Is your child waking up at night more than he should be? You are not alone – 41% of babies aged under three wake up throw the night.
There are several gentle and natural ideas, that will help you and your baby drift off to sleep all night long.
Early to bed
Keep a regular schedule with consistent bedtimes and nap times. Bedtimes should be early and age appropriate. Late bedtimes particularly after 9pm are consistently shown to contribute to poor sleep. Try an earlier bedtime – 7 or 7.30pm.
Get Outside
Fresh air is good for us – everyone knows that. And it’s good for baby too. It’s a documented fact that fresh air does tend to help babies and toddler sleep better. After your baby is a few weeks old, make outdoor walks a priority during your daily routine. Open the windows, relax on the patio, and enjoy the great outdoors.
Use The Bedroom A Sleep Place
Teach your baby that the bedroom is a place to sleep: make sure you do not engage her in play and other activities in the sleep area and remove all toys and other distractions from this zone. You can be sure, that baby will soon start identifying the space with sleep.
Give him a comforter
A cuddly blanket, stuffed toy or even your old t-shirt to smell you, can all help to comfort him in the night. If he gets attached to these things, he’ll learn to use them to soothe himself back to sleep instead of always calling out to you.
Try Infant Massage
Infant massage can improve sleep at night. There are a variety of techniques, so if you’re not sure how to get started, an online guides can give you some ideas of where to begin.
Keep up the day sleep
Toddlers need an average of 10-14 hours of sleep a day and this includes a day sleep. If your little one is in the habit of skipping this she may be suffering from over-tiredness and over-tiredness will make it harder for her to sleep at night.
Be gentle but firm
If you go into your toddler’s room during the night, be gentle but firm about it being time for sleep. Be calm and quiet to reinforce the idea that it’s a time for sleep.
Find the ideal temperature
A lower body temperature promotes sleep, so cooler temperatures in the evening and through the night may aid in a good night’s sleep for both you and your baby. Set your child’s room temperature in a range that is comfortable for a lightly clothed adult and avoid over dressing you baby.
Let her burn off steam in the day
Toddler need to burn off physical steam and you should engage her more during the day.
Cut out the middle of the night milk
If your toddler is in the habit of drinking a bottle of milk or demanding a breastfeed in the night, she may be using this as a ‘sleep association’. Try to cut this habit. Give your baby a few nights to adjust to this.
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