and from one nap a day to no naps at all; however, make sure you make these changes after your child has been able to sleep through the night undisturbed.
Step 6. Pay attention to the food your child eats before bed
You should not give your child food that contains a lot of sugar before he goes to bed. These foods can trigger a condition called "sugar high", which is a condition when the child has excess energy caused by a spike in the level of sugar in the blood. Therefore, you should try to prevent your child from experiencing this condition before going to bed.
- For this matter, you should also not let the child starve when going to sleep. If he didn't eat enough, he might wake up in the middle of the night starving. Therefore, make sure he gets enough calories before bed so he can sleep through the night.
- Try not to give your child any food 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime (unless the child is a baby).
Step 7. Allow the child to have a close relationship with the stuffed animal
From the age of six months onwards, it is recommended that you give your child a stuffed animal or blanket to accompany him. Stuffed animals have two uses: first, they can accompany a child when he sleeps. Second, the doll makes sleeping a fun activity because she will be accompanied by a "little friend".
Step 8. Be aware of the impact of the second child
Many parents notice that their first child's sleep pattern is disturbed by the presence of a newborn in the house. One of the reasons this happens is because the eldest child feels "secondary" so he has a strong desire to get the attention of his parents and allow him to cry at night. If you are planning to have a second child, make sure the first child has moved into a new bedroom at least two months before the arrival of the new child (do this step if the presence of a newborn makes the eldest child have to move rooms or have to move from the crib to a regular bed).
- You shouldn't make the oldest child feel like his position as the child is being "replaced" by the newborn.
- In addition, while you and your eldest child are still adjusting to the presence of a newborn, make sure you involve the eldest child in the baby's life and adjust the involvement according to his age. This can foster a sense of responsibility in the oldest child and it will still make him feel valued by you.
Method 2 of 2: Dealing with Interruptions That Occur at Midnight
Step 1. Make a plan for dealing with distractions that occur in the middle of the night
If your child wakes up in the middle of the night, it's very important that you (and your partner) discuss plans in advance for how to deal with your child's emotional outburst. Chances are your mind won't be sharp in the middle of the night, so having a plan can reduce the stress you feel. Plus, having a plan ensures that you provide a consistent response whenever your child is having trouble sleeping through the night.
Step 2. Do not take the child to sleep in your bed
When children have difficulty sleeping through the night, some parents take their children to sleep in their beds. This is considered the only way (or the easiest way) to calm him down and help him get back to sleep. However, if you really want to solve your child's sleep problem, having your child sleep in your bed is not a good solution. This will actually create bad sleeping habits because your child gets a reward in the form of sleeping in your bed every time he wakes up in the middle of the night.
Getting your child to sleep in your bed also frustrates your efforts to teach him the ability to fall asleep on his own when he wakes up in the middle of the night
Step 3. Do not rock the child to put him to sleep
One of the patterns that parents do to put their children to sleep is to swing them. This is counterproductive behavior because it prevents your child from learning to sleep on their own.
Step 4. Avoid encouraging negative behaviors like crying
If your child cries in the middle of the night, you should ignore the crying and let him calm himself down until he goes back to sleep. If you rush to your child when the sound of crying occurs and immediately calm him down, you are inadvertently supporting a negative sleep pattern because you are rewarding him with attention and reassurance when he wakes up in the middle of the night.
- This step is an exception if the child cries more often than usual, has a different cry or is sick. It's a good idea to check on your child to make sure he doesn't feel any pain or discomfort, and that his diaper isn't dirty.
- Even if you only occasionally respond to a child's cry, you will still have a stronger or stronger reinforcement effect on your child's poor sleeping habits.
- This happens because "intermittent reinforcement" (a habit that is sometimes, but not always, rewarded with attention) is the strongest form of reinforcement effect that occurs in the brain.
- Therefore, if you respond to a child's cry by calming him down, that attitude will develop the thought in the child's brain that such an attitude should be continued, even though it is a habit that you want to stop.
Step 5. Stay focused on your long-term goals
If you are dealing with a child who is having trouble sleeping through the night, you will be easily depressed and feel disappointed over the problems at hand. However, focusing on long-term goals is the key to solving the problem at hand. The method you want to teach your child is the ability to self-soothe so that the child can learn to sleep on his own without the help of others. In addition, children can also know how to go back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night.
- By giving dedication and consistency to the teaching process, children will quickly learn the skills needed to sleep through the night. However, this lesson is not something that can be mastered overnight.
- Stay committed to teaching your child this important skill, and trust that your child will slowly adapt.
