Many parents of young children spend countless hours battling bedtime battles with their kids. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of setting up a bedtime routine for your child, you’re not alone. Parents all over the world are trying to teach their kids the importance of a good night’s rest.
You want your child to be able to fall asleep without you having to wake up every hour and check on him or her. Your child doesn’t want to go to bed. Your child has a hard time falling asleep. You don’t want to let your child suffer because of his or her sleepless nights. You want him or her to fall asleep without your constant supervision. You want to teach your child how important it is to go to bed on time. You want your child to learn the value of a good night’s sleep.
And you want to avoid fighting with your child about going to bed at night. In this article, I would like to reveal 5 simple, yet effective techniques for teaching your child to fall asleep without you constantly waking up to make sure he or she is safe. These techniques are designed to help you establish a bedtime routine for your child that will enable him or her to fall asleep without you having to wake up every hour. This will ensure your child gets plenty of rest and that you won’t be spending hours in bed trying to convince your kid to stay asleep.
Sounds good?
Let’s dive in…
Make Bedtime Fun
If your child is a night owl, consider using his or her bedtime routine as a chance to teach valuable lessons about healthy habits. Start each morning with a warm bath. Take the time to read a books.
If you can find a way to make bedtime more fun, then I think that you’ll be surprised at the results.. Before going to sleep, try some of these simple activities. Your child will be grateful for the rest, and you’ll have the opportunity to share a positive habit-forming experience.
Tell Your Child What You Will Do When He’s/She’s Asleep
The problem is that most parents don’t know what to do when their kids go to sleep. And they end up being awake for hours every night. It gets tiring and makes them worry. And there is no point because the kid doesn’t remember.
I think you should do nothing with him when he is asleep. The only time you would do anything with your child is if you feel there having a danger that they may harm themselves, so you’d wake them up and make sure they are safe and warm. Otherwise, you should just be with your child and they will feel safe and secure with you even when they sleeping.
Have a Set Bedtime Ritual
Your child can get to sleep more easily if you establish a regular bedtime routine. It could be as simple as washing face, drinking a cup of warm milk, have a bath or take a shower, brushing teeth, reading books and putting your child pajamas on.
Make sure you have a consistent bedtime routine, and stick to it as you may be able to help yourself to feel less tired if you have an evening routine in place. It’s not about going to bed early or lying awake. Instead it’s about making sure you are getting enough sleep. This will be tricky at first but the more you get used to it, the easier it will become.
Reward Good Behavior
When your child does something good you do something good in return. It’s natural. What happens when your child is bad? You don’t reward bad behavior. So that they can learn what it feels like to be rewarded for doing the bad things. And they also learn what it feels like to be punished for doing the good things. So when you stop rewarding good behavior, it’s not a punishment, it’s just a new experience.
And that can feel uncomfortable at first. However, you can make this easier by giving your child positive feedback. This can work for both good and bad behavior. For example, if you notice that your child is sleeping early in the night on their own room, praise them for doing so. I think you need to be clear about what you are going to reward and what you aren’t. For example, if you are going to reward your child for being sleep early at night, then be very clear about what the reward is.
Don’t say, “I’ll give you a hug if you do your homework.” You could say, “I noticed you were sleeping early at night. That’s great! I’m proud of you for being disciplined in your bedtime.” This will be exercise to motivate your children to sleep early and they will do it again till they get the habit of sleeping early.
Limit Electronics
The best way to deal with this is to limit your child using any devices at least an hour before going to sleep. Limit your kids use of technology before bedtime. Don’t be afraid to say no or to restrict use of devices before bedtime. The good news is that there are many ways to make sure your kids have enough sleep that don’t involve banning electronic devices. You could turn off any screen lights in the room or even just dim them.
Or perhaps you could make sure the bedroom is as dark as possible. Or, you could take advantage of the fact that children are naturally quite sleepy during the day and try to get your kids into a good sleeping pattern. If they need to get up and get ready for school or if they are tired from playing outside, then it’s okay to get them up. But once they are in their pajamas and settled on the sofa with their favorite blanket or toy, then it’s best to keep the electronics out of their reach. Limit your kids use of technology before bedtime so that they are physically tired. Don’t be afraid to say no or to restrict use of devices before bedtime.
The good news is that there are many ways to make sure your kids have enough sleep that don’t involve banning electronic devices. You could turn off any screen lights in the room or even just dim them. Or perhaps you could make sure the bedroom is as dark as possible. Or, you could take advantage of the fact that children are naturally quite sleepy during the day and try to get your kids into a good sleeping pattern.
If they need to get up and get ready for school or if they are tired from playing outside, then it’s okay to get them up. But once they are in their pajamas and settled on the sofa with their favorite blanket or toy, then it’s best to keep the electronics out of their reach. This is an important one to discuss with your kids. You need to explain why you want them to limit electronic devices before bedtime and what consequences will happen if they don’t listen to you In some cases, your kids will be more upset about being restricted from using certain things than they are at you telling them to put away their devices. It’s a good idea to be prepared for this and to try to keep them calm so that they understand the reasoning behind your request.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a routine is a great way to set your children’s expectations of what they should be doing when bedtime comes around. If you have your own little ones to deal with, or you want to create a bedtime routine for your older child, it’s an essential part of a good relationship. Children need a routine to feel secure, and they develop a sense of security from knowing their routines.