Parents know it all too well: Short nights caused by children who don’t sleep through or wake up way too early.
But there are three tips that experts on the subject of baby and toddler sleep share again and again.
Tip number 1: Take a nap in the afternoon
You often hear this advice: The child should simply skip the afternoon nap so that it is really tired in the evening and sleeps better.
The opposite is the case.
Overtired children find it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep because the stress hormones in the blood are too high.
So make sure your child gets enough sleep during the day.
Tip #2: Experiment with bedtime.
Try to put your child to bed earlier or later.
If your child starts to get cranky at night, try an earlier bedtime. The restlessness caused by tiredness prevents you from falling asleep quickly.
Or try a later bedtime. Sometimes there is not enough time between the afternoon nap and the night nap. Then it may be that your child is simply not tired enough to fall asleep quickly.
Tip number 3: Check disruptive factors
Is there anything that might disturb your child’s sleep?
Is it too bright in the children’s room so that the little ones are woken up by the sun? Or is the children’s room noisy and might hear the neighbour’s alarm clock? Noisy planes flying nearby early in the morning?
Noises in the morning hours in particular can wake up the little ones, as sleep is easier then.
If you can rule out these possibilities, your child can give you more quiet nights and possibly longer sleep times.