Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Sleep
• Method 2 of 2: Coping with a child's nighttime awakenings
• Similar articles

Teaching a child to sleep well all night is not easy. However, if you put in the effort to develop consistent and healthy sleep patterns for your baby, and strategize on how to properly respond to nighttime awakenings, you can succeed - your baby will sleep soundly through the night.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Sleep

1. 1 Be consistent in developing your child's sleep patterns. Make sure your baby goes to bed at the same time. Try to stick to this schedule, making exceptions only occasionally (note that you can let your child go to bed later on weekends or on special occasions. However, do not let your child go to bed later than 30 minutes from the usual schedule) ... Consistency helps improve a child's sleep patterns and also teaches the brain to respond to the timing of waking and falling asleep.
   • In addition to getting your baby to sleep at the same time, you should also aim to ensure that he wakes up at the same time (again, half an hour or so apart).
   • Sleeping on weekends (when the child is not going to school) is not a good idea, especially if the child does not sleep well at night. Don't overdo it with sleep.
2. 2 Stick to the same routine before bed. To get your baby to sleep soundly through the night, you need to establish and follow the same routine before bed. This will help your child to tune in to sleep. It is also more likely that he will sleep through the night without waking up. Many parents read a few stories to their child before bed and give him a warm, relaxing bath.
   • When choosing pre-bedtime activities for your child, prioritize activities that will help you relax and tune in to sleep (that is, activities that will help calm your child's mind before bedtime).
   • Also, make sure that your bedtime activities are conducive to establishing a bond between you and your child. If you pay enough attention to your child before bedtime, he will not wake up at night. Crying or waking up at night may indicate that your baby needs your attention.
3. 3 Make sure your child is not watching TV or using a computer before bed. According to research, time spent in front of a screen - be it a TV screen, a computer screen, a mobile phone - decreases the natural production of melatonin in the brain (a chemical that makes it easier to fall asleep, restores the natural circadian rhythm). Spending time before bed in front of a TV or computer screen can cause insomnia and difficulty falling asleep. If possible, train your child to do other activities before bed, such as reading stories together or taking a bath.
4. 4 Improve the conditions for comfortable rest and sleep of the child. Make sure the child's room is dark. To do this, you can use blackout curtains or blinds. The darkness in the bedroom signals to the brain that it is time to sleep. Thanks to this, your child will fall asleep faster and also will not wake up at night.
   • Also, if you live in a house or area that is noisy enough, install white noise electronic devices in your child's bedroom. White noise drowns out unwanted sounds that can cause your baby to wake up at night.
   • Make sure that the temperature in the child's bedroom is comfortable - not too warm or too cold.
5. 5 Put your child to bed when he is sleepy but not too tired. It is worth noting that if a child is overworked, they are less likely to sleep well at night. In addition, the child will not acquire the important life skill associated with falling asleep (and, just as important, with complacency). Therefore, it is best to put your baby to bed when he is sleepy. Leave the child alone when he falls asleep.
   • Do not reduce your child's nap time until he is asleep all night.
   • Contrary to popular belief, reducing the amount of daytime naps have a negative impact on a child's sleep patterns.
   • After your child begins to sleep all night, you can remove one daytime nap, and then eventually give up the second; however, only start making changes if your child has no problem sleeping at night.
6. 6 Pay attention to your baby's food before bed. You should not feed your baby sweets before bed. Otherwise, your actions can cause an increase in blood sugar levels, as a result of which the child will feel a sharp surge of energy. Needless to say, this is not something that is needed while sleeping.
   • However, on the other hand, the child should not go to bed hungry, otherwise it can lead to a night awakening. Therefore, make sure that your child is getting enough calories before bed. Thanks to this, he will sleep peacefully throughout the night.
   • Do not feed your baby 30-60 minutes before bedtime (unless he is an infant).
7. 7 Let your child sleep with a stuffed toy. Starting at six months old, teach your baby to sleep with a favorite stuffed toy. Thanks to this, you can achieve two goals: firstly, your baby will feel that he is falling asleep not by himself, but in the company of a friend, and secondly, the child's sleep will cause pleasant emotions, since he will be next to his little friend.
8. 8 Think about the impact of the second child. Many parents find that their baby's sleep is disturbed when a newborn comes into the house. The child may feel that someone else has taken his place, and therefore he may experience an increased desire for parental attention, which is often expressed in night crying. If you are planning to have a second child, make sure that your little one gets used to their new sleeping place at least two months before the newborn arrives (the older child will have to move to another room or change the crib for an adult).
   • Make sure that the older child does not feel like a newborn has taken his place.
   • Also, be sure to engage your older child by assigning him to take care of the newborn. Of course, tasks should be appropriate for the child's age. Thanks to this, the older child will feel their importance and value in your eyes.

Method 2 of 2: Coping with a child's nighttime awakenings

1. 1 Decide how you will act if your child wakes up at night. If your child wakes up at night, work with your partner on a plan to deal with the situation. You must clearly define for yourself how you will react to this behavior of the child. You will most likely find it difficult to analyze the situation at night, so having a specific, premeditated pattern of behavior will help reduce stress. It also helps you stick to the same behavior at all times. Your child will know what to expect if he wakes up at night.
2. 2 If the child wakes up, do not call him to your bed. If a child has difficulty sleeping, some parents suggest that he or she sleeps with them. This may be the only (or easiest) way to calm your baby and help him fall asleep. However, if you want to solve this problem, this behavior is not the best option. By doing this, you will contribute to the development of bad sleep habits as you will reward your child for waking up at night.
   • By inviting a child into your bed, you are depriving him of the opportunity to acquire an important life skill.He must learn to fall asleep again if he wakes up in the middle of the night.
3. 3 Do not rock your child. Another mistake that many parents make is rocking their baby. If you do this, your baby will not learn to fall asleep on its own.
4. 4 Don't reward bad behavior, such as nighttime tantrums. If your baby cries at night, try to ignore this behavior and let him calm down on his own until she falls asleep again. Do not rush to get up when you hear your baby cry. Let him calm down on his own. Otherwise, your gesture will be regarded as a reward for a night awakening. By doing this, you reward the child's bad behavior.
   • However, if your baby is crying more than usual or is sick, you should get up to determine the cause of your baby's cry. Perhaps he is in pain or needs to change his diaper.
   • Even if you only reacted once to the crying of a child, by your actions you reinforce the wrong model of behavior.
   • This is because "probabilistic reinforcement" (behavior that is occasionally rewarded with attention, but not always) is a powerful reinforcing factor.
   • Therefore, reacting to the crying of the child and trying to calm him down, you influence the child's brain, reinforcing the wrong model of behavior (if this happens, try not to react).
5. 5 Set a long-term goal for yourself. If your child does not sleep well at night, you may feel frustrated and helpless. However, try to focus on long-term success. You teach your child important skills to help them calm down and fall asleep, including if they wake up in the middle of the night.
   • If you are consistent and true to the chosen course, you can teach your child to do this; however, be patient, you will not be able to achieve quick results.
   • Keep instilling important life skills in your child and you will see positive results over time.

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