Getting your little ones sleep back on track or on track to begin with can be a difficult task!
This is something I’ve struggled with for many months (closer to a year) now. My perfect little sleepers have been waking constantly and will only sleep if we co-sleep. We’ve never coslept before so all my ideals of cuddling them beautifully throughout the night were crushed with all the rib kicks, toes in my face and NO more couple time.
So when Tara from The Gentle Sleep Specialist reached out I was thrilled to receive some tips to get our sleeping back on track!
Tara Mitchell is a paediatric nurse, qualified infant and toddler sleep consultant and mother. She has created a successful business that allows her to guide, educate and support parents to create healthy sleep habits with their little ones.
“I pride myself on the support my clients receive and my compassionate, caring nature enables me to establish life changing results that brings much needed sleep for physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of the child and parents.”
Below she shares with you her top tips to get back on track.
Has sleep gone wayside for your little ones? If your little ones sleep isn’t quite what it used to be or what you would like it to be here are some tips to get you back into the swing of a good night’s sleep!
1. Pick the right time. If you have a jam packed weekend ahead or are still in the thick of Christmas events, it’s probably not the best time to make change. Choose a good day to get back on track and commit to it. Plan to keep the week following as low key as possible.
2. Have a solid plan and make sure everyone is on board. Consistency is key when trying to bring in or get back healthy sleep habits and routine. If one parent is doing one thing and the other something different, it can get really messy. Children learn through consistency and repetition, if you have a solid plan in place that you feel comfortable with, your little one will not only learn quicker, they will also sense your confidence throughout the process. This will in turn make the process a lot more effective.
3. It is so important your little one isn’t getting drowsy or an opportunity to get a second wind in the bedtime process. As an example, toddlers are notorious for lying down on the couch with their milk and having some time in front of the tv right before bed. It is not uncommon to then see them ditch their milk, jump up and appear to be ready to go again. The same goes with babies too, if they are drowsy on their feed right before bed, it can mean that when that finishes and you attempt to put them down they are rested and think they are ready for play.
4. I recommend making changes from the beginning of the night, so from the bedtime routine. Make sure your routine is strong. If your toddler has a habit of trying to ask for more and stretch the rules, create a chart that has the bedtime routine list in steps, then as each one is completed they put a stamp in the box next to it. “Right you’ve been to the toilet or had a drink, pop a stamp down”. This helps to re-confirm to them they have done that particular activity and is a great thing to refer back to and show them when they ask for “one more drink”.
Need more help?
You can contact Tara through the links below:
Facebook & Instagram – The Gentle Sleep Specialist to receive updates with great advice on children’s sleep.
Otherwise, contact me through my website www.gentlesleep.com.au to find out more.
Tara.
Many thanks to Tara for the tips.
Sending you love,
MBS
xx