behavior for a newborn, so parents should let them routine, stick to it. You want to be predictable. For
stick to their natural drowsiness patterns—and try to example, if it’s your routine then your child should
sleep when they sleep. To avoid having an overtired know that she’s going to take a bath and then she’s
baby, parents should reinforce the natural sleep going to hear a bedtime story, and then it’s lights out.
schedule by starting a soothing activity after an hour or Not only is predictability soothing, the built in warning
so of an infant being awake. gives her a chance to get sleepy on her own, before it’s
Parents can also help ease infants into the sleeping
abruptly “bedtime.”
patterns you want them to develop by putting them Sticking to a routine doesn’t mean that you can’t be
in sunny rooms during the daytime and dark rooms at flexible. Kids are more likely to cooperate when you
night. Eventually they’ll begin sleeping more at night have their goodwill, so consider building some flexibility
and napping less and less. As kids get older, a routine into the schedule. For instance, you can let your child
should involve an established bedtime, because they’ll know that she can play for fifteen minutes and then let
often want to stay up watching tv, playing games, or her choose whether she wants to play before her bath
texting. And because it can be hard for kids to fall or after. Also keep in mind that all kids are different, so
asleep after all the stimulation they get from doing the sleep routine that worked for one child might not
these things, the bedtime routine should also involve work for her brother.
some screen-free time before bed to help them wind
down. The goal is for kids to go to bed already feeling
The child’s bed, not yours
drowsy. One of the biggest sleep disrupters is the tendency
Make bedrooms good for sleeping of some children to go into the parents’ room in the
Another important element of good sleep hygiene is to frequently, and it can be hard on the whole family. If
make the bedroom a good place for sleeping. The room your child wakes up in the middle of the night, you
should be dark and not too distracting. Bedrooms often should get him back to his bed as soon as possible. Kids
have glowing alarm clocks, flashing lights on game like having these late night interactions with parents,
consoles, and phones that vibrate with each new text. but we should do our best to minimize any reward that
Kids’ rooms in particular also tend to be filled with fun they might be getting from them.
toys that claim attention.
middle of the night for comfort. Some kids do this very
Don’t have a long conversation and don’t let him climb
For the best quality of sleep, bedrooms should be cool into bed with you. For kids who really depend on that
and comfortable. This can be a struggle with some kids comfort and aren’t going to fall asleep without it, it’s
who prefer falling asleep with the weight of a blanket, much better for parents to walk kids back to their room
but then wake up sweaty and uncomfortable. If this is and then sit in a chair next to the bed to keep them
the case with any of the children in your home, try to company until they fall asleep. This can be hard on
use thinner blankets and pajamas. parents—if your child regularly wakes up you’ll want to
One last rule is that the bed should only used for
sleeping. Kids, especially teenagers, use their beds for
make sure the chair is comfortable—but kids need to
learn that they can sleep on their own.
everything, including doing homework and watching If your child is having serious trouble falling asleep and
television. This is actually bad because kids should only consistent sleep hygiene isn’t working, it’s always a
associate their beds with sleep. That way when they’re good idea to consult a pediatrician. Sleep medication
in bed they know why they’re there—and they don’t shouldn’t be given to children, but other interventions
feel like they could be watching TV instead. do work. Kids can learn relaxation and self-soothing
Consistency is key
techniques that help them fall asleep, and as they get
older there are cognitive tools that help, too.
The biggest obstacle to getting kids to sleep is often
parental inconsistency. Once you’ve established a
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