The results are in - The Perfect Mother's Day Gift is...... Sleep!
Mother's Day is a special day, and we all find ourselves searching for the best gift to honor the moms in our lives. While searching for gifts, we asked our panel of moms what they really wanted this year. The survey results are back, and we were surprised to find that it's the most simple things that makes mom happy! Beating out fresh picked flowers and breakfast in bed, coming in at #1 is.... a great night's sleep! No monsters, cups of water, or bathroom emergencies - just blissful, uninterrupted sleep throughout the night!
Sleep training your baby was tough enough, but for whatever reason when kids grow up, sometimes even the best sleepers decide to mix up the routine and start shouting for Mom again in the middle of the night. So how do we get an older child to stay asleep throughout the night? What are the expert tips and tricks that can help Mom get her #1 Mother's Day wish to come true?
How to Get Your Child to Sleep Through the Night (again!)
Here is our top 10 list of simple tips and tricks to help get that little night owl to stay in bed - and sleep!:- Get back into a consistent routine & don't draw bedtime out too late. It's counter-intuitive, but putting your kids to bed too late can backfire.
- Have a united front as parents. If one parent says it’s bedtime, then it is bedtime – no excuses!
- Make sure they go to the bathroom before bed, try not to encourage excessive fluid intake. While your child may still sleep in diapers, a full bladder can wake them up.
- Avoid late-night scares: Give him or her a security object, such as a blanket or stuffed animal, and restrict over-stimulating activities like watching movies or stories that get the imagination going too much. Have fun with this one... check for monsters before bedtime, and invent great reasons why they can not reach him during the night (the legs of the bed have been dipped in magical anti monster liquid?) Whatever works!
- Make sure your child's room setup is optimized for efficient rest. This starts with a comfortable, safe bed. As a general rule, don't move your child from the crib to his/her bed before the age of two. Ensure the toddler bed has safety rails so your child won’t fall out of bed if she moves in his or her sleep. Especially when sleeping up high, make sure you opted for bunk bed or loft bed with extra tall safety rails, and a safe ladder with a handrail and wide steps for extra stability.
- Store away toys and clutter before bedtime. Putting away 'distraction' items will help to keep kids in their beds and not up playing Lego's in the middle of the night. This also helps to avoid tripping on anything during nighttime bathroom visits.
- Install a simple night light that is not too bright and does not cause any scary shadows.
- While you're installing, add some room darkening shades - especially in the summer - or consider a white noise maker/fan if you have a noisy home. Or try adding a top tent to muffle sound and block out light.
- Invest in a good quality mattress to properly support your child's body weight and channel heat away from their bodies while they sleep. Many adults talk about what a huge difference a good quality mattress has made on the quality of their sleep. The same is true for children, but they may not be aware that it's the worn out mattress they are sleeping on that causes them to toss and turn.
- Remember the soothing bath time rituals that you established when your kids were babies? The same trick works on older kids. Set a soothing atmosphere, draw a warm bath, read a story in a cozy spot where everyone can snuggle in and start getting drowsy. Better yet, get dad to do all of this, and pour mum a nice glass of wine, so she can start off mother's day weekend nice and relaxed!.
Happy Mother's Day to all of you out there! We hope your kids will spoil you - and you get some well deserved sleep with these quick bedtime tips. :)
